Freshfields corporate partner and former London head Tim Jones is leaving the firm to join England Rugby 2015 as general counsel. England Rugby 2015 was set up by the Rugby Football Union, whose general counsel is Karena Vleck, to run the international tournament when it arrives in England and Wales in three years. Jones’s role, […]
Two Chinese firms are being sued in a blazing forestry deal row but the country’s whole legal profession is about to feel the heat. Storm clouds are gathering over two of China’s elite capital markets firms, Commerce & Finance (C&F) and Jingtian & Gongcheng, both based in Beijing. On 31 May, 11 securities firms and […]
Good old British household names dominated the deals listings in September, with Ribena and Royal Mail leading the iconic pack. By Natalie Stanton As the evenings began to draw in the City’s corporate lawyers took solace in home comforts throughout September. Last month’s deal coverage was jam-packed with household names, ranging from Ribena to Royal […]
One of the big human interest stories last week was the news that Paul Hastings financial litigation partner Thomas O’Riordan had lied on his CV and had been suspended from practice by the Bar Standards Board. O’Riordan even got the front-page splash in the London Evening Standard, something the Hogan Lovells fraudster Christopher Grierson never […]
Real estate deals in Scotland are up but there are complex motives behind the sales and leases In 2012, many commentators retained a jaundiced view of property but that is not what we are seeing now. During 2013, and particularly since the summer, pedigree property players are raising the senior debt and equity necessary to […]
Do a Ted Burke and go in-house at a private equity house, but pin down those perks How do you get a job in private equity? Freshfields global managing partner Ted Burke’s move to Boston private equity (PE) house Arclight Capital may seem archetypal, but a switch from a top position at a magic circle […]
After years of resisting a London base, Boies Schiller & Flexner is taking the leap. What changed? If you’d have asked a City corporate lawyer if they’d heard about Boies, Schiller & Flexner opening in London just a month ago, the likelihood is you’d have been met with a puzzled look. Like rival firm Quinn […]
Hang onto your CEOs: quality law firm execs are a highly poachable commodity Barristers may still find words such as ‘brand’ and ‘business’ a little hard to stomach and the shifting around of clerks in top spots could support that. This month has seen the exit of Devereux Chambers’ first chief executive Beverly Landais, who […]
As French firms leak talent to boutiques, Parisian powerhouse gets a makeover Rebranding is always a tricky process and it usually attracts a hefty dose of marketing-speak. Thus it was that French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel broke the news that it would henceforth be known as plain ‘Gide’ with some Gallic flowery language, suggesting that […]
Women can now practise law in Saudi Arabia, but barriers to Western firms remain Saudi Arabia has been often – and justly – criticised for its discriminatory practices against women. Last week the kingdom took a small but critical step towards equality after four women – Bayan Zahran, Jihan Qurban, Sarra Al Omari and Amerah […]
Arbitration London Steam Ship Owners Mutual Insurance Association Ltd v Spain 2013 WL 4788858. QBD (Comm). Walker J. 20 September 2013 Outcome: Application granted In obiter comments, the court held that the provisions of the Arbitration Act 1996 s.72 on the rights of persons not participating in proceedings should be construed generously, so that s.72(1) […]
There are concerns that Scottish planning policy could put the brake on development and economic growth As the referendum debate hots up in Scotland the SNP government has been criticised by CBI Scotland for not going far enough to promote sustainable economic development. Planning law and procedure is a devolved matter and the measures set […]