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.
Social housing monthly law update – October 2018
By David Isaacson Highlights of this month include: Autumn budget coming up Government announces new generation of council housing Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 receives Royal Assent Government announces new housing measures Download the full update to get fully up-to-speed on the past month.
Austria – Has due diligence obligations for shareholder creditors increased?
The Austrian Insolvency Code provides for the possibility to challenge certain disadvantageous transactions carried out by the debtor after material insolvency has occurred, especially if the creditor knew or should have known of its debtor’s material insolvency. This risk of legal actions being contested is of particularly high relevance for shareholders who are also creditors […]
Board decisions made by delegation of powers can be challenged in court in Romania
By Mădălina Neagu, Andra Jegan To enable decisions to be passed efficiently, the Companies Law (31/1990) created flexible mechanisms and procedures allowing specific shareholder powers to be delegated to a company’s management. Such mechanisms have been successfully implemented by a vast number of companies and have enabled them to expedite corporate changes concerning their main […]
Canada: New checks under Police Record Checks Reform Act
By Amy Derickx On Nov. 1, 2018, new “checks” on the police record check system will be in force under Ontario’s Police Record Checks Reform Act. Organizations who rely upon police record checks as a method of determining suitability for employment or volunteer work will want to review related policies and procedures for the purposes of […]
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Regulation 2019
Understanding the blockchain, cryptocurrency and electronic token space is becoming more important than ever for financial institutions, business, investors and start-ups. This is particularly the case in relation to government attitudes and definitions, cryptocurrency and sales regulation, money transmission laws and anti-money laundering requirements, promotion and testing, ownership and licensing requirements, taxation and border restrictions. […]
Mongolia – Trademark Protection
By Bolormaa Volodya The exclusive rights of the trademark holder will be granted or entitled when the trademark is officially registered with the General authority of Intellectual property and trademark certificate is issued. “Trademark” means distinctive expression used by an individual or a legal entity, engaged in manufacturing of goods or the provision of services, in […]
Kazakhstan – Agricultural business and opportunities for Islamic finance
By Shaimerden Chikanayev Agriculture is one of the most attractive sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy. Kazakhstan has approximately 24 million hectares of arable land and 188 million hectares of pasture. More than 74% of the country’s territory is suitable for agricultural production. More than 42% of Kazakhstan’s population live in the countryside and about 20% of all […]
Dutch tax regime: confirmation of EU ‘per-element approach’
The Supreme Court rendered its judgement in two cases regarding the “per-element approach” to the Dutch tax consolidation regime (fiscal unity). The cases concern: a Dutch interest deduction limitation rule, and; the (non-)deductibility of currency losses on certain participations. On 8 July 2016, the Supreme Court raised preliminary questions to the Court of Justice of the […]
Brazilian democracy and election changes
By Ricardo Junqueiro Getúlio Vargas once said that Brazil fears nothing in the present, prides itself on the past and relies serenely on the future. It is very doubtful that the phrase maintains any type of actuality in the days that run. Neither does the present allow us to dispel fears (on the contrary). Not even the […]
Points to be taken care of if you owe money and can’t pay it back
By David Asker With the average total debt of £58,658 per household in July 2018, based on these figures the total interest on payments over a 12- month period stands at just under £50 billion. On a more relatable level, the celebrity Katie Price is allegedly three weeks away from bankruptcy. Katie is due to […]
Q&A – High court’s enforcement on sale of seized goods belonging to shared persons
By David Asker If you seize goods belonging to shared persons, will you still sell at Auction as surely the other owner that is not the debtor, would lose a lot of money at auction? Yes – Although the other party would not lose money. We would normally get an order of the court requiring the […]
Residential leasehold reforms supported by the government
By Melissa Barker, Michael Callaghan The government has issued its long-awaited consultation setting out more details about its proposals to ban the sale of houses by granting the buyer a long lease and to ban ground rents in all new residential leases. The proposals will not affect existing leases of houses or flats. The government announced […]