Tom Phillips
The Lawyer
Breaks for the border
UK firms have reorganised, changed focus, sacked lawyers, merged and closed offices.
Sharing the secrets
2011 will bring with it a huge change to Luxembourg’s tradition of banking secrecy. Tom Phillips and James Swift look at what that will mean for the status of the offshore financial centre
Garrigues sets out expansion plans and bags International Firm of the Year award
Spanish firm Garrigues was crowned International Firm of the Year at the The Lawyer Awards two weeks ago - the first non-US firm to win the prize.
Boost for foreign firms as Bulgaria’s Bar Act brings legal market in line with EU rules
International firms practising in Bulgaria are celebrating after the country’s government amended its bar rules to accept foreign firms.
Hengeler Mueller’s new managing partners to maintain high-end corporate focus
German firm Hengeler Mueller has elected Daniela Favoccia and Matthias Hentzen as its two new managing partners.
High diplomacy
After strike action, snow and volcanic ash, nothing surprises BA head of employment law Julia Harrison. She talks to Tom Phillips about battles with the elements, staff and angry customers
Open for business: the German Commercial Court, in English
The first Commercial Court case in Germany to be held in English took place at the end of May.
Kinstellar conquers Turkey’s ‘protectionist environment’ with launch of CCAO
Kinstellar has opened in Turkey through the creation of a new firm, which it has called CCAO.
CMS partners home in on European strategy
Partners from the nine CMS network firms will discuss how they can consolidate their position across European markets when they meet for their annual partner conference this month.
Abroadly speaking
A changing regulatory landscape and the influence of international firms is set to make 2010 a significant year for the Russian legal market.
The Lawyer European Awards 2010: Shortlist
After the success of last year’s inaugural event, it’s no exaggeration to say that interest in The Lawyer European Awards 2010 has exploded.
Russian MoJ consults international and independent firms over new regulations
THE CREATION of a Russian legal regulator took a step closer last week with a series of meetings between law firms and the country’s Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
Running Lyca dream: Mohammed Malique, Lycamobile and Lycatel
As general counsel of Lycamobile and Lycatel, Mohammed Malique knows exactly when to place that all-important call to external lawyers.
White & Case pushes into Asia via Moscow
White & Case is strengthening its Moscow office in a bid to make it a ’gateway to Asia’.
White & Case bulks up Moscow with Clifford Chance hire
White & Case has poached M&A partner Andrei Dontsov from Clifford Chance in Moscow.
Profile: Island hoping: John Collis, Conyers Dill & Pearman
As Conyers sets its sights on a base in the Channel Islands, Tom Phillips meets the man driving the expansion strategy, director John Collis
Camerons welcomes nine to partnership
CMS Cameron McKenna has promoted nine lawyers to its partnership, as part of a 23-strong round across the entire CMS Europe network.
Recession finally takes bite out of Gide as 2009 turnover suffers e38m slump
Gide Loyrette Nouel saw its turnover decrease by nearly 15 per cent to e220m (£192.87m) over the 2009 financial year.
Screen saver: Ted Shapiro, Motion Picture Association
Motion Picture Association general counsel Ted Shapiro is taking a leading role in the fight against copyright pirates.
Matrix barrister to head death row team for Reprieve
A barrister from Matrix Chambers has been named as legal director of the death penalty team at human rights charity Reprieve.
In-house rules: Lee Greenbury, Enterprise
As group legal director at support services company Enterprise, Lee Greenbury’s strategy to build a mini-law firm in-house is also receiving a lot of support.
Pre-merger Mourant focuses on India as economic development ‘moves east’
Offshore firm Mourant du Feu & Jeune is planning a new strategy to focus on IPOs and corporate structures emanating from India.
Hogan partner heads ‘reverse spin-off’ to service larger clients’ international needs
The new managing partner of what will be Hogan Lovells’ Berlin office has said he chose to stay with the firm despite most of his colleagues setting up alone, arguing his practice needs the backing of an international firm.
Lucky strikes
The opening of new oil fields has sparked fresh interest in Africa from international law firms. By Tom Phillips
Focus: Gide Loyrette Nouel, French redressing
When Gide launched in London in 2003 it hoped to crack the City. Seven years on and its UK lawyers are feeling the pressure
Egorov equity partners trouser £5m profit shares
Equity partners at Moscow-based Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners pocketed profit shares of on average e5.64m (£5.12m) in the 2009 financial year.
Bates Wells hip hop lawyer wins Snoop Dogg immigration battle
Bates Wells & Braithwaite has paved the way for US rapper Snoop Dogg to enter the UK after a long-running battle with UK immigration.
Appleby takes offshore crown from Maples
Appleby has overtaken Maples and Calder as the world’s largest offshore firm by partner numbers thanks to its October 2009 merger with the Isle of Man’s Dickinson Cruickshank.
Addleshaws on both sides of offshore tie-up
Addleshaw Goddard’s nascent law firm consultancy has worked on its largest merger to date after steering the tie-up between offshore firms Mourant du Feu & Jeune and Ozannes.
Common touch: Akbar Khan, Commonwealth Secretariat
Legal director at the Commonwealth Secretariat Akbar Khan is committed to furthering what he believes are the organisation’s altruistic aims.
Guernsey rush hastens Mourant-Ozannes tie-up
Offshore firms Mourant du Feu & Jeune and Ozannes were spurred into making their merger talks a reality after Appleby launched in Guernsey with a four-partner team poached from Ozannes (The Lawyer, 11 January).
Mourant and Ozannes merge to create third-largest offshore firm
Channel Islands-based offshore firms Mourant du Feu & Jeune and Ozannes are to merge, creating the third-largest offshore firm in terms of partner numbers.
Salans elects Chateau as chairman in board rejig
Salans has named New York corporate partner François Chateau as chairman of its seven-strong revamped board, with incumbent Stephen Finch stepping down after five years in the role.
Guardian angel
In her first year at The Guardian Gill Phillips thrived on getting stuck in to one ruck after another.
Protection racket
December’s massive hike in professional indemnity premiums led to panic in the market, with some firms being forced out of the profession altogether.
CHSH votes in female duo as co-heads
Austrian firm Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati (CHSH) has elected a managing partner duo after Albert Birkner completed his three-and-a-half year tenure in the job.
Conyers follows Appleby to Channel Islands
Offshore firm Conyers Dill & Pearman is planning to open in the Channel Islands this summer, following the lead of offshore rival Appleby.
Ex-Hengeler partner quits Milbank after just ten days
Wolfgang Grobecker, a corporate M&A partner in the Munich office of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, has parted company with his new firm.
‘Unacceptable misconduct’ mars Hengeler partner’s Milbank switch
Hengeler Mueller, Slaughter and May’s best friend in Germany, has taken the unprecedented step of admitting that the firm was forced to part company with one of its partners.
Appleby raids rival for Guernsey gambit
Offshore firm Appleby is to open an office in Guernsey by the spring after poaching a team of four lawyers from rival firm Ozannes.
A&O raids Clifford Chance for Paris M&A team
Allen & Overy has boosted its Paris M&A practice with the hire of a partner and five senior associates from Clifford Chance.
Milbank scores Munich coup with Hengeler hire
Slaughter and May’s German best friend Hengeler Mueller has suffered a rare partner departure with a Munich corporate lawyer defecting to US firm Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy.
Lord Judge to chair landmark libel appeal hearing
Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, the country’s most senior judge, will chair a panel of three to preside over a landmark libel trial set to be heard by the Court of Appeal in February.
Using his loaf: John Healey, Warburtons
Since leaving his role at Williams F1 to settle down at Warburtons, general counsel John Healey has shaken up the way things are done at the family bakers. Tom Phillips reports
Bott & Co launches iPhone accident app
Law firm Bott & Co has launched a personal injury (PI) iPhone application that allows claimants to get instant access to a PI solicitor if they have been involved in an accident.
Maples shake-up sees shock departure of management team
The managing partners of offshore law firm Maples and Calder have left the firm following its partner retreat last week.
Salans adds insolvency partner in London
Salans has brought in an insolvency partner in London.
Salans follows Berlin group with London hire
Salans has added an insolvency partner in London in the same week as it made an eight-lawyer hire from German law firm Beiten Burkhardt.
Reprieve appeals to lawyers’ sense of justice by asking for one hour’s pay
Reprieve, the charity that gives legal help to prisoners in Guantánamo Bay or on death row, is calling on lawyers to donate the monetary equivalent of their time.
Garrigues triumphs at The Lawyer European Awards
Iberian firm Garrigues was named European Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer’s inaugural European awards, held last night in Barcelona.
BT GC in housing association switch
BT Retail general counsel Gordon Moir has left the company after 10 years to join the Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) as company secretary.
IBA Conference: in the internet age face-to-face meetings still reign supreme
This year’s International Bar Association (IBA) Conference has been hailed as one of the busiest ever.
Food for thought: Gareth John, Sodexo
Sodexo general counsel Gareth John’s team deals with more than just catering contracts, with the company branching into PFI and prisons management.
Norton Rose's Paris employment chief defects to local firm Franklin
French firm Franklin has beefed up its Paris employment practice with the hire of Norton Rose’s French employment chief.
Magisters finds new chief for Kiev office
CIS law firm Magisters has elected Andrew Mac as managing partner of its Kiev office.
Painting seized by Hitler at centre of Wolf Theiss legal battle
Central and eastern European firm Wolf Theiss is working on the restitution of a Vermeer masterpiece bought in controversial circumstances by Adolf Hitler during the Second World War.
A&L Goodbody names London chief as next managing partner
A&L Goodbody corporate partner and London head Julian Yarr has emerged victorious from the firm’s contested managing partner elections.
CMS Cameron McKenna clinches key place on BT global panel
Freshfields, Bird & Bird retain places; Linklaters and Addleshaws lose out
Dressed to bill
As the design capital of the world, Milan’s IP market is still thriving. But will the industry be forced to modernise in the near future? asks Tom Phillips
Wolf Theiss bid to bring in more US clients sparks overhaul of CEE strategy
Austrian firm Wolf Theiss is reinventing itself as a Central and Eastern European (CEE) one-stop shop in a bid to attract more US clients.
French resistance
The French economy is in recovery and its lawyers are looking ahead to rosier times. By Tom Phillips
Magisters’ founding partner leaves firm for public office
The co-founding partner of CIS firm Magisters has left to launch a political career in Ukraine.
Go North and multiply
The North has been as vulnerable as anywhere else to the recession, but the largest firms are increasing their gap at the top. By Tom Phillips
Rising dampener
It may have been tough at the top in the last financial year, but as the statistics for the full UK 200 show, it was even tougher at the bottom.
NCTM ups China, East Asia offering
Italian law firm NCTM Studio Legale Associato has strengthened its presence in China and East Asia.
Roschier confirms Swedish focus as new chairman takes over the reins
Roschier has a new-look leadership after its long-serving chairman stepped down to take a back seat at the firm.
Schoenherr secures Renaissance-PORR JV
Central European law firm Schoenherr has advised on a rare outbound transaction from a construction company in Turkey.
Former MTV legal duo bag News Corp, Arsenal posts
?Two alumni of MTV Europe’s legal team have landed new jobs in recent weeks, with Andrea Appella taking a role at News Corporation and Svenja Geissmar becoming Arsenal FC’s first general counsel.
News Corp creates competition role for OFT international head
News Corporation has appointed Andrea Appella in the newly-created role of director of legal, competition and regulatory affairs for Europe and Asia.
Ex-Clifford Chance lawyer to head Polish law firm
A former senior associate from Clifford Chance’s Warsaw office has left the firm to take over as managing partner at local firm Lukowicz Swierzewski & Partners (LSP).
Ellisons
With two mergers in 14 months, Ellisons Solicitors has been staking its claim on the Essex legal market.
Camerons, DLA square up to Bulgarian court
Law Society joins UK firms’ fight against fines based on protectionism
Box clever: Bryan Hall, Virgin Media
The ‘Digital Britain’ report and Ofcom’s recent Sky competition proposal are keeping Virgin Media general counsel Bryan Hall very happy.
Schoenherr real estate duo to quit after culture clash
Schoenherr real estate heads Alfred Nemetschke and Walter Anderl have decided to part with the firm and operate independently of each other.
Berrymans sees profit, turnover figures soar
Insurance liability specialist Berrymans Lace Mawer has continued its growth with a 23 per cent increase in turnover for 2008-09 to £63.8m.
Magisters forms CIS best friends network
CIS-based firm Magisters has launched a network of preferred law firms across the former Soviet Union.
Ukraine forum unites CIS as it faces up to its bribery and corruption demons
The fourth CIS Local Counsel Forum in Ukraine saw more than 150 lawyers and academics, as well as various government representatives and one ambassador, meet in Kiev.
Dial M for Moir: Gordon Moir, BT Retail
With telecoms in constant flux, BT Retail GC Gordon Moir has had to ring the changes on an almost daily basis.
Emerald ire
Ireland’s law firms are up in arms after Arthur Cox won arguably more than its fair share of recession-related roles, with some pointing accusing fingers at the firm’s cosy relationship with the government. Tom Phillips reports
In the mood for dancing
More than 150 lawyers and academics from law firms across the CIS have converged on a plush hotel in Kiev for the fourth annual CIS LocalCounsel Forum. This blog will report direct from the conference.
MTV names UK-based legal chief
MTV Networks International (MTVNI) has promoted Roger James to the role of senior vice president, general counsel for MTV Networks International and MTVN UK & Ireland.
Inaugural Lawyer European Awards unveils heavyweight judging panel
The judging panel for the inaugural The Lawyer European Awards.
Russia Special Report: Cold front
Western companies operating in Russia have been beset by legal problems in recent years, with courts consistently ruling against them despite seemingly watertight cases.
Mazars UK recruits first-ever legal head
The London office of international accountancy firm Mazars has appointed its first-ever legal head after hiring an in-house lawyer from Grant Thornton.
City slicker: Simon Cliff, Manchester City FC
When the richest football team in the world asked him to handle their high-profile multimillion-pound transfer deals, Simon Cliff was only too happy to sign up with Manchester City.
EMI general counsel makes tracks for Warner
EMI general counsel Chris Ancliff has resigned from the company to join its great rival Warner Music. He is currently understood to be on gardening leave.
On the law path: Wolf von Kumberg, Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman European legal chief Wolf von Kumberg brings cutting-edge M&A nous to bear in the defence market.
Ball control: Steven Hodkinson, Umbro International
It’s an enviable job considering the perks, but for Umbro general counsel Steven Hodkinson, the beautiful game sometimes getsa little ugly.
Firm profile Spratt Endicott
Established in 2002, Spratt Endicott now employs 120 people across six commercial departments.
Landlocked and loaded
It has been a diplomatic incident waiting to happen for decades. Germany’s efforts to claw back tax from citizens who hold bank accounts in Luxembourg has been an ongoing bone of contention, but recessions have a habit of strengthening people’s resolve, and political pressure from the G20 countries appears to have driven the first wedge between Luxembourg’s secretive banks and their clients.
Network Rail asks firms for innovative solutions
Rail infrastructure company Network Rail is set to review its panel of external law firms for the first time in three years.
Shearman tackles Man City following Mansour deal
Shearman & Sterling is muscling in on Premier League football transfer work after one of the firm’s associates joined Manchester City as general counsel.
Bridge McFarland
After outgrowing its Lincoln base, Bridge McFarland is marking 2009 as the year to expand its presence in the North East.
Succour little children: Tara Camm, Save the Children Alliance
As general counsel of the International Save the Children Alliance, Tara Camm is committed to keeping all of the charity’s global members pulling in the same direction.
CMC Markets invites pitches for global work
CMC Markets has asked selected firms on its UK panel to take part in a beauty parade as it looks to draw up an international roster to deal with its overseas expansion.
Thomson Snell
Taking an active part in the Thames Gateway Regeneration project, Thomson Snell & Passmore often comments on how the plan is progressing.
Trading paces: Dominic Bacon, CMC markets UK
CMC Markets has experienced a meteoric rise in fortunes over the past two years. And as head of legal, Dominic Bacon has to work hard to keep things on track. Tom Phillips reports
Africa Special Report: Law and peace
The cessation of war and abundance of rich natural resources have oiled the wheels of recovery in Angola and Mozambique and are making them attractive to Portuguese law firms.
Switzerland Special Report: The devil makes work
The Madoff scandal may be bad news for Switzerland’s fraud record, but at least it’s providing plenty of work for Swiss lawyers.
Worlds apart: Jane Douglas, DP World
DP World legal counsel Jane Douglas says the company is riding on the crest of a wave.
BT panel firms tender for places via e-auction
BT has piloted an e-auction as part of the process of reviewing the firms on the real estate part of its external legal panel.
McKinnon lawyer: the fight will go on
The lawyer instructed by Gary McKinnon, the man charged by the US with hacking into Pentagon and Nasa computers, has vowed to continue her struggle to prevent his extradition to the US.
