Simmons & Simmons has become the second firm to benefit from the closure of Nixon Peabody’s Paris office, picking up private equity partner Noro-Lanto Ravisy. Ravisy’s hire follows last week’s news that Nixon Peabody public law specialist Olivier de Chazeaux was joining Stephenson Harwood (13 February 2013). The US firm announced in December that it […]
Political instability in Italy has made foreign investors wary, slashing legal activity, but there is optimism that the coming elections could start a recovery Italy’s political woes have been well-documented in the past year. The technocratic government appointed by president Giorgio Napolitano in December 2011 and led by Mario Monti forced through a number of […]
Secret courts are totalitarian and would destroy our country’s moral standing in the world Our Government has knowingly facilitated the rendition and torture of prisoners. This statement is not mere “conspiracy theory”, as Jack Straw once told the Commons. It was found as a fact by the Court of Appeal in Binyam Mohammed v FCO […]
Government must consider employment law implications of ramping up the role of armed forces reservists The role of armed forces reservists is changing. They are set to be deployed on active service more often as a result of a scaleback of full-time service men and women. This will affect law firms that count reservists among […]
The emerging markets are the bright spots in the global economy right now, but is legal recruitment as buoyant in these markets? “The Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) economies, and the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) regions are all busy, with many multinationals and law firms looking to these markets to set up […]
The emerging markets are the bright spots in the global economy right now, but is legal recruitment as buoyant in these markets? “The Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) economies, and the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) regions are all busy, with many multinationals and law firms looking to these markets to set up […]
Appeal court’s weak decision undermines efforts to constrain legal costs and adds to judges’ burden The Court of Appeal (CoA) decision last week in Henry v News Group Newspapers Ltd ruled that there was good reason to depart from the previously approved costs budget of Baby P social worker Sylvia Henry in her defamation case […]
Regional sets are having to face up to the fact that their world is changing, and fast Drastic cuts to the legal aid budget, the reformation of the way civil litigation is funded and a spluttering economy – these are the challenges facing sets across the country. While those that claim magic circle status are […]
Jeff Winn’s extraordinary journey from small-town solicitor to £10m-a-year road accident law mogul is proof that entrepreneurialism pays Fifteen years ago, Jeff Winn’s life changed. The criminal defence solicitor was out driving his Jaguar when another motorist ran into the back of his car. Although there was no hint at the time of the impact […]
What was your first-ever job? Supermarket checkout assistant. What was your worst experience as a trainee? One evening I went to the home of one of our criminal clients with my principal to take a statement for his trial. We sat surrounded by Rottweilers and I decided I didn’t want to do criminal work. What’s […]
Watson Farley & Williams narrowly missed the £100m turnover barrier for the 2011/12 financial year, posting a 12 per cent revenue hike to £99.8m Watson Farley’s healthy rise came off the back of an impressive expansion campaign, giving the firm 14 offices spanning Europe, Asia and the US. This includes a joint venture in Singapore […]
The private equity funds market in London has been raided and invaded by US firms of late, so what has been the impact? The past few years have not been exactly kind to the private equity market, with little sign things are picking up much after the 2008 crash. A recent report by Preqin shows […]