HSBC has scored Bank of America’s (BoA) head of Europe, Middle East and Africa legal to head up its Parisian function. Marc de Laperouse, who was with Bank of America for around 10 years where he was also assistant general counsel, has taken over as director des affaires juridique at HSBC Paris after the former […]
Weil Gotshal & Manges has dumped client New York City just months before the town’s high profile trial against more than 40 gun makers and distributors after citing client conflicts. According to the New York Times, Weil Gotshal, which accepted the case two years ago on a pro bono basis, pulled out of representing the […]
Merricks, which has recently elected to dissolve the partnership, has been put into administration. On Thursday 8 April, the same day Merricks’ remaining nine partners elected to formally dissolve, a court order was granted by Mr Justice Lewison and the firm ceased trading. Nick O’Reilly and Jonathan Birch of accountancy firm Numerica were appointed joint […]
The exodus of partners from Scottish firm MacRoberts continued last week, when real estate partner Mike Fitzgerald quit for Dundas & Wilson. Fitzgerald, who has been at the firm since 2000, gave notice last Thursday (15 April). He has yet to agree a start date at Dundas. His exit means MacRoberts has lost seven partners […]
By the time you read this, the three-day auction phase of the Canary Wharf battle will be over. The absolute deadline for revised bids was last Friday (16 April), and this week we might even know whether Brascan or Morgan Stanley has won out. On second thoughts, it’s a week late for an Easter miracle […]
Queen’s Counsel from a raft of chambers have rejected offers of instructions in a major money laundering case. The move is a rebellion over new rates of Government pay for criminal defence barristers. Barristers from more than 20 sets of London chambers, as well as most sets in the regions that do criminal work, have […]
Harbottle & Lewis has muscled in on Lee & Thompson’s trophy clients David and Victoria Beckham, advising the couple on possible legal action over the infamous Rebecca Loos interview broadcast by Sky last Thursday (15 April). The Lawyer understands there was no discussion of an injunction, although it seems likely that legal action was threatened […]
One of the bar’s top personal injury barristers has effectively been barred from sitting as a part-time judge because of a perceived claimant bias identified through articles he wrote for The Lawyer. Bill Braithwaite QC, head of Exchange Chambers and a brain and spine injuries claims specialist, has not sat as a Recorder since the […]
A small New South Wales (NSW) firm, Noyce Legal, has become the first legal practice to list part of its business on a stock exchange. The Australian firm has spun off its mortgage lending business, National Lending Solutions (NLS), and listed it on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). NLS will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary […]
Top five Dublin firm William Fry has carried out its second raid on PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) Irish law firm Landwell, poaching a rated contentious intellectual property (IP) team. Landwell partner Carol Plunkett has quit the accountancy-tied firm with a senior associate. The small team will be reunited with former Landwell structured finance partner Orla Brennan, for whom William Fry swooped last year. The loss […]
Eversheds has been appointed to advise Qatar Shipping Company (QSC), the world’s leading transporter of liquified natural gas (LNG). The win follows a successful tender and is a significant coup for the firm. QSC’s 18 tankers are responsible for transporting 96 per cent of Qatar’s LNG. Qatar boasts the largest gas reserves in the world. […]
Jersey firm Mourant du Feu & Jeune has established a joint venture with Scottish firm Maclay Murray & Spens in order to tap into the mass of work arising out of the island’s first employment legislation. The move, which is 12 months ahead of the new legislation’s introduction, involves Mourant’s adoption of a model of […]