Weeks after the announcement of Nigel Boardman’s impending retirement next April, it can be revealed that another Slaughter and May stalwart is also due to hang up his boots this year. Corporate M&A partner William Underhill will bow of the firm this December after 28 years in the firm’s partnership. He joined the firm in […]
Baker McKenzie is set to open its third support centre in Florida as it kickstarts a business services overhaul. The service roles that will be based in Tampa, Florida, include legal services, finance, IT, knowledge management, operations, business development, marketing and communications, and talent. The new office is expected to employ 300 people and will […]
Nearly a year since it hired Freshfields’ David Higgins to bolster its corporate offering in London, Kirkland & Ellis is to bring in two Linklaters partners to spearhead its move into the Paris market.
Which law firms demand their lawyers work the most billable hours? Firms outside of the giants in the Top 100 are widely believed to have a better work-life balance than their larger cousins, but is there any data to support that assertion? Thanks to this year’s UK 200: The Independents, now there is. This year […]
Digital bank Monzo has brought in a new senior interim head of legal as it ramps up recruitment efforts to fill the role permanently. Andrew Macklin, a former Latham & Watkins corporate lawyer in London, was brought in over the summer after leaving the US firm last year. Macklin was a partner at Latham for […]
News Group Newspapers (NGN) has settled the latest of its phone-hacking cases on its first day in court, reinforcing the company’s preference to draw a line under the claims throughout this high-profile litigation. The decision to settle brings one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2018 closer to a climax. Settlement fees for the dispute were thought […]
EY head of law for UK&I Philip Goodstone talks to The Lawyer about the biggest AI myths in the legal sector and the gap between client expectations and what AI can actually deliver, ahead of his panel session at this year’s In-house Counsel as Business Partner in association with EY. What are the biggest myths associated with AI […]
DLA Piper and Addleshaw Goddard have stepped in to rescue ailing retail giant American Golf from administration as it is purchased by private equity investor Endless. With its head office in Warrington, American Golf’s buyout was handled entirely in the firms’ regional bases. DLA Piper’s corporate restructuring partner Richard Obank and corporate insolvency partner Colin […]
Ten start-ups have joined the second cohort of Dentons’ SpaceTech accelerator as the firm dives deep into a sector increasingly relevant to the UK economy. The cohort entered the firm’s London HQ in September and, over three months, will explore space tech applications under the guidance of “experts in residence” Justin Hill, TMT partner and […]
Clifford Chance, Kirkland & Ellis and Eversheds Sutherland have bumped shoulders in another beefy British business buyout, advising in Blackstone’s proposed £800m takeover of live events business NEC Group. Just one month ago, the trio worked on the record £1.5bn sale of Network Rail’s commercial estate to Blackstone Property Partners and Telereal Trillium. This time round Clifford Chance […]
Three firms have been called in to advise on the restructuring of fashion retailer Coast, the latest in a long line of high street brands to fall into administration. The chain’s collapse will lead to the immediate closure of 24 stores and concessions across the UK, while around 600 staff will decamp to Karen Millen, […]
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters are advising on negotiations surrounding Apple’s acquisition of the power management technology company behind the iPhone in a deal valued at $600m. The Lawyer understands that Apple was advised by a Freshfields team led by London-based corporate and M&A partner Natasha Good, while Dialog Semiconductor, the chip designer that is […]
Building on its key hire of K&L Gates white-collar partner Christine Braamskamp earlier this year, Jenner & Block has taken its second partner from the US firm in a bid to build out in the City. Jenner & Block has hired London-based partner Paul Feldberg into Braamskamp’s team. Feldberg spent less than a year at K&L […]
Property mogul Robert Tchenguiz has walked away from his lawsuit against accountancy firm Grant Thornton, three months after completely overhauling his legal line-up. Tchenguiz argued he was owed £1.6bn following the collapse of Icelandic bank Kaupthing and later alleged that Grant Thornton conspired to have the Serious Fraud Office investigate him to prevent him from […]
A week after the SFO said it would not appeal the ENRC’s victory in a landmark legal privilege battle, the UK Government agency is continuing to spar with the mining company in a separate fight over how well it conducted its investigations. The legal privilege battle was one of the most high-profile disputes to hit […]
No, #MeToo hasn’t gone away. Over the last few months we’ve heard revisionist voices claiming that #MeToo was a set of over-reactions to a disappearing problem, but what have we here? Not one, but two further developments this week. A Clyde & Co partner has left the firm over ‘inappropriate behaviour’, while Simmons & Simmons’ investigation […]
Elections have been the theme of the last week, with two firms kicking off significant contests. First, DLA Piper, where it currently looks like Simon Levine won’t have much of a fight on his hands to be returned as managing partner. Nominations for candidates close today, and unless one of DLA’s big-shots is pulling the […]
As the deals market caught fire this year, nowhere was it more obvious than top-level M&A. Two mergers have grabbed the headlines this week, as well as the impending retirement of one of Slaughters’ most prominent corporate veterans.
Freshfields’ Sarah Falk will take up a new role as a High Court judge today, alongside A&O’s Ed Murray.
The bar is to get its first set of chambers named after a woman. 218 Strand Chambers, a set of eight members which launched at the start of 2018, is to rebrand as Normanton Chambers in January 2019, after Helena Normanton KC, the first woman to practice at the bar and the second to be […]
Fountain Court Chambers’ Bankim Thanki QC has followed up his recent high-profile victories in the Court of Appeal by being named as the set’s new head. An extremely successful month for Thanki saw him play a significant role in high-profile cases for the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) and Ukraine and has now been topped off […]
China’s litigation climate is now more attractive to clients due to greater independence and transparency. It’s creating a raft of opportunities for overseas law firms
Clyde & Co has reshuffled its international heads with its managing partner for Abu Dhabi moving over to take charge in Hong Kong. Abu Dhabi head Christopher Jobson will move over from the Middle East to Hong Kong, taking up a regional management role and sitting on the firm’s Asia Pacific management board. Jobson is […]
Dentons is to open its fourth German office in the city of Düsseldorf, recruiting two partners from Taylor Wessing for the launch. Taylor Wessing’s former head of competition, EU and trade, Andreas Haak, will serve as managing partner of the new office. Alongside partner Jörg Karenfort (currently based in Dentons’ offices in Berlin and Brussels), Haak […]
Clifford Chance and Baker McKenzie have advised in Saudi British Bank’s (SABB) $4.9bn takeover of Alawwal Bank, creating the third largest lender in the Kingdom. Clifford Chance acted for SABB in Dubai, with a team led by M&A corporate partner Mohammed Al-Shukairy and senior associate Daniel Boyle. Bakers advised Saudi Arabian-listed bank Alawwal Bank alongside its association firm […]
Reed Smith‘s Middle East strategy has taken a hit just three months after announcing a Pinsent Masons team hire, with the firm’s regional managing partner exiting to open HFW‘s fifth Middle Eastern office. HFW will open up a new office in Abu Dhabi; the hires of Reed Smith regional managing partner Vince Gordon and corporate […]
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has secured victory for Ukraine in a long-running stand-off between the nation and Russia over the terms of a $3bn bond. The case was heard in the Court of Appeal last week, with the decision overturning a previous one made by the now-retired Mr Justice Blair – brother of former Prime […]
Ireland’s pro-business attitude coupled with its common law status and Chapter 11-style restructuring process puts it in a strong position post-Brexit
Communication between member firms is crucially important to the modern network business model. How is legal tech helping them push that to the max?
Lawyers see the increasing flexibility of fund structuring in the country as a big draw in light of the Brexit vote
White & Case has snagged yet another partner for its London practice, this time from the global capital markets team at Kirkland & Ellis. Gilles Teerlinck joins the firm’s capital markets practice after almost six years at Kirkland, where he made partner in 2016. He previously spent three years at Linklaters, where he was a […]
Ince & Co’s global head of insurance Joe O’Keeffe has departed for Stephenson Harwood, just two weeks after it was revealed that Ince had entered into merger talks with Gordon Dadds. Insurance partner O’Keeffe, who specialises in trade, shipping, yachts and superyachts, joined Ince in 1991 and was made partner in 2000. During his time at the firm, […]
Hausfeld has added its fifth commercial litigation partner, as the boutique continues to offer a broader range of capabilities alongside its sweet spot in competition disputes. The boutique has hired partner Michael Bywell from Arnold & Porter, who specialises in litigation across the TMT sector. He joined Arnold & Porter in 2016 prior to its […]
This year’s Independents may not have the revenue scale of their larger cousins but many in the group are characterised by their ability to attract talent from firms in the Top 100, as the full report highlights. While not all of the firms in the lower half of the UK 200 ranked by revenue have […]
White & Case’s hiring spree in the City continues, with the US firm picking up Herbert Smith Freehills infrastructure finance partner Simon Caridia. Caridia joins from HSF, where he has been a partner since May 2015. He is the 13th partner to join White & Case laterally in London in 2018. Prior to HSF, Caridia was […]
DLA Piper has lured Greenberg Traurig tax partner Clive Jones away from the US firm, in a move that reunites him with his former King & Wood Mallesons colleagues. Jones opted to move to Greenberg Traurig at the end of 2016 as it became clear that KWM’s London arm was close to falling into administration. […]
London-based real estate partner Deepa Deb is swapping one merged firm for another, leaving Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner for Dentons. Deb, who was featured in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 in 2015 was at legacy BLP for 15 years before the merger with Bryan Cave this year. During her time there she acted as chair of the India group and led the BLP […]
Baker Botts is set to snag a partner from Latham & Watkins‘ corporate finance practice, in the latest lateral move to be made by the US firm in the City. Latham partner Richard Brown is the second corporate partner that Baker Botts has set its sights on in the last few months, with David Ramm joining in September […]
Morgan Lewis & Bockius has added two new technology partners to its London office, as its hiring spree in the capital continues. The US firm has brought on Pillsbury partner Mike Pierides and counsel Simon Lightman, who joins as a partner. Pierides will be a member of Morgan Lewis’ corporate practice, specialising in IT and […]
Kirkland & Ellis has recruited corporate rising star Sophia Hudson in New York, luring her from fellow US firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. Hudson spent 12 years at Davis Polk, working within the capital markets group. She was made partner in 2014, alongside corporate partner Byron Rooney and London partner Reuven Young. At the time, Young was […]
On the day that DWF announced it had broken into the US legal market, the firm’s Scottish practice has been dealt a blow with the loss of a nine-lawyer team to Shepherd & Wedderburn. Property and infrastructure partners Joanna Hamilton, Anthony McEwan and head of planning Moray Thomson will join the Scottish independent firm bringing […]
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson has finally sealed the hire of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Ashar Qureshi, also handing a leadership role to the M&A partner. Qureshi will be joining the US firm’s City office as head of its EMEA transactions practice, specialising in equity and debt securities work as well as sovereign-related transactions. He joined the […]
By Bridget Dolan QC R (Allman) v HM Senior Coroner for Liverpool and Wirral The short and desperately tragic life of Alfie Evans, and his parents’ heart-rending fight to have him transferred to Rome for continuation of his life sustaining treatment, has recently been fully played out in the public arena. The public hearings in the […]
By Alison Johnson As 29 March 2019 draws ever closer and Brexit withdrawal negotiations continue, the UK government has started to release a series of technical notices outlining the implications of a “no Brexit deal” on certain key topics and industries. Noting that changes in business structuring, accounting and audit will be of interest to […]
By Abigail Hadfield Inadvertently failing to transfer the legal title to even a handful of mortgages following a portfolio acquisition can be a costly mistake. The secondary market in residential mortgage books is thriving, and purchasers are increasingly being caught out by this apparently simple issue. In the majority of cases, a suitably-worded power of […]
The UK government has published a raft of technical notices outlining the implications of a no deal Brexit on a range of sectors, should the UK leave the EU in March without an agreement. The technical notices highlight the practical effects that could result from a no deal Brexit. They span a range of issues […]
By Gordon Bell, Tom Price, David Lowe Governing law and jurisdiction or dispute clauses are two distinct things. Governing law is the substantive law of the contract and dispute resolution clauses are the clauses that tell you where and how your dispute is going to be resolved. They are very different. One does not imply the other and […]
Welcome to Inspiratia’s latest webcast. This is the first in a new series looking at battery storage in partnership with the law firm Gowling WLG. I’m Alex Blackburn and I lead Inspiratia’s renewables coverage in London. For this episode I’m joined by Helen Emmerson, a partner in Gowling’s real estate team, and Roberto Castiglioni, a […]
By Aurore Dangel An offer to purchase an immovable property is as crucial a step in the purchase process for the seller as it is for the buyer. It involves the buyer obtaining access to the property and the seller turning it over. As such, the signature of an offer to purchase indicates, in principle, the […]
By Vanessa Delnaud The beauty and personal care market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has significantly expanded over the past five years and is projected to enjoy a compound annual growth rate of over 11% between 2018 and 2023. The personal care sector is strictly regulated in the Middle-East. In particular, the Member States of […]
By Rodrigue Escayola We are only days away from the Federal legalization of cannabis. In response to this legislative change, many condominium corporations have decided to implement rules to address smoking and growing of cannabis, as well as smoking of tobacco within the complex. Unsurprisingly, opinions on the topic can vary significantly and are often strongly […]
By Jeanette Burgess and Gwendoline Davies Much of the focus in the retail and legal press in recent months has been on the eye-watering level of fines which data protection regulators can impose for infringements of the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation [1]. However in this mini-series Walker Morris’ Heads of Regulatory & […]
The Court of Appeal has allowed the Claimant’s appeal in Clive Bellman (A Protected Party By His Litigation Friend Nick Bellman) v Northampton Recruitment Limited (2018) EWCA Civ 2214, in a decision that involves a redrawing of the limits of vicarious liability for the violent conduct of an employee. The facts of the case are […]
By Michael Killourhy, Nick Rogers “I would say every day I get two or three inquiries on some crypto or blockchain-related project. There is a lot of interest in all things crypto here in the BVI,” observes Michael Killourhy, Partner at Ogier (BVI). Such is the level of interest that earlier this year, Killourhy (pictured) noted in […]
