Bird & Bird and Nestlé’s in-house team have secured a landmark victory in the European Court of Justice (ECJ). After a 10 year legal battle over the registration of the Kit-Kat slogan “Have a Break”, the ECJ ruled in favour of Nestlé yesterday (7 July) and that the slogan can be registered. The ruling, which […]
Latham & Watkins has bolstered its Washington DC-based litigation practice with the hire of the former counsel to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Douglas Greenburg, a specialist in corporate internal investigations and the defence of corporations in SEC and white-collar criminal investigations, joins Latham’s litigation practice as a partner from […]
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has secured the second partner for its fledgling competition department with the recruitment of Office of Fair Trading (OFT) director Becket McGrath. McGrath joins competition head David Harrison, who joined BLP just two months ago from Allen & Overy. McGrath was a branch director in the competition enforcement division of the […]
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom’s London office has confirmed its place as the lead corporate advisers to Doughty Hanson & Co after landing its second significant transaction for the private equity group in quick succession. Skadden, led by corporate partner Allan Murray-Jones, is advising Doughty Hanson on its £825m sale of the Priory Group, […]
Beachcroft Wansbroughs has elected Simon Hodson as the firm’s new senior partner following David Hunt’s decision to stand down from the role after 10 years. Hodson, who is currently head of the commercial division and has particular experience in private company acquisitions and disposals, was unanimously elected as Hunt’s successor and will formally begin his […]
Bingham McCutchen LLP has bolstered its West Coast practice with the hire of the last two remaining partners from the now defunct Los Angeles office of New York firm Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson. Veteran Fried Frank partners David Robbins and Stephen Alexander, who had been with the firm for 23 and 30 years […]
Delta Air Lines has drafted in Gibson Dunn & Crutcher labour partner Scott Kruse to advise the embattled US airline’s management following the retirement of two of the company’s top in-house lawyers. Kruse’s role as outside counsel to the ailing airline has been expanded after Delta’s general counsel and head of its public affairs function […]
Latham & Watkins has continued its recent hiring spree with the lateral hire of leading tax litigator Roger Jones from Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw. Jones, whose experience includes tax controversy representations involving the Internal Revenue Service, joins Latham’s Chicago office as a partner in the tax department. He had previously been at Mayer Brown’s […]
Chicago-based Kirkland & Ellis has further bolstered its New York restructuring practice with the hire of the former chief legal adviser on insolvency and credit rights issues at the World Bank. Gordon Johnson, who has been advising the bank for seven years, has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner focusing on international […]
Dutch firm Holland Van Gijzen, best known as Ernst & Young’s associated firm in the Netherlands and also Pinsent Masons’ best friend in the Netherlands, has shaken up its management board.Name partner Hans van Gijzen has stepped down as chief executive officer (CEO) with Amsterdam-based Dick Weiffenbach taking over the role, while Rotterdam-based partner Jan […]
Midlands firm Harvey Ingram has announced a record 40 per cent hike in profits. Average profit per equity partner (PEP) broke through the £200,000 barrier in the year to 31 March 2005. The firm’s turnover was also up, to £11.66m, an increase in fees of 15 per cent on the previous year. Harvey Ingram has […]
Partner profits at Lovells have nose dived, with average profits per equity partner (PEP) plunging 21 per cent from £541,000 to £427,000. Meanwhile, the top and bottom of equity has also shrunk, to £502,000 and £201,000 respectively. Meanwhile, the top 10 City firm’s turnover dropped by 3 per cent to £366m in the 2004-05 financial […]