Barclays summons firms to ‘panel day’ ahead of final decision
Barclays has invited 22 firms to a panel day in July, ahead of the final announcement of its last ever formal panel review.
Exclusive: Axiom weighs up IPO after years of deliberation
Flexible legal resources provider Axiom is considering an initial public offering in a bid to turbocharge the company’s growth, The Lawyer understands. Sources close to the matter claim that the firm’s internal talks are reaching a head after several years of deliberation. An Axiom spokesperson said today: “Axiom does not comment on rumours or market speculation”. […]
Knights boots up for IPO with tech transformation
Knights, which this month announced its intention to become the fifth publicly listed UK law firm, has hired the European IT director at Procter & Gamble to oversee a “technology transformation” as part of the listing. Richard King will join Knights on 1 July as a non-executive director to lead the business’ tech overhaul. Knights’ […]
DAC set to exit “miserable dungeon” with move to Cannon Street
DAC Beachcroft‘s search for its new London office is coming to an end as the firm is understood to have put in an offer for floors of the Walbrook Building near Bank station, The Lawyer can reveal. The firm kicked off its search for a new office last September, instructing commercial estate agents Knight Frank to find […]
Dentons-backed ‘Space Camp’ unveils six new startups
Six European startups have been chosen to join the first round of a SpaceTech startup accelerator backed by Dentons. The nine-week programme called ‘Space Camp’ is being hosted in Dentons’ London HQ and is sponsored by the global firm. The scheme was established by spacetech-focused venture capital fund Seraphim Capital, which claimed that it had […]
Gender pay gap: Freshfields and Slaughters bow to pressure on partner figures as A&O refuses to budge
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Slaughter and May have released belatedly their gender pay gap for partners, while Allen & Overy (A&O) has been called out for “refusing to comply” with MPs’ requests for the data. The publication of results follows a long-running inquiry by the UK Government’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee into the […]
Freshfields and Weil lead as European payments rivals join forces
Nearly a year after advising on Hellman & Friedman’s takeover of Nets, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has strengthened its relationship with the private equity house by acting on a further deal for its payments portfolio company. The deal sees Nordic payments company Nets agree a tie-up with Concardis Payment Group, a rival provider in the German-speaking […]
City duo lead on £1bn sale of UBS headquarters
Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) have led on the sale of UBS’ UK headquarters in the latest billion-pound sale of prime real estate in the City. The magic circle firm advised a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Asset on the £1bn purchase of 5 Broadgate from British Land and GIC. The building was […]
Clifford Chance leads on bumper fintech listing for PayPal rival
Clifford Chance has advised on one of the largest IPOs in Continental Europe this year, tapping into a trend of tech companies pursuing public listings. The magic circle firm won the mandate from Dutch fintech company Adyen, which hosts payment platforms for companies such as eBay, Uber and Netflix. Adyen turned to magic circle partner […]
City firms gear up to defend Heathrow from new runway challenge
DAC Beachcroft looks set to launch a challenge against the Department for Transport (DfT) after submitting a 21-page document highlighting “serious errors” in the DfT’s plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport. DAC partner and head of planning Christopher Stanwell is representing Heathrow Hub, which proposes an extension to the existing Northern runway […]
Linklaters wins appeal for BNY Mellon over $23bn asset freeze
Linklaters has successfully defended the Bank of New York Mellon from an appeal launched by the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) against the freezing of assets. A judgment permitting BNY Mellon to freeze $23bn worth of assets belonging to the NBK’s National Fund of Kazakhstan was passed down in Belgian and Dutch courts, and was […]
Deliveroo calls on 11KBW in human rights case
Less than a week after the landmark Pimlico Plumbers ruling, online food delivery company Deliveroo has turned to Lewis Silkin and 11KBW to defend it after a High Court judge gave the go-ahead for a judicial review. On Friday Mrs Justice Simler overturned a previous High Court decision and granted permission for the Independent Workers […]
Crisis averted as criminal barristers accept £15m legal aid offer
The Criminal Bar Association (CBA)’s feud with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has ended with 51.55 per cent of members voting to accept the £15m offer that was put to them two weeks ago. The offer was accepted through a slim majority voting in favour of the reforms with an 85 per cent turnout from […]
MoJ offers £15m to Criminal Bar after fees dispute
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has offered the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) £15m as the government entity seeks to end the increasingly tense standoff between the two bodies. The deal is said to be an entirely new investment and will include an £8m cash injection for barristers who have lost money through a change in […]
39 Essex’s Hodge Malek QC leads four-strong team to 3VB
3 Verulam Buildings (3VB) has taken Hodge Malek QC and four junior barristers from 39 Essex Chambers, along with three international lawyers who join as associate members. Malek – who acted for Alexandra Tolstoy and her children during the mammoth case against Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev last year – will join the set today bringing barristers […]
HFW strengthens LatAm presence with new Brazilian association
HFW has announced a new formal association with Brazilian firm CAL, while also hiring aviation partner Julio Costa from Mayer Brown‘s associate firm in the South American country. Costa left Tauil & Chequer Advogados to set up CAL alongside insurance partner Gustavo Lasalvia and six fee-earners. The new firm is expected to gain regulatory approval […]
Wildgen opens first international office with London launch
Benelux firm Wildgen has opened its first overseas office with the hire of former hedge fund in-house lawyer Mark Shaw to head up its UK operations. The firm has set up a small one-partner office in Mayfair, though will look to move into space in the City once it begins to expand. Speaking to The Lawyer, […]
Dentons Beijing managing partner exits for Orrick
Dentons former Beijing head Sarah Zeng is leaving the firm after six years to join Orrick, in a move that is set to bolster the latter’s Asia M&A and private equity practice. Before working at Dentons, Zeng was general counsel of Hong Kong-listed Weichai Power, China’s largest engine manufacturer; and vice president and country manager […]
Slaughters leads opposite best friend firm on £1.5bn DS Smith deal
Slaughter and May and Iberian firm Pérez-Llorca have advised DS Smith in a deal to take over European packaging business Europac for nearly £1.5bn. DS Smith general counsel and company secretary Iain Simm turned to Slaughters corporate partners Andy Ryde and Filippo de Falco, who led a team on the deal. The lineup also included […]
Mayer Brown bolsters Middle East presence with new tie-up
Mayer Brown has expanded its presence in the Middle East, through an agreement with Saudi law firm Al-Yaqoub Attorneys & Legal Advisers. The “best friends” agreement will see Mayer Brown and Al-Yaqoub operate in cooperation with each other within Saudi Arabia. Mayer Brown’s Dubai office, which opened in 2016, is so far its current and […]
European 100: Another year, another poor showing in diversity
More than half the European 100 either had no net change, or a net decrease, in female partner numbers last year.
The long read: International firms and the European battleground
With growth in London far from reliable for law firms, is it time for Europe to take more of a leading role?
Law in Africa: “We’ve got a second chance and we had better take it”
Business confidence and investor interest have been on the rise in South Africa since the election of a new president.
Law in Israel: moving beyond tech
Automotive and energy developments are joining technology as drivers of the Israeli economy.
A&O lures back partner after two-year Cleary stint
Allen & Overy (A&O) has rehired its former head of non-contentious financial services regulation, two years after he left the magic circle firm for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Bob Penn spent nearly a decade in the A&O partnership and was a member of its financial services regulation team before leaving to join the US firm in September […]
White & Case ramps up City recruitment with in-house PE hire
White & Case has gone in-house for its next hire in London, recruiting Lone Star lawyer Shane McDonald as a partner in its banking team. McDonald has been senior vice president at Lone Star-affiliated company Hudson Advisors since 2013, when he moved in-house from Ropes & Gray. He started out his legal career at Gadens […]
Eversheds Manchester private equity head exits for DLA
Eversheds Sutherland North West private equity head Andy Phillips has exited after a year in the role to join DLA Piper. Phillips, who joined Eversheds to lead the firm’s Manchester corporate practice from early 2017, joined from Pinsent Masons, where he was a partner for a year. Prior to that, he was a senior associate […]
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Paul Hastings ramps up City recruitment with Bakers hire
Building on its sustained London hiring spree in recent weeks, Paul Hastings has brought in Baker McKenzie head of financial services Arun Srivastava to lead the firm’s regulatory, fintech and payments practice in the City. Srivastava began his career as a trainee at Herbert Smith Freehills in 1990 before moving to Bakers in December 1995. […]
Fried Frank London finance head exits for Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown has made its first significant lateral partner hire in the City, hiring Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson London finance head Stuart Brinkworth, The Lawyer understands. Brinkworth is set to join the firm to lead the European leveraged finance team. His last day is understood to have been today. Brinkworth is joining the firm […]
DLA swoops for Freshfields infrastructure veteran
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer former global infrastructure and transport group co-head Martin Nelson-Jones has exited the firm to join DLA Piper. These last few months have proven eventful for Freshfields; starting with David Higgins’ high-profile departure to Kirkland & Ellis earlier this year, then a corporate restructure with the retirement of Simon Marchant, and most recently a revamp […]
Lisa Osofsky confirmed as next SFO director
After weeks of delays, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has confirmed that former FBI in-house star Lisa Osofsky will be its next director. Osofsky, who is currently the managing director and European head of investigations at Exiger, will replace interim director Mark Thompson on 3 September. Osofsky, who The Lawyer tipped to replace the outgoing David […]
Freshfields wades into IP battleground with Arnold & Porter team hire
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has joined the growing number of firms making hires in IP, making its first patent team hire since partner Justin Watts exited for WilmerHale last year. Arnold & Porter patent litigation partner Christopher Stothers is joining with a team of four lawyers made up of counsel Laura Whiting and associates Paul Abbott and Ammina […]
White & Case continues litigation push with Addleshaws hire
White & Case is to hire its second litigation lateral of the year, recruiting from Addleshaw Goddard’s regulatory team in London. The US powerhouse has taken on Addleshaws City partner Chris Brennan, who joined the UK firm over six years ago from Lloyds Bank. He is a litigation partner specialising in regulatory investigations and enforcement. This […]
Ashurst expands UK finance practice with Bakers hire
Ashurst has bulked up its global markets offering with the hire of global securitisation head Jonathan Walsh from Baker McKenzie, who is set to join the firm next week. Walsh’s hire comes a month after Ashurst snapped up another securitisation partner from Clifford Chance, Thomas Picton. Last August, Bakers also lost the head of its German […]
Linklaters M&A star exits for Paul Hastings
Linklaters heavyweight M&A partner Roger Barron is exiting the firm after 17 years to join Paul Hastings in London. This move comes exactly a week after Paul Hastings announced the hire of DLA Piper partner Anu Balasubramanian. Barron featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 2018, sealing his place in this year’s Hot 100 following his work closing […]
Norton Rose hit with mass defection as 15-strong team exit to Reed Smith
A team of 15 lawyers across four different Norton Rose Fulbright offices in the US have decamped to join Reed Smith. The team includes global head of life sciences and healthcare Rick Robinson, Washington partner Lesley Reynolds, Austin partners Jeff Layne and Ben Koplin and New York partner Cori Goldberg. Two Norton Rose associates, Washington […]
Implementation of EU anti-tax avoidance directive
The bill of law to implement the provisions of the EU Directive 2016/1164 on anti-tax avoidance (ATAD) in Luxembourg law was made available on 20 June 2018. Subject to parliamentary approval, Luxembourg will introduce controlled foreign corporation (CFC), interest deduction limitation and anti-hybrid rules. It will also modify its existing general anti-abuse rule..
Portugal: Competition and the right to compensation for damages
Act 23/2018, establishing the legal framework on the right to compensation for damages from infringements of competition law, was published on 5 June 2018. This legislative act transposes into Portuguese law the Directive 2014/104/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 26 November 2014, which established common rules to all Member States on […]
Pimlico Plumbers: the self-employed v brand debate
By Paula Rome The widely reported decision in Pimlico Plumbers emphasises the risks of retaining control over staff. However, such control can be key to protecting an organisations’ brand and reputation in the marketplace. Where does this leave us? What does control mean?
What do employers need to know about whistleblowing policies?
By Antonia Blackwell In this instalment of our ‘Breaking Down the Handbook’ series, we look at whistleblowing policies, why they are needed, what they should contain and what traps employers need to avoid. What does whistleblowing mean?
I’m divorced, that’s it, right?
By Miranda Nairn There is a common misconception that once in possession of a decree absolute (the final decree dissolving a marriage), your divorce is done and dusted and you and your ex-spouse can walk off into the sunset, in opposite directions, never to see or hear from each other again. In fact, unless you […]
Serbia: The law on financial collaterals
On 8 June 2018, the Serbian Parliament adopted the Law on Financial Collateral (“FC Law”) which will become applicable on 1 January 2019. Financial agreements that are not fulfilled by 1 January 2019 will be implemented pursuant to the rules that were in force before that date. Simultaneously, the Insolvency Law (“Insolvency Law”) was amended […]
New mandatory breach reporting under the Alberta Health Information Act
By Krista Schofer Alberta’s Health Information Act (HIA) outlines the rules for the collection, use and disclosure of health information that is in the custody or under the control of a “custodian” — a defined term in the HIA, which includes Alberta Health Services and health professionals such as physicians and dentists who are regulated […]
Investigative powers under Alberta’s new OHS Act
By Maxell Brunette, Alison Gray and Bruce Graham On June 1, 2018, amendments to Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (the “New Act”) came into force, significantly expanding the nature of the health and safety obligations owed by employers and businesses in Alberta. This article focuses on one of the areas in which changes have […]
Canadian government passes Cannabis Act
The legalisation of recreational cannabis in Canada is official, as the Cannabis Act has advanced through the final federal government House of Commons and Senate reviews. Following a lengthy list of proposed amendments from the Senate following its third reading, the House of Commons and Senate agreed on a refined draft of the legislation that […]
Five lessons from our general counsel community
By Nicholas d’Adhemar Apperio invited a selection of clients, General Counsel and corporate Legal Operations professionals to benchmark the adoption of technology in legal departments. The group discussed the cultural and commercial challenges of technology. Here are five of the most interesting lessons learned…
Further overhaul of Chinese company incorporated process
Recent reforms have occurred to make it simpler for companies, including foreign invested companies,to incorporate businesses in China…
Guernsey anti-money laundering regime: Royal Court balances rights of asset custodians and asset owners
The Financial Intelligence Service’s refusal to consent to a proposed transaction under Guernsey’s anti-money laundering reporting regime has resulted in the Royal Court deciding its first private law action between the person claiming the asset and the financial institution holding it…