24 March 2003

Law Society goes Underground for legal director

The Law Society has appointed Frances Low, the company secretary and legal director of London Underground and London Transport, as legal director, a position that has only recently been created. Low joined London Transport, the statutory body of which London Underground is a subsidiary, in 1979 to handle prosecutions for the British Transport Police, after […]

A&O wins High Court approval for TXU Chinese walls

Allen & Overy has had its decision to act for the administrator and multiple competing creditors on the TXU administration approved by the High Court. The Court approved Allen & Overy’s use of Chinese walls on the administration today, 28 March. See The Lawyer on Monday for more details.

Cravath quits Hong Kong

Cravath Swaine & Moore is pulling out of Hong Kong, leaving the white shoe firm with offices in just New York and London. The firm will relocate two partners and five associates to New York after completing a series of redundancies in the region. Cravath’s decision to close in the Far East mirrors that of […]

Wallace & Partners scoops two new department heads from Steptoe & Johnson

Wallace & Partners has poached two corporate partners from US firm Steptoe & Johnson.David Judah and Rex Nwakodo will join the firm on April Fool’s Day as partners in the firm’s corporate-commercial department.Judah will become Wallace & Partners’ head of corporate. He advises on mergers and acquisitions and management buyouts, with a particular focus on […]

Langleys targets local rivals for PI and employment laterals

North Yorkshire giant Langleys has bolstered its employment and personal injury (PI) departments with the appointments of partners from York firm Corries and Grimsby firm Beetenson and Gibbon.David Newby, who managed Corries’ PI department, joined Langleys’ PI team in Lincoln. Meanwhile, Robert Powell, a partner at Beetenson, joined Langleys’ employment department.Mike Williamson, Langleys joint managing […]

Watson Farley grows London and New York

Watson Farley & Williams has hired an Allen & Overy (A&O) lawyer and two others to bolster its London and New York offices.Tax specialist Patricia Landoli, formerly an A&O senior assistant, has joined the New York office as a partner. Head of Watson Farley’s international tax group Chris Preston said the move is a step […]

Holman Fenwick, Watson Farley in Gulf war shipping litigation

Holman Fenwick & Willan and Watson Farley & Williams are engaged in the early stages of disputes stemming from decisions by chartered ships not to deliver goods to Iraq prior to the outbreak of hostilities because of the risk of being embroiled in a war zone. The disputes centre on losses suffered by cargo-owners, which […]

Orchard in bid to raise international profile with former LSE chief exec

City firm Orchard has appointed former London Stock Exchange (LSE) chief executive Gavin Casey in a bid to help the firm pursue its ambition to become an international law firm.Casey, who will act as special counsel to the partnership on a part-time basis, was credited with transforming the LSE from a mutual society to a […]

Clarke Wilmott backs Sedgwick for second term after rapid growth

Bristol firm Clarke Wilmott & Clarke has backed managing partner David Sedgwick for a second term. Sedgwick has led the firm through an aggressive business plan that has seen turnover rise from £12.6m in 1999 to £22m last year. Profits per partner have grown from £95,000 to £135,000 over the same period. The firm’s six […]

Eversheds raids Bakers arbitration specialist

Eversheds has scooped arbitration specialist Stewart Shackleton from Baker & McKenzie. Shackleton’s move comes just over a year after Baker & McKenzie hired him from Simmons & Simmons, where he was head of public international law.Eversheds said Shackleton would be bringing his entire practice with him. This includes acting for French, Belgian, Spanish, Swiss and […]

Gleiss Lutz appoints new partner as Warsaw chief

Gleiss Lutz has replaced Johannes Nieworth as head of its Warsaw office, bringing the real estate lawyer back to Berlin. Nieworth, who managed the office for three years, has been replaced by Berlin partner Torsten Bogen. The Warsaw office has 20 lawyers.Nieworth will join Detlef Schmidt and Christian Steinke in Gleiss’s real estate and projects […]

Kendall Freeman sticks with Harris and Kendall for top jobs

Laurence Harris and David Kendall have been elected managing and senior partner respectively of new firm Kendall Freeman.The result is hardly surprising. Harris is the former DJ Freeman chief executive and a key strategist in the formation of the new firm moving forward. As a name partner of the new firm, Kendall also looked set […]