Tulkinghorn: Water, water everywhere
Following a recent story about the high level of pregnancies in the London legal market recently (19 October), Russell Jones & Walker has jumped on the baby boom bandwagon. And how.
One of the firm’s solicitors, Jasmine van Loggerenberg, was enjoying her last day in the office. Her chums had bought her a leaving present - an inflatable playmat, with a mobile that played classical music, in case you wondered. And head of the employment department Edward Cooper had just shared a joke with her about how funny it would be if her waters broke on the firm’s brand-new carpet. (Cooper, God bless him, was insistent she high-tail it at least a fortnight before the due date).
All to no avail. Midway through the scran the inevitable happened. No doubt a bill for cleaning will be sent to the bonny, bouncing Dexter.
Blonde bombshell
Tulkinghorn is delighted to reveal the winner of the Legally Blonde: The Musical quiz. The person who correctly identified Massachusetts as the US state in which Harvard University can be found is Lovells real estate solicitor Charlotte Hill.
Congratulations to Hill, who will receive two tickets for the show, which opens at the Savoy Theatre, The Strand, London, on 5 December.
Prem night
It’s not often that two world-famous names from the football world turn up to a law firm party. But then, Italians do things differently.
To celebrate the first anniversary of its London office launch next Monday, Milan-based firm NCTM is holding a party at the Gherkin, or 30 St Mary Axe, if you prefer the correct, infinitely more forgettable name.
Rumour has it that current Chelsea FC manager Carlo Ancelotti and ex-Chelsea legend Gianluca Vialli will be enjoying the prosecco too.
The pair are close friends with some NCTM lawyers and are on the guest list. Whether Ancelotti will attend given the demands of the Premiership remains to be seen. Vialli is a better bet - the bald maestro has more time on his hands as it looks as though his hopes of landing the job as manager of Newcastle United FC have been dashed.
Cliff facing
According to one of Tulkinghorn’s spies, SJ Berwin chief executive Keith Wood was spotted moping around the office looking “shifty and shamefaced” recently.
But why?
When Wood was overheard being grilled by former senior partner David Harrel as to the reason for his odd demeanour, Wood is understood to have muttered something about having to go to a ”conference”. Not so. Apparently Wood was off to see none other than Sir Cliff Richard.
Come on, that’s nothing to get embarrassed about. All together now: ”Christmas time, mistletoe and wine…”
Money for old rope
Lovells was up to its wall-climbing tricks again last month when around 30 of its staff, together with clients from Barclays, Eli Lilly, ITV, Lloyds TSB, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Prudential, abseiled from the eleventh floor of the Atlantic House offices to raise money for charity.
Project finance partner Mike Matheou appeared as Spider-Man, real estate partner Dan Norris was Robin and client Will Lowndes from Prudential donned Batman’s cape.
In fact, Lovells is developing a reputation as the fancy dress heartland of the City. Other pairs included Emma Riddle and Julius Kotzenburg of Barclays as Princess Leia and Darth Vadar, two associates dressed as Barbie and Ken, and two members of the business development team dressed as Angels and Demons.
Tulkinghorn sincerely hopes that, should the firm’s merger with Hogan & Hartson go ahead next May, the Americans learn to embrace fully the joy of dressing up - Warren Gorrell as Superman, perhaps?
Sixty people in total braved the 10-storey drop at Holborn Viaduct last month. Representatives from eye charity Orbis and ParalympicsGB also took part. This is the fourth consecutive year that the charity abseil has taken place, part of a programme that over the past three years has raised more than £300,000 for charities including Fairbridge, Pump Aid, Save the Children and Thames21.
