Simmons & Simmons has pledged to focus on organic growth in its London communications and outsourcing group following the loss of two-fifths of its London partner capability in a matter of months. The most recent exit was that of Peter Brudenall, who left to join the London office of Hunton & Williams last week (17 […]
Bond Pearce has advised the South West of England Regional Development Agency on the first wave farm in the UK to gain planning approval. Bond Pearce planning partner John Houghton said the farm off the coast of Cornwall, known as ‘Wave Hub’, can generate enough electricity to power 3,000 homes. “This is the first of […]
Last week (17 September) Europe’s second highest court, the Court of First Instance (CFI), ruled against Akzo Nobel in the case of Akzo Nobel Chemicals Ltd and Akcros Chemicals Ltd v European Commission (www.thelawyer. com, 17 September). The decision reaffirmed the conclusions reached in the case of AM&S Europe v Commission of the European Communities […]
Class action law firm Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll is considering kick-starting the first collective action in the UK with a case against supermarkets and dairies for price-fixing. The firm is looking to recover around £270m for consumers after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) last week estimated this was how much customers were out […]
The Appellate Division in New York is considering an amendment to the local professional conduct code, which could radically affect current conflict restrictions on US lawyers. US lawyers working in their home jurisdictions are in no circumstances allowed to act adverse to their clients without first seeking a waiver. However, US lawyers working and licensed […]
Dispute resolution practices across City law firms have been flooded by enquiries for legal advice since the credit crunch has taken hold. Firms such as Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) and Herbert Smith are expected to be the winners in the sub-prime fallout. Clare Canning, head of commercial litigation at BLG, said that over the […]
Record first-quarter deal activity helps firms maintain healthy financial positions; magic circle also confident The credit crunch has caused City managing partners to eye the markets nervously ahead of half-year figures next month, but mid-market firms have been given renewed confidence, research by The Lawyer can reveal. With just six weeks to go until most […]
Manchester United FC has doubled the size of its legal team with the hire of a lawyer from Addleshaw Goddard. Addleshaws associate Martin Mosley becomes Man Utd head of legal Patrick Stewart’s number two. “The legal function itself is only 18 months old,” said Stewart. “I want it to evolve naturally rather than making any […]
Salans has launched a capital markets practice in Poland, raiding Clifford Chance’s Warsaw office for four senior lawyers. The loss of the four lawyers has prompted a rethink of Clifford Chance’s strategy regarding debt capital markets in Poland. Clifford Chance Poland finance partner Jan Zdzienicki said: “This is an area where we’re reconsidering how to […]
London Underground Limited (LUL) has promoted head of legal Sarah Atkins to director of reviews in preparation for its PPP contract review, which is slated for 2010. Atkins will lead the review, which the company undertakes every six or seven years, to examine all PPP contracts and to identify what LUL should be procuring and […]
Judges and eminent legal figures across Europe are set to launch a steering group to harmonise data protection for criminal proceedings. The decision to set up the group came out of the Council of Europe Seminar on Data Protection in Criminal Proceedings held in Strasbourg. Procedural law professor Angeles Gutierrez Zarza of Universidad de Castilla-La […]
ITV has appointed LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae corporate partner Andrew Garard as its legal director to replace the outgoing Kyla Mullins. Garard, who has spent most of his career in-house, leaves LeBoeuf after just one year in private practice, as first reported on www.thelawyer.com (20 September). Garard told The Lawyer: “I’ve enjoyed private practice, […]