With the recent demise of Manches, we examine the auditors and the complex task of determining a firm’s health Who audits the UK 200? For the first time The Lawyer has answered that question, offering a glimpse into one of the most competitive and potentially fraught professional services sectors out there. And a timely glimpse […]
Wragge & Co senior partner Quentin Poole has always considered Lawrence Graham (LG) an undervalued stock. The City firm topped Wragges’ merger wish list back in 2009, but Poole’s partners had little appetite to pursue a merger a year into the recession. Four years later, and as one of the last major national players without […]
LG may have lost its original lustre but this could still be a marriage of convenience Some things are meant to be, and others just look better the second time around. And so it must be for Wragge & Co and Lawrence Graham (LG), which last week confirmed that they are in merger talks to […]
Arbitrator makes welcome decision to disregard the long-debated salvage distinction In a recent appeal, the Lloyd’s open form appeal arbitrator, Sir David Steel, has revisited the salvage danger known as “immobilised until professionally assisted” and the long-debated fine distinction as to whether or not “professional” assistance is required in different situations which impacts on the remuneration for […]
AIFMD’s plans for alternative investment funds could create an unfair advantage in the market The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) will bring alternative investment funds under full EU regulatory supervision. Although the implementation date was on 22 July, a 12-month transition period provides a larger window for compliance, a grace period gladly welcomed in light […]
Hogan Lovells agrees South African merger with former Eversheds ally Africa is a continent largely untapped by international firms, but one that promises exciting prospects for those that get on the ground first. Last week Hogan Lovells made its first move into the region through a merger with former Eversheds ally Routledge Modise. As significant […]
With 14,000 students chasing 5,000 places, recruiters are rethinking the selection routine Anyone hunting a training contract should note the endless queue. University graduates see law as a relatively safe option in a rocky jobs market, but in 2009/10 there were 11,370 full-time and 3,140 part-time LPC places compared with just 4,874 newly registered training […]
If you think Scottish independence will be tricky for politicians, spare a thought for pensioners England and Scotland’s shared history means that many companies operate in both countries, making no distinction between where workers are located. Assuming an independent Scotland would be a member of the EU its relationship with the UK would be akin […]
Some have shown great resolve in tough times, others outstanding innovation – the Continent’s star independent firms will be named and acclaimed at the industry’s top awards event in February In a time of increasing internationalisation in the legal market, the performance of those firms that choose to remain independent can sometimes go unnoticed. The […]
Of all the transactional sectors projects and energy has been one of the most resilient throughout the recession. According to Noble Legal director Daniel Smith, “projects and infrastructure has weathered the economic turbulence and remains one of the most buoyant markets in law, be it project finance or commercial projects work”. JLegal senior consultant Ekaterina […]
Lawyer exits and entrances have made for a complex cast list of firms benefitting from the redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station area In the 30 years since its turbines stopped whirring, Battersea power station’s iconic pillars have overlooked an increasingly desolate area. Two years ago it would have been hard to envisage the glistening […]
Jeffrey Eneberi, GC at online takeaway service Just Eat, keeps the start-up fire burning among staff, even as the business mops up rival operations around the world “Have you seen one of these before?” asks Just Eat general counsel Jeffrey Eneberi, excitedly wielding a red toy racing car. “It drives up walls,” he grins, running […]