Online September 2015

Jonathon Manning

This week’s top 15 legal briefings – 25 October 2015

When a marriage break down the unhappy couple can spend a great deal of time in court as each person’s wealth is totted up and potentially shared out. For messy divorces this can take even longer when one of the couple tries to hide how much money they have. B P Collins examines a recent […]

mattindex

TLBL: Ashurst boosts project manager numbers in London and Sydney

Ashurst is appointing legal project managers across all practice areas in London and Sydney, four years after the firm recruited a project management team of for its banking and finance groups. The rollout involves the recruitment of six project managers in Ashurst’s London and Sydney offices, working across all departments such as corporate, litigation, energy […]

Vue Entertainment

Vue Entertainment creates UK GC role

Vue Entertainment is creating a new UK head of legal role as the business looks to expand further across the UK and Ireland.  The UK and Ireland legal chief will act alongside group general counsel Euan Sutton, who joined the company at the start of the year. Sutton is currently supported by just one interim […]

Halfords GC exits after 18 months

Automotive and cycling retailer Halfords has launched its search for a new general counsel and company secretary just 18 months after hiring current head of legal Justin Richards. Richards decided to leave the company in September, The Lawyer understands. He joined last year from Kellogg’s. Halford’s chosen candidate will lead a team of two lawyers […]

real estate

Radian to appoint six firm panel worth £5m

Housing provider Radian has launched a panel review, with the final lineup understood to be worth between £3m and £5m. The six-firm panel will run for three years with the option to extend contracts for a further 12 months, subject to a review at the end of the term. The contract will be split into […]

Clydes litigator exits for Signature over RBS conflict

Clyde & Co litigator Julian Connerty has exited for Signature litigation over conflict issues related to RBS’s £4bn shareholder battle. Connerty said the principal claimant in the mammoth case – which is bringing £1.2bn of claims – approached Clydes for representation twice but was turned down because of its major clients “that are insurers for […]

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Halfords hunts new GC as legal chief exits after 18 months

Automotive and cycling retailer Halfords is looking for a new general counsel and company secretary only 18 months after hiring current head of legal Justin Richards. Richards made the decision to leave the company in September, The Lawyer understands. He joined the retailer from Kellogg’s in April last year. A spokesperson for Halfords said Richards’ […]

Grexit

How Pearson’s in-house lawyers steered £1bn FT sale

The in-house legal team of publishing giant Pearson have had a busy summer.  The billion-pound sale of both the Financial Times (FT) and The Economist has kept the group busy, plus there has been the added headache of simultaneaously running a global panel review of its external law firms.  The sales were overseen by deputy […]

Law Society

SRA to battle dual claims over dealings with ‘Harry Potter’ lawyer Blacker

The profession’s watchdog is to fight two opposing claims over whether it should disclose details of a closed investigation into ‘Harry Potter’ lawyer Alan Blacker. The Law Society Group, which incorporates the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), was told in August by the freedom of information adjudicator (FOIA) that it should disclose 23 documents detailing its […]

VimpelCom calls for first global panel review under new GC

Netherlands telecoms giant VimpelCom is set to review its roster of external advisers after appointing Scott Dresser as general counsel. Present advisers Allen & Overy, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Stewarts Law have been invited to tender for a spot on the panel already. Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom may join the […]

HMRC prepares for judicial review into Manches administration

The creditors of liquidated firm Manches are seeking legal advice to bring a judicial review of the SRA’s handling of the liquidation, after they were left with a £4.2m shortfall in tax receipts. HMRC is Manches’ largest unsecured creditor, accounting for 83 per cent of the total debt. The decision to launch court proceedings followed […]

Shoosmiths advises on £113m sale of debt purchaser

Shoosmiths has acted for the management team of Milton Keynes based business Compello Holdings Ltd in the £113m sale to Hoist Finance (UK) Ltd in July 2015. Compello, which has been providing collection services since 2003, and became a debt purchaser in 2010, held a portfolio of more than one million agreements at the time […]