SJ Berwin partner joins Herbies' Rosen as party to Compere's conflict complaint

Private equity house Compere Associates has made good on its promise to lodge a complaint against SJ Berwin partner Richard Slowe.

Directors John Moreland-Lynn and Tom Crema filed the complaint with the Law Society on 2 March, a fortnight after it emerged (The Lawyer, 20 February) that Slowe was being sucked into a conflicts row that has already ensnared Herbert Smith's advocacy head Murray Rosen QC.

Crema and Moreland-Lynn have accused Slowe of breaching client relations, misrepresentation and dereliction of duty and client care, as well as acting with a conflict of interest.

The complaint follows litigation over the 2002 purchase of German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. Slowe and Rosen acted for Compere during the litigation.

Moreland-Lynn said Slowe was conflicted because he had previously worked with businessmen Tony Buckingham and Michael Grunberg, who negotiated the settlement of the litigation for the opposing side.

A Bar Council hearing into Compere's conflict of interest complaint against Rosen is due to take place on 31 March.