Last week the House of Lords upheld unanimously a transvestite’s claim to become a police officer. It held that it was unlawful sex discrimination by the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire to refuse to employ ‘A’ as a police officer. The case was supported by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Derek Baird wins private equity house as client as former firm Dickson Minto is conflicted out
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has closed its first deal for boutique hotel chain Malmaison, advising on its recent purchase of The McCausland Hotel in Belfast. The work came to BLP through partner David Battiscombe, who joined the firm at the beginning of the year from Finers Stephens Innocent, where he headed up real estate. Malmaison […]
Brussels firm Crosby Renouf has been instructed for the first time on behalf of Portugal’s Azores Islands in a landmark action against the EU’s Council of Ministers. The firm is challenging EU regulation 1954/2003, which enables European fishermen to operate off the coast of the Azores, on the grounds that it breaches the EU’s own […]
Niche Stoke-on-Trent firm Heatons is cementing its relationship with retail giant Baugur after winning its third instruction from the Icelandic company, this time to advise on the £110m acquisition of UK jewellery retailer Goldsmiths. The corporate and commercial firm scooped its first job for Baugur last November, when it swooped on Allen & Overy’s (A&O) […]
In Alex Mehta, legal compliance consultancy Judicium has more than just a head of legal on its books – it has the world white collar boxing champion. Alex Wade is ringside
The Jersey Financial Services Commission recently issued a new policy to ensure that funds aimed at expert investors can be established quickly and cost-effectively in Jersey, and to provide certainty and guidance to those wishing to establish such funds. The policy follows detailed consultation with industry in Jersey and the UK and a benchmarking exercise […]
A lot of law firms talk about understanding their clients’ needs, but Clarke Willmott claims to offer “more understanding”. This is the South West firm’s brand, and it means what it says. “It could sound a bit nebulous,” says managing partner David Sedgwick, “but we’re serious.” What, though, does the brand mean? “Primarily, it’s to […]
The Philadelphia offices of Dechert and Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis last month announced a victory following a 10-year pro bono battle to save a mentally retarded prisoner from death row. Dechert and Schnader’s pro bono teams became involved in the case following the petition of a habeas corpus on the grounds that Puerto Rican […]
Professional indemnity cover is continuing to rise to astronomic proportions. Lynne Abess reports on how partnerships are responding
Partnership – no longer till death do us part. By Ronnie Fox and Michelle Levin
Linklaters has firmly demonstrated that it, rather than Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, is the Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) first-choice plc-level adviser by closing the substantial UK elements of the bank’s latest US expansion. RBS, advised by Linklaters, closed a London-based fundraising and the £5.8bn takeover of US bank Charter One Financial earlier this month. RBS […]