Despite the best efforts of the legal and wider business community, the term ‘offshore’ generally still has pretty negative connotations among the general public. None of the major offshore jurisdictions have managed to entirely separate themselves from the tag of tax haven – and that includes Gibraltar. Although Gibraltar is part of the EU through […]
If we see devolved government in the UK following the Scottish referendum it is likely to benefit businesses in all areas The narrow victory for the No vote in last month’s Scottish independence campaign spelt relief for the Better Together campaign and brought a renewed hope in collective prosperity for most UK citizens. This was […]
Gibraltar’s Marrache case has been staggeringly expensive and bitterly disruptive, embroiling government and financial authorities in the scandal. Will the jurisdiction emerge stronger as a result? As you read this, the Gibraltar Court of Appeal is settling down to a four-day hearing challenging the conviction for fraud of the former partners of law firm Marrache […]
IPOs are booming again, sending law firms jostling for mandates, but this time there’s a new role for banks that are independently advising the issuers. Step forward Lazard and Rothschild The IPO market has burst back onto the UK’s financial landscape with all guns blazing. In the first eight months of 2014 alone the main […]
Move of the week Gunnercooke has hired former Nationwide general counsel Liz Kelly as a partner in its corporate group. She has also taken on the role of organisational and performance director for the London team. UK London James Barratt has joined Squire Patton Boggs as of counsel. He joins from O’Melveny & Myers, where […]
An innovative labour market and sophisticated business sector make Switzerland inviting to investors, but developments could diminish its appeal In April this year, two of the world’s largest cement manufacturers – Switzerland’s Holcim and France’s Lafarge – announced a €40bn (£31bn) mega-merger that gifted roles to a host of top-notch firms such as Cleary Gottlieb […]
Esther Felton’s vision as GC for insurer QBE was to create a legal function that works shoulder to shoulder with the business. Now a reality, her team’s remit is extending and fast acquiring specialist expertise It’s going to be an action-packed 12 months for QBE. The Australia-headquartered insurance giant announced this summer that it was […]