Online March 2013

Silk purse

It’s silks day. Clad in brand-new robes and wigs, shoes shined and proud family, friends and colleagues in attendance, 83 barristers and one solicitor-advocate headed to the House of Lords today to be formally appointed as QCs. The group, the smallest cohort of new QCs since the appointment process was revamped in 2006, have gone […]

2Birds hires Asia aviation head from Virgin Atlantic

Bird & Bird has appointed former Virgin Atlantic counsel Leo Fattorini as a partner and head of its Asia aviation practice. Fattorini, who has over 10 years of experience in the aviation industry, has relocated from London to Singapore for the role. He was most recently legal counsel with Virgin Atlantic and was previously an […]

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Clifford Chance private equity chief Walker quits for Latham’s City base

Clifford Chance global private equity head David Walker is set to join Latham & Watkins in a major hire for the US firm’s London office. Walker, a corporate partner at the magic circle firm since 2000, is one of the City’s leading private equity deal lawyers and manages key clients relationships such as Carlyle Group. […]

Australia

Australian mid-tier firm Johnson Winter takes trio from Corrs

Australian firm Johnson Winter & Slattery (JWS) has hired three corporate partners from Corrs Chambers Westgarth’s Sydney office in a bit to broaden its cross-border M&A capability. The three partners, James Rozsa, Jeremy Davis and Byron Koster, join from the Sydney office of Corrs, where they are all partners. All three focus on cross-border transactions. […]

Budget 2013: UK government looks again at housing supply

In his March 2013 Budget statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced various measures targeted at promoting growth and addressing some of the structural issues with housing supply and accessibility. The detail has still to be fleshed out, but points to note are: building on demand for First Buy, a further £3.5 billion available through Help to […]

In wake of ECJ ruling, EU member states amend exit tax regimes

Following the decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the case of National Grid Indus BV v Inspecteur van de Belastingdienst Rijnmond C-371/10, several EU member states have amended their exit tax regimes. In addition, the EU commission has issued formal requests to a number of member states to revise their existing exit […]

Intellectual Property Matters — March 2013

Walker Morris has released the March 2013 edition of its Intellectual Property Matters publication. Contents Replacement parts not held to be an infringement of patent rights The Interflora v M&S evidence saga: continued Breach of an unless order in the PCC History fights Discovery in trade mark infringement case The countdown is on… You will […]

Tesco price promise and changes to comparative advertising

The Tesco price promise that hit the news recently has come in for criticism from industry analysts and competitors. The comparative model the price promise adopts is, however, merely an active response to the recent changes to the Committee of Advertising Practice/Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP/BCAP) code, which has relaxed the rules on price […]

Importance of legal representation before regulatory bodies

The appellant was a midwife employed at an NHS hospital, who faced 13 allegations at a Conduct and Competence Committee of the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) McDaid v Nursing & Midwifery Council [2013] EWHC 586 (Admin). The allegations, which spanned three years, concerned dishonesty, breaches of confidentiality, unprofessional and aggressive conduct, and the sending […]

Andrew Hedley

Outsourcing Competitive Advantage?

By Andrew Hedley, Hedley Consulting There are a number of core strategic questions which firms need to answer when entering into an outsourcing arrangement. The most significant is to what extent a firm should be prepared to outsource areas of potential competitive advantage. If one takes the view that outsourcing is driven by a desire […]

Bristol
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Integreon’s frosty reception

What is it about receptionists and Integreon? Both Osborne Clarke and now CMS Cameron McKenna are in the process of weighing up operational shifts away from the outsourcing provider that would see facilities such as their reception functions transferred to a different outsourcer. There’s a good chance clients will still be seeing the same faces […]