A former barrister is threatening judicial review of a proposed Bar Council rule that will effectively disbar barristers who re-qualify as solicitors. Under the proposals, due to go before the Bar Council in March, barristers who become solicitors will be suspended for as long as they hold a solicitor’s practising certificate. But former barrister Gary […]
The haemorrhaging of lawyers from Edge & Ellison to Birmingham rival Dibb Lupton Alsop continues with the departures of two senior property associates. Retail and leisure specialists Jane Rothwell and Anne Lamb were to be considered for partnership at Edges this May. They will instead join Dibbs as partners to help it build a retail […]
Potential litigation against McDonalds as to whether the temperature of its coffee is responsible for serious burns could backfire on the profession, writes Chris Fogarty It is a case that will bring a smile to the face of even the most hardened tabloid headline writer. Three English law firms have been granted limited legal aid […]
The New South Wales state government in Australia has accused the local Bar of breaching the state’s trade practices law in its selection of Senior Counsel, the equivalent of QC in the UK. Senior Counsel are currently chosen annually behind closed doors by five prominent barristers, but the state’s attorney general says that the selection […]
The “football transfer culture’ at the Bar may be seen as an “undesirable trend’, but it is nonetheless an irreversible one, writes Shaun Pye When 13 Old Square recruited six juniors from rival sets last autumn, clerks were quick to shrug it off. “It’s like a stone hitting a pool,” said one. “There’ll be a […]
Arthur Andersen has circulated an e-mail to curious staff following a story in The Lawyer last week about Wilde Sapte’s plans to merge with it saying that talks have been “interesting” but a merger is still a long way off. It is understood that Andersens has agreed the merger in principal provided that seven or […]
Trowers & Hamlins is to create the first foreign partnership with an Omani lawyer in order to comply with the country’s new rules on foreign law firms. Oman last year introduced new regulations which gave foreign law firms until the end of 1999 to form joint ventures with local lawyers or risk losing their offices. […]
Finers the West End practice which recently swallowed up its neighbour Bennett Taylor Tyrell has recruited two new partners. James Harvey (pictured right) joins the firm from DJ Freeman’s construction group, where he was a “senior solicitor” and commercial property solicitor Nichola Armstrong (pictured left) joins from Cameron McKenna.
Lawyers are just as likely to fall victim to age discrimination in the workplace as other professions, writes Makbool Javaid. Makbool Javaid is head of the discrimination law team at Dibb Lupton Alsop. Following Age Concern’s recent “Age Discrimination” campaign, the battle for ageism to be made unlawful has come to the fore again. A […]
Scottish firm Bird Semple is continuing its restructuring following the ousting of its chief executive by rebadging its media and technology group with the name Bird Semple TechMedia. TechMedia is planning an aggressive drive into the Aberdeen legal market and has also approached London IP/IT specialist firm Bird & Bird to discuss mutual referral arrangements […]
German practices have traditionally been alliance-shy but recent movements show that trends may be changing says Patrick Stewart> It looks as though 1998 is shaping up to be the year of the euro-merger in Germany. Bruckhaus Westrick Stegemann was the first off the mark when it tied the knot with Austrian firm Heller Lober Bahn […]
While some foreign firms have failed in Germany, a change in tactics has seen others succeed, writes Patrick Stewart. Patrick Stewart is a freelance journalist. That Germany is an attractive destination for aspiring international law firms is undeniable. At least three UK-based firms Lovell White Durrant, Eversheds and Dibb Lupton Alsop are looking to set […]