Financings
Nabarro Nathanson advised Anglo-French IT group Sema on a £100 million rights issue.
Is the report a Woolf in sheep's clothing?
Clients want faster access to justice. So do all right-minded members of the legal profession. To that end, Lord Woolf’s final report after his two-year inquiry can only be good news. His aim is to reduce “inequalities, cost, delay and the complexity of civil litigation”. He is also hoping to introduce greater certainty on timescales […]
Property
South Yorkshire firm Keeble Hawson Rodgers & Howe acted for Hepworth Properties, a subsidiary of Hepworth plc, in the sale of a substantial land holding in Godstone, Surrey, to Linden Homes. Pitmans in Reading acted for Linden Homes.
In brief: Lovells advises first US company on AIM
Lovell White Durrant acted for the first US company to seek a listing on the Alternative Investment Market for smaller companies in London. Lovells represented Electronic Retailing Systems International and worked closely with the company’s US counsel, Krugman, Chapnick & Grimshaw. The UK firm’s team was led by John Davidson, who was assisted by David […]
Firms retain trainees as market picks up
A Healthy number of trainees qualifying in September will be kept on by the top UK firms. Of the 14 London and regional firms contacted by The Lawyer, an average of only three trainees per firm were yet to be offered places. The firms reported increasing workloads as well as better trainee selection procedures. But […]
In brief: Five Scottish advocates become QCs
The Rt Hon Lord James Douglas-Hamilton MP was one of five Scottish advocates appointed QC last week. Conservative MP for Edinburgh West, Douglas-Hamilton, is a minister of state at the Scottish Office. He was recently appointed Privy Councillor and is an advocate, although he has not practised for a number of years. Respected criminal specialists […]
Bar pro bono unit wants direct access for public
The public will be able to use barristers without referral from a solicitor if the Bar’s new pro bono unit persuades the Bar Council to relax its referral rules. The unit, launched a month ago to tackle unchecked instances of injustice referred by solicitors, has been inundated with calls from the public. Under the Bar […]
In brief: Leicester merger to form Hill Flynn Law
Leicester firms Hill Flynn and Law & Co are merging to become Hill Flynn Law. The partners of the new firm, Robert Flynn and Niall Greene, set up Hill Flynn in 1989 after splitting from Geoffrey Hill & Co of Hinkley. At 33 and 29 years of age, they claim they were the youngest solicitors […]
Woolf heralds new legal landscape
The access to justice reforms will transform the landscape of civil justice, Lord Woolf has claimed, but he has ruled out extra funding, pilot schemes and the appointment of more judges to help implement the changes. The judge’s ambitious reforms to cut the cost of litigation and speed up justice, unveiled on Friday, have been […]
TBI airport buy-up
Norton Rose advised property group TBI which recently paid £100 million for Belfast International Airport, one of the UK’s largest regional terminals. The law firm’s team was led by Keith Hyman and Barbara Stephenson. Banking partner Richard Calnan with assistant Matthew Paget negotiated the acquisition financing. Hyman said: “This deal involved complex issues which had […]
City investors question value of converted Ecu
A ROW has erupted over the legal status of the Ecu ahead of the introduction of a single European currency in 1999. The dispute hinges on the value of Ecu-denominated financial products, such as bonds, when converted to the Euro, which is due to replace national currencies. Big City institutions have asked the European Commission […]
Avocats conference
The Union Internationale des Avocats holds its 40th congress in Madrid on 4-8 September. Last year’s annual congress was held in London and attracted over 1,000 delegates from around the world. The main three main themes will be: protection and use of intellectual property; justice and the media; and rights for the defence, confidentiality and […]