Three US firms are guiding social media scrapbook company Pinterest through its IPO listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton won the mandate for the company, working on a dual-class structure with partners Ethan Klingsberg, Jeffrey Karpf and Pamela Marcogliese in its corporate team. Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom is […]
Norton Rose Fulbright has lost its role as McLaren Group’s global legal adviser as the automotive manufacturer forms a new relationship with Ashurst. After a tender process, Ashurst will now work closely alongside McLaren’s in-house counsel on all aspects of its legal requirements. The company does not have a formal legal panel, instead opting to […]
O’Melveny & Myers has lost a third City partner in less than a month, with financial regulation lawyer Eve Ellis joining Ropes & Gray. Ellis, who specialises in financial services regulation, first started at O’Melveny in 2007 as counsel in its investment funds group. She has moved back and forth over the last twelve years, […]
Clyde & Co has acknowledged a lack of gender diversity in its latest promotions round, despite welcoming 24 partners to the fold and doubling the number seen in 2018. The firm has stayed true to its insurance roots with the lion’s share of new partners (15) being made up in the practice, while marine and […]
Squire Patton Boggs is looking to downsize its London office as it looks at new premises in nearby Premier Place in Bishopsgate. The firm is understood to be under offer for around 50,000 sq ft of space at Premier Place, 2-5 Devonshire Square, the former headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). It occupies […]
About 46 per cent of firms surveyed will replace their client relationship management systems in the next two years, The Lawyer Technology Report 2019 shows. By contrast, only 15 per cent of the pool of firms who took part to the survey have replaced these systems over the past year. Investments around infrastructure can reveal a […]
A High Court judge has granted DLA Piper client European Medicines Agency permission to appeal against the dismissal of its claim to cancel its £500m office lease in London. EMA argued that the 25-year lease on its Canary Wharf base had been “frustrated” and should be able to relocate to Amsterdam. It claimed that the […]
A Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner has been placed on indefinite leave ahead of a hearing at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) next week. The allegations against Freshfields insolvency and restructuring partner Ryan Beckwith are at this stage unknown, though the information available reveals that he has turned to criminal defence partner Nick Brett of City […]
A&L Goodbody has appointed a new chair, Eileen Roberts, as the firm’s second successive woman in the leadership role. Roberts, based in Dublin, is the former head of the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution department and has particular expertise in large scale commercial disputes, insurance, pensions, financial services and property-related disputes and health care law. […]
Freeths has opened its 13th office in England with the launch of an office in Bristol. The office officially opened last week, with real estate partner Adam Watson relocating from the firm’s Nottingham branch to lead it. The firm has taken space in what has emerged as Bristol’s legal quarter, behind Temple Meads station. Watson […]
Royal Mail has replaced its former general counsel Maaike de Bie, who left for EasyJet last year, with an in-house veteran from supermarket chain Morrisons. Mark Amsden, who was formerly Morrisons’ general counsel between 2013 and 2017, joined Royal Mail this month as its legal head and chief risk and governance officer. After departing Morrisons […]
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has secured its most decisive victory to date in the £14bn Mastercard class action after the Court of Appeal overturned an earlier ruling in the case. The case will now be re-heard in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CATf) which had previously sided with Mastercard’s lawyers at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer by […]
Clifford Chance and Baker McKenzie are advising Saudi shopping mall giant Arabian Centres Company, as it seeks to raise $1.2bn in what would be the Kingdom’s largest IPO in five years. Bakers’ EMEA head of capital markets Adam Farlow and senior associate George Marshall are acting for Arabian Centres in the UK, alongside partners Robert […]
Fashion retailer LK Bennett has been sold to its Chinese franchise partner Byland, following a round of restructuring led by DLA Piper, administrators EY and Womble Bond Dickinson. In March, veteran DLA Piper partner Richard Obank was instructed by LK Bennett’s administrators on the restructuring process, leading a team that included Leeds partner Colin Ashford […]
Cooley is one of three US heavyweights advising on Uber’s long-awaited IPO, as it prepares for its May debut on the New York Stock Exchange. According to Uber’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, Cooley, led by its co-head of global capital markets David Peinsipp and partners Siana Lowrey and Andrew Williamson, is […]
Now that Brexit has been postponed another six months, it’s amazing how quickly the press can move on to the next story. This week it’s been the fate of Julian Assange, unceremoniously booted out of the Ecuadorian Embassy and into the waiting arms of the Metropolitan Police’s finest. Assange’s legal team hail from Doughty Street […]
There were two claims of law firm discrimination that emerged this week, while followers of the legal tech world got very excited about EY’s latest purchase.
A varied week in the legal market gave rise to historical comparisons, awards winners and the end of the road for one barristers’ chambers.
One Essex Court (OEC) has been hit with a rare departure from its silk ranks as Zoe O’Sullivan QC has swapped the commercial-heavy set for a new role at the Bar. O’Sullivan is joining the more Chancery-focused Serle Court. OEC has been more associated with star hires, swelling its ranks with the likes of Alexander […]
The annual silk round brings the brains of Britain to the fore, but once again there are too few women or lawyers from ethnic minorities making the QC grade
Landmark Chambers has strengthened its already robust property practice with the addition of three junior barristers to one of the set’s primary areas. Justin Bates and Brooke Lyne both join the set from 4-5 Gray’s Inn, while new colleague Simon Allison has arrived from construction rival Hardwicke Chambers. The trio’s practices have focused heavily on […]
A deputy judge in Hong Kong’s Court of First Instance has slammed K&L Gates’s request for documents as “vague”, “inconsistent” and “convoluted” in an ongoing fraud dispute involving a former partner. A judgment dated 29 March shows that the US firm requested a number of documents, including some protected by confidentiality agreements, in a bid […]
A former partner of Simmons & Simmons has been told by the Employment Appeal Tribunal that her claim against the firm for equal pay, sex and race discrimination should be heard in France and not the English courts. Paris-based corporate lawyer Noro-Lanto Ravisy, who is now a partner at Astaé-Lawyers, first brought a claim against Simmons […]
France’s largest firm Fidal has instructed lawyers to advise it on its ongoing dispute with KPMG, as the row over the accountant’s raid of a 145-strong team earlier this year continues apace. Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier has been brought in to advise Fidal. A mediation period to resolve the dispute between Fidal and KPMG ended yesterday […]
A quartet of firms, including Clifford Chance and White & Case are acting on petroleum and natural gas company Saudi Aramco’s purchase of a stake worth nearly $70bn (£53bn) in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). Clifford Chance is working alongside Saudi firm Abuhimed Alsheikh Alhagbani (AS&H) and is representing the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s […]
As many of the US firms look to pull out of the CEE region or shrink their practices, Taylor Wessing has taken the opposite approach with a team hire from K&L Gates’ Warsaw office. The UK-headquartered firm has hired partner Andrzej Mikosz in Poland, a corporate and capital markets lawyer who joined K&L Gates in […]
BonelliErede is in discussions with local law firm Lombardi Segni, which could result in the first merger in the Italian market for more than three years.
Domestic firms are being challenged to make a name for themselves as international giants pull out of the CEE region. But can they hold on to talented lawyers and retain the trust of businesses that are used to dealing with big-name firms?
The big players in the Iberian legal market are not content with their domestic dominance and are looking abroad to increase revenue
In an era when every business is looking to increase efficiencies, Dutch firms seem well placed.
Mishcon de Reya has broadened its consultancy services offering with the hire of real estate special situations partner Omega Poole from Brown Rudnick. Poole will join Mishcon’s real estate finance group, where she will offer a new debt advisory service, assisting clients throughout real estate transactions, from sourcing of debt to completion. Between 2003 and […]
Stewarts has brought in three new lawyers, including one partner, to boost its tax litigation and investigations team. James Le Gallais has joined the firm as a partner from Peters & Peters. He already has significant instructions in commercial tax litigation, including the multi-million-pound action against funding company Ingenious Media. Le Gallais will bring expertise […]
Ropes & Gray restructuring partner Peter Baldwin has resurfaced with a new role at Macfarlanes, in what is the City stalwart’s third lateral hire this year. Baldwin left Ropes last year and will join Macfarlanes at the start of June, where he will focus on special situations and distressed transactions. He worked in Ropes from […]
Dechert tax partner Jane Scobie is switching over to another US firm in London, in a move that will reunite her with former colleagues from Kirkland & Ellis. Scobie, who left Kirkland for Dechert in 2017, is moving across to Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s London office, where she will work with Kirkland alumna Claire McDaid, […]
Taylor Wessing has hired a Covington & Burling partner to lead its financial services and competition group, following the exit of previous head Jonathan Rogers to White & Case. Charlotte Hill will fill the seat left empty by Rogers, the firm’s former head of financial services regulatory. He left Taylor Wessing last November for the […]
Norton Rose Fulbright has snapped up Hogan Lovells‘ former co-head of rail and shipping, making him the firm’s second City partner hire in a week. Simon Gwynne focuses on asset finance and structured finance involving aircraft, rolling stock, telecoms equipment and shipping. He joined Hogan Lovells from Linklaters in May 2011, alongside the magic circle […]
North West firm JMW is to launch its first office in London, as it seeks to build on the momentum gained through its DWF team hire last year.
Dechert has brought in a second partner from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in as many weeks, following on from the recruitment of funds lawyer Thiha Tun at the end of last month. Akin Gump partner Sarah Smith will join Dechert’s finance practice. She leaves amid a boom in Akin Gump City figures, with […]
Stephenson Harwood partner Sara George is moving over to Sidley Austin‘s London office, as the US firm looks to build its white-collar and investigations practice.
An alumnus of Clifford Chance‘s private equity group has rejoined the firm as a partner, plugging a gap left by Amy Mahon and Brendan Moylan who both left for US firms last year. Toby Parkinson is returning to the magic circle firm from Omers Infrastructure, where he was a director in its legal team. His […]
Kirkland & Ellis has taken on a funds partner from Proskauer Rose’s London office, a day after securing a 20-strong team hire from its rival’s Los Angeles operations. Andrew Shore, who is making the move to the Gherkin, has been a partner in Proskauer’s fund team since 2017 when he was promoted. News of the […]
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld is hiring two funds partners from O’Melveny & Myers ahead of the latter firm’s proposed tie-up with Allen & Overy. The Lawyer can reveal that Aleksander Bakic and Daniel Quinn are joining Akin Gump as its first dedicated UK-qualified private equity funds partners in the City. Akin Gump currently […]
On 8 February 2019, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) released the Companies (Significant Beneficial Owners) Amendment Rules, 2019 (New SBO Rules) to revise and amend the Companies (Significant Beneficial Owners), 2018 (Old SBO Rules). The New SBO Rules have once again kick-started the process of requiring significant beneficial owners to start the reporting procedures. […]
In R (CL) v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester & Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWHC 3333 (Admin), the Divisional Court held that the retention by the police of crime reports which related to sexting incidents in which a schoolboy had allegedly been involved did not breach his rights under Article 8 ECHR. The […]
Background Mrs Rushton lived a long and happy life. In her youth she worked as a nurse, married a man who adored her, and together with her husband raised four sons. After her husband passed away, “the sweetness went out of her life”, and Mrs Rushton began to display the early signs of dementia. On […]
Bermuda companies, limited liability companies and partnerships have until 30 April 2019 to update or verify beneficial ownership information under Bermuda’s ‘beneficial ownership legislation’. Bermuda’s central register of beneficial ownership information is held on the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s (BMA) “Integra portal”, a secure online registration and filing system. Currently, under Bermuda law, the information on […]
Trusts have been around for a long time. Their use in the context of succession and wealth planning as well as philanthropy is well established. Foundations, on the other hand, are relatively new (certainly to common law jurisdictions such as Jersey) and as a result there are fewer of them. However, they are being increasingly […]
Carey Olsen Partner Christopher Anderson, with the support of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC), has created the world’s first hybrid vehicle for Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) fund managers. This briefing looks at the direct implications of this hybrid vehicle for the following areas: ILS fund managers Investor groups Regulation
By Abid Mahmood Age Determination. New Case from the High Court. Age dispute case have been notoriously difficult to deal with, both for the Courts, but also for the Local Authorities and litigants involved. Before turning to the new case, it is worth remembering that in R (on the application of) S (by his litigation friend) […]
By Ksenia Paramonova Precis: The Russian Ministry of Health has introduced a draft bill that clarifies the application process for marketing authorisations for a drug. There is concern that the new accessibility could lead to infringement when authorisation is sought for generic drugs. However, a proposed unified registry could prevent this. In October 2018 the Russian […]
By Lee P McBride, Nick Harding, Ben Stansfield In a judgment that could have far reaching effects for UK incorporated companies with foreign subsidiaries, the Supreme Court has decided that 1,826 Zambian citizens (the claimants) are entitled to bring a group action in the UK courts in respect of alleged harm to their health and farming activities arising […]
By Courtney Rothery, Robyn Waller This briefing note considers the extent to which Third Party Funding, also known as litigation funding, is likely to be permissible under the various judicial authorities within the United Arab Emirates, from the positive to the equivocal and why we think third party funding of disputes is set to rise in the […]
By Nick Lees, Tim Pickworth Why is this case important? Whether a UK parent company’s duty of care may extend to foreign subsidiaries has hit the legal headlines a number of times recently [1]. The Lungowe case concerns pollution and environmental damage allegedly caused by an international subsidiary based in Zambia. It centres on whether, and how, the […]
By Kate Hicks, Calum Davies Why is this case important? In the recent case of Dhillon v Barclays Bank PLC [1], the High Court considered ‘exceptional circumstances’ which may justify a court not making an order for alteration of HM Land Register despite a transfer being void for fraud. Facts and fraud The claimant, Ms Dhillon, lived at 47 Moresby Road, London […]
