Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) has advised the seller in the largest reported internet domain name sale of 2010. Technology partner Paul Barton led the team advising the owner of slots.com in its $5.85m (£3.07m) sale to leading gaming company Bodog, in a deal believed to be among the top 10 highest-selling domain names of all […]
Eversheds has advised Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) on the conversion to its property fund to the new, more tax-efficient Property Authorised Investment Fund (PAIF) status. RLAM’s flagship £188m Royal London Exempt Property Unit Trust has become a PAIF – the open-ended fund equivalent of a REIT that gives investors access to a wider pool of assets […]
The Law Society has long stated its belief that the judiciary should better reflect the diversity of the society it serves rather than being the preserve of the white, heterosexual, Oxbridge-educated, male barrister. Last week (15 June) it held a reception to coincide with its response to Baroness Neuberger’s recent report on judicial diversity and to highlight the […]
Three news organisations have made the rare move of instructing counsel to intervene as a third party in a defamation case in the Court of Appeal in order to protect the ’fair comment’ defence. Associated Newspapers, owner of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, Times Newspapers and Guardian Media Group (GMG) have mandated […]
SJ Berwin has launched a corporate investigations group to assist corporate and financial services clients on multijurisdictional investigations. The team features nine partners from across its competition, litigation and financial services practices. It will offer advice on fraud investigations, cartels, bribery and corruption and financial services litigation. The group includes litigation partners Hilton Mervis and Tim Beale in its […]
UK housebuilder Taylor Wimpey revamped its list of external advisers following a review of its legal panel. Around 30 firms pitched to advise Taylor Wimpey UK across its two main panels, property and litigation, with a number of firms also appointed specifically for planning and Scottish work. Eversheds and HBJ Gateley Wareing will work across both property and litigation nationally; Clarke Willmott, Nabarro […]
Dickinson Dees’ family law team will leave the firm later this year to set up a new firm called Silk Family Law. The niche outfit will be headed by Dickinson Dees family law head Margaret Simpson and barrister Ian Kennerley. A total of 16 Dickinson Dees staff will leave the firm including two partners, one […]
The barrister who brought and lost a race discrimination claim against 4 New Square has had her appeal bid thrown out by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT). Aisha Bijlani, who had been a pupil with the set and a member since 1993, claimed she was the victim of a sustained campaign of racism orchestrated by […]
Those accused of serious financial crimes are finding themselves at a disadvantage, with the system conspiring to leave them without adequate funds for a robust defence. By Anthony Barnfather The aggressive stance adopted by UK regulators has seen more directors and professionals than ever before being investigated for serious white-collar crime allegations. In recent years a raft […]
Magic circle duo Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters have bagged the leading roles on the sale of RBS’s UAE retail banking business to Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB). The $100m (£67m) deal marks the first time a local UAE bank has bought an international bank’s retail arm. Freshfields acted for ADCB, fielding a team led […]
Hill Dickinson has grown its corporate team with the appointment of Hammonds partner Ian Gillis. Gillis will be based in the firm’s Manchester office rather than its Liverpool headquarters and will focus on both public and private corporate finance work. Prior to joining Hill Dickinson he was a partner at Hammonds for two years and before […]
Mr Justice Tugendhat today raised the bar for defamation claims in a High Court ruling that found the definition of defamation must include a qualification or threshold of seriousness. Dismissing an action brought by author Dr Sarah Thornton against the Telegraph Media Group, Tugendhat J accepted a submission from solicitor advocate David Price of David […]