The long read: Litigation in a modernising China
China’s litigation climate is now more attractive to clients due to greater independence and transparency. It’s creating a raft of opportunities for overseas law firms
The coronation of Levine is assured, but DLA Piper can’t ignore Europe for much longer
Partners at DLA Piper have three days left to put their names forward to run against Simon Levine in the managing partner elections.
The strategies driving the world’s leading litigation firms
$30bn in total disputes income among the Global Litigation Top 50 shows this is still a rich seam to mine. Here, we dig into the strategies driving the leading firms
New Law momentum: As Gordon Dadds circles Ince, there are plenty more deals to come
The news that Ince & Co is in merger talks has been trailed for months, but most of the City chatter linked it to other EC3 firms.
Now Gordon Dadds is in the frame, the firm’s New Law mindset could be exactly what Ince needs.
Four things the Comcast deal tells us about City M&A
Over the weekend, nearly two years of tussling for UK media giant Sky came to an end when Comcast’s £30bn bid trumped 21st Century Fox.
But while magic circle firms maintain only they can act on big-ticket M&A, the variety of advisers on call was striking. Here’s what we learned.
Tackling the problem of female talent retention – A&O-style
One of the biggest issues facing law firms is the retention of female talent. Allen & Overy is working on solving the problem.
Litigation too bespoke to pin down on price? HSF didn’t think so
HSF has adapted the fixed fees approach used for transactional work to the much less predictable world of disputes
Pinsents and Everton FC: advice from a law firm, with no lawyers required
While the provision of legal advice is central to any law firm, many are branching out into other areas. One recent project taken on by Pinsent Masons for football club Everton was notable because it had little to no involvement from lawyers. Instead, it was managed from start to finish by the firm’s dedicated legal […]
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Black History Month: I’m from the Windrush generation – but it would be harder for me to succeed in law today
In our latest Black History Month post, King & Spalding counsel Stephen John focuses on the major barriers in the profession.
City 50: Forget Project Fear, the UK legal pie keeps getting bigger
There are 21 US-headquartered firms in the City 50, our first-ever ranking of law firms by London revenue. That fact alone has caused some jitters among certain sections of the UK market. It shouldn’t. The US firms are taking over? No, no, no: they’re really not. The magic circle accounts for 25 per cent of […]
Black History Month: BAME students have the power to change the legal industry
Our latest post features Slaughter and May associate Lorna Nsoatabe on the industry’s struggle to retain and promote diverse talent.
Black History Month: When it comes to racial diversity, have we been asking the right questions?
What can law firms do to help black lawyers? To my mind, that is not the right question.
The Clifford Chance elections give a clear symbolic choice for partners unused to a vote
The impending retirement of Malcolm Sweeting from the role of senior partner has created a vacancy for the position. Now it’s bread-and-circus time.
LawTech – get the basics right and the rest will follow
As exciting as the rise of legal technology is, there is a more pressing problem facing the junior end of the profession: that too many of us still struggle with even basic computer literacy.
Step forward, litigators: you’re in the driving seat in the global elite
Litigation, the engine of the stratospheric domestic profits for US firms, is, ironically, the calling card for the UK’s elite law firms if they are ever to crack America, writes The Lawyer’s editor Catrin Griffiths.
It’s not about the kit. In tech and innovation, firms need to learn to speak fluent human
There will soon be a transfer market for law’s tech celebrities, and the internal opportunities are attractive.
My Pride Story: “Being gay is no big deal for me – thanks to the work of those who came before me”
Solicitor apprentice Hal Donovan gives his take on LGBT in law as one of the newest entrants to the profession.
The JLD column: The SRA needs a null hypothesis for SQE – and a Plan B
Avid Lawyer 2B readers will be well aware of the SRA’s plans to radically alter the process of qualifying as a solicitor via the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). For those less familiar with the topic, it can be summarised as follows: whereas the current formula for qualification can crudely be expressed as […]
I clinched a training contract only after ignoring my diversity
When I first started making training contract applications I concentrated heavily on my ‘diverse’ background. I realise now I was wrong to do so.
Six things to consider if you want to float your law firm
Nothing comes for free – before going for the IPO firms need to understand six key points.
New Act on the Control of Investments Detrimental to the Interests of Hungarian National Security
The Hungarian Government recently adopted Act no. LVII of 2018 on the Control of Investments Detrimental to the Interests of Hungarian National Security (the “Act”). Previously we wrote about a similar legislative proposal which aimed at establishing a similar control mechanism. However, the Act has a more sophisticated approach on the control and approval procedure […]
Health and safety at work in Romania: What companies need to know
Failure to take or observe the mandatory measures for health and safety at work may entail, among other types of liability (e.g. civil, administrative), potential criminal liability for employers. The Romanian Criminal Code (the “RCC”) provides for two offences which sanction such failure: i) failure to take the mandatory measures for health and safety at […]
Switzerland: Insolvency law, policy and procedure
By Daniel Hayek and Laura Oegerli Statutory framework and substantive law Swiss restructuring and insolvency proceedings are mainly governed by the Swiss Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law (DEBA), which entered into force in 1892. A number of other laws and ordinances further regulate special aspects of restructuring and insolvency proceedings, such as specific provisions according to […]
Czech Republic: Office for the Protection of Competition gets tougher
In April 2018 the Office for the Protection of Competition adopted new guidelines on the method of setting fines for competition law infringements,(1) noting that the need for a revision of the previous guidelines had emerged in the wake of developing case law, as well as amendments to the Act on the Protection of Competition. The […]
FOS expansion to SMEs – near-final rules published
By Paul Gair The Financial Conduct Authority yesterday released its policy statement on SME access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), setting out its near-final rules for amending the compulsory jurisdiction to include new definitions for “small businesses” and “guarantors”. At the same time, it has released a new consultation paper detailing proposals for increasing […]
Insurance & Reinsurance 2018: issues facing lawyers and clients today
Have there been any major changes or developments in your jurisdiction over the past 12–18 months? How have these impacted your practice? In August 2016, the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) issued the Insurance Manager Code of Conduct requiring insurance managers to follow a set of procedures when carrying out their functions. In September 2017, the […]
Robert Tchenguiz abandons claims against Grant Thornton
On day 4 of the trial, Robert Tchenguiz and the other Claimants have abandoned all claims against Grant Thornton in t long-running litigation which the Claimants commenced in August 2015. In the claims, which have been widely reported in the press, Mr Tchenguiz and associated Claimant companies allege that two Grant Thornton partners had conspired […]
Q&A – Luxembourg Securities Law joins the blockchain age
What is the new securities law about? Since Bitcoin’s blockchain technology entered the mainstream, the crypto-currency market has boomed at an incredible rate. Blockchain – the underlying distributed ledger technology behind Bitcoin – has the power to disrupt many industries, and in particular to revolutionize the security of ownership. Luxembourg has opted to embrace and […]
Serbia introduces new corporate tax measures
Serbia signed a Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“MLI”). The MLI should prevent the abuse of domestic tax laws and double taxation treaties (“DTT”), and its provisions shall be accordingly incorporated into the current DTT signed by Serbia. Serbia has also signed a double tax […]
Digital protectionism: technological disruption identifies new global players
Key findings: Digital now the new weapon for protectionist policies China leads the way on digitally restrictive laws followed by Russia and India New report highlights fragmented picture governing movement of data, setting a new challenge for business Countries which have historically driven protectionist policies through tariff and other trade barriers are now extending their […]
Setting up an office in Bermuda
Now that you have incorporated in Bermuda or established your Bermuda trust, the next step is to set up an office on the island. There are many factors to take into account, including: Employment considerations (immigration, contracts) Employer responsibilities (payroll tax, social, insurance, pensions, health insurance) Premises and residential accommodation Moving family and household Employment […]
Walker Morris team explores opportunities in new entry-level exception sites and starters homes
By Richard Sagar, Karl Anders, Graham Whiteford, Josh Kitson Introduction This briefing note, prepared by the Walker Morris Planning Environment Team, explores the opportunities presented in the new National Planning Policy Framework (“NPPF2“). Specifically, the opportunities to obtain planning permission for new entry-level exception sites consisting of affordable housing for first-time buyers on previously unallocated […]