Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Davis Polk & Wardwell and Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) are set to pick up nearly £45m in fees for their work in the high-profile bidding war for Sky between Comcast and 21st Century Fox. The figures are printed in a formal offer document published by Comcast, which yesterday revealed it would be scrapping its […]
TalkTalk’s Nadia Hoosen is the breakdown cover provider’s new general counsel
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer restructuring partner Nick Segal is switching private practice for the Bar, taking on a new role at Erskine Chambers. Segal is set to join the chambers as a barrister in September, after he has been successfully admitted to the Bar. Segal joined Freshfields in 2006 on his return to the UK from […]
DAC Beachcroft has posted a strong set of results for the 2017/18 financial year, showing double-digit growth in turnover and profit as well as posting a record-high in profit per equity partner (PEP) of £530,000. An 11 per cent increase in turnover from 2016/17 saw the firm rise from £207m to £230m, while a 21 per […]
Ashurst has cut 54 secretarial roles in its London office, after the firm decided to scrap the position of executive assistants (EAs) in favour of a new role called “practice executive”. The firm revealed in May that 80 roles were at risk as part of the shift, with practice executives set to cover a broader line […]
With less than three months to go to trial, Fountain Court Chambers has been brought in to act for Robert Tchenguiz in his feud with Grant Thornton after he swapped incumbent adviser Stephenson Harwood for Debevoise & Plimpton. It is understood that Fountain Court silks Stephen Rubin QC and Charles Béar QC are now being instructed by […]
The UK Government’s Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has cut its legal fees by over 70 per cent in the last three years, according to figures published yesterday. The body, which manages the UK Government’s procurement processes, said in its annual report that legal fees since 2014/15 have dropped from over £2m per year to £578,000 […]
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) is advising the Crown Estate on a sprawling mixed-use development in the heart of St James, nine months after it was appointed as the prodigious property company’s sole adviser. Head of non-contentious construction Mark Hanson is leading in the construction of The Marq, a 46,000sq ft development, looming behind Fortnum & […]
Clyde & Co has appointed a new chief information officer to spearhead the firm’s data and IT strategy, after the departure of former lead Chris White. White joined Clydes in June 2013, but turned his 18-month initial contract into a full-time role in December 2015 to adequately implement his plans for the firm. He said: “After […]
Clyde & Co is advising Hong-Kong based developers Lai Sun Development Company in the construction of 100 Leadenhall – a skyscraper that is set to be London’s third tallest tower. Real estate partner Martin Quicke, who specialises in advising property companies and overseas investors from Hong Kong and South east Asia, is leading for Lai […]
Clifford Chance is set to reduce the number of chambers it instructs, after an internal survey of its litigation practice revealed it was instructing too many individual sets. The Lawyer understands that senior management at the magic circle firm surveyed the entire practice to better understand the range of sets that were being instructed. A […]
Ince & Co‘s redundancy consultation has resulted in the departure of 32 people and a search to sub-let 22 per cent of the firm’s floor space in its London headquarters. Of those 32, 25 business services staff have now left the firm along with a further seven fee-earners, including one junior salaried partner. There are […]
It is a historical oddity of magic circle figures that there is always one firm that has an off year.
Back at Shearman, Ward McKimm will be reunited with his former client base – and with some old friends.
But much has changed in the seven years since he left Shearman & Sterling. Can the superstar partner replicate his past success, or is it true that you can never go back?
One year on from the day DLA Piper went down to a Russian cyber attack, its leadership recalls the firm’s fortnight of crisis – and how it survived.
The Lawyer has tracked the financial performance of the 50 largest US firms in the UK, including lateral hires and investment priorities
Which teams are battling it out for the coveted litigation prize at this year’s The Lawyer Awards?
Who better to deliver DWF’s IPO narrative than a man once dubbed the Tigger of law firm management?
With the lease on Norwich Street running out, about five years ago Macfarlanes began the process of looking for new options.
Reverse mentoring is taking hold at Linklaters and A&O, and it’s being championed by the firms’ most senior partners.
What does the term “progressive” mean to in-house lawyers? GCs explain how they build their in-house legal teams.
The changing political environment is making life harder for the London lawyers servicing Russia’s super-rich.
The next Clifford Chance senior partner elections are set to take place in October 2018. Will the next leader be cut from the same cloth as previous ones – that is, London-based, a banking and finance partner, and a man?
Greenberg Traurig picked up some top real estate talent when KWM collapsed. But how has it integrated its new stars into the firm?
By Alex Williamson The Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993 (the Regulations) are 25 years old this year. An evaluation by the European Commission concluded in 2015 that the underlying Commercial Agents Directive (the Directive) still met its objectives and functioned well. However, a recent Court of Appeal decision has shown that the legislation is struggling to […]
By Perran Jervis In decisions handed down one day apart, the Court of Appeal concluded that a far-reaching exclusion clause which limited liability for negligence was reasonable under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 (UCTA), whereas an exclusion clause in a lease (in the form of a non-reliance clause) was not. The decisions emphasise that […]
Walker Morris’ Head of Commercial Dispute Resolution, Gwendoline Davies, highlights the importance of dealing comprehensively and clearly with matters of currency and calculation in cross-border contracts…
By Teresa Matich Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), all businesses, including law firms, have a lot more responsibility when handling their clients’ personal data. Luckily, cloud-based solutions make it a lot easier to ensure you’re following best practices and staying GDPR compliant. This means you can spend less time poring over technical details related […]
McCann FitzGerald is one of Ireland’s premier law firms, with offices in Dublin, London, New York and Brussels. The award-winning firm, which traces its history back to the 1820s, is owned by the partners and comprises 75 partners and over 380 lawyers and professional staff. The firm has always had a significant focus on international […]
Global infrastructure and real estate investment manager InfraRed Capital Partners is a business accustomed to the challenge of change. Acquired by HSBC at the dawn of the new millennium, then rebranded after a management buyout in 2011, it has since grown rapidly across the network, from New York to London to Sydney. Laurence Hayes, associate […]
By Emma Davies The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Rock Advertising Ltd v MWB Business Exchange Centres Ltd [2018] UKSC 24 upheld the validity of a clause that limited the parties’ freedom to vary their contract orally. In reversing the Court of Appeal’s decision to find the ‘no oral variation’ or ‘no oral modification (NOM)’ clause binding, […]
A few years ago we offered SmartLaw: expert insights for the future of law. As expected, the legal industry has continued to evolve and so must SmartLaw in order to equip firms for the future. We still believe the original SmartLaw key concepts of clients, culture and technology are essential to successful firms, but we now must […]
In this market insight, originally written for CampdenFB, Schillings’ extortion, blackmail and kidnap for ransom specialists, John Chase and Brittany Damora, set out the scope of the threat and what steps family offices and family businesses need to take when faced with this type of critical risk scenario…
By Michael Mylonas QC The requirement for written consent in schedule 3 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act has caused difficulties in some notable cases. Last week saw another challenge in which Mrs P needed the consent of her husband who had suffered an irreversible brain injury. She turned to the Mental Capacity Act 2005…
The Court of Session in Scotland has followed the example of the Supreme Court, giving short shrift to a party litigant (or, ‘litigant in person’ in England and Wales) in his legal proceedings against his bank. Walker Morris’ Banking & Finance Litigation partner Rob Aberdein explains.
Dame Judith Hackitt’s much-anticipated final report on building regulations and fire safety was published on 17 May 2018. Stephen Radcliffe of Walker Morris LLP considers the report and the implications for the construction industry…
