After racking up at least £10m in legal fees, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has abandoned a case after being told of a crucial legal point that lawyers argue it should have been aware of from the outset. The case centred on SFO claims that marine insurance contracts sold to Scottish fishermen were invalid as […]
Clintons has scooped a hat-trick of instructions to advise all three finalists in the hit ITV show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. Ex-Atomic Kitten singer Kerry McFadden, who won the show, drafted in Clintons through her agent Max Cliff-ord. The firm, which has an existing relationship with Clifford, is advising McFadd-en on […]
The UK arm of Bermuda-based life reinsurer Scottish Re has appointed George Scott as its first ever in-house lawyer. Scott, previously a corporate legal adviser at Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Group, is set to join Scottish Re Holdings as legal counsel this Wednesday (18 February). During his time at Royal & SunAlliance, Scott was primarily involved in around 15 […]
Next week, the Government will announce its long-awaited decision on whether to commit £100m to building a new Commercial Court. On 24 February, Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA) civil servant Mark Camley will announce whether the project he is leading to build a new £100m Commercial Court has received the green light from the Treasury. […]
It was all go at the Business Design Centre in Islington last week for the Legal IT 2004 show. IT suppliers, eager to flog the latest “productivity-enhancing software” (to quote one stand’s blurb), showcased their products as the lawyers buzzed around, checking out the Blackberrys and getting snowed under with marketing bumph. Most of those […]
A bumper January, with gross income for the month hitting a record £2.25m, has helped St Philips Chambers post total revenues of £18.3m for its last financial year. The 142-tenant Birmingham set, which vies constantly with local rival No 5 Fountain Court for the title of the UK’s largest chambers, has seen turnover increase by […]
Holborn-based family and commercial property firm Barnett Sampson has dissolved after 20 years in practice, with the bulk of its partnership migrating to Anthony Gold. The five-partner firm closed for business on 30 January. Founding partner Ellie Chapman said a lack of synergy between Barnett Sampson’s divergent family and commercial practices was behind the dissolution. […]
Deutsche Bank has lost its general counsel for the Americas Timothy Mayopoulus to Charlotte-based Bank of America (BoA). Mayopoulus, who joined as general counsel and executive vice-president, has been replaced by the German bank’s global head of litigation Robert Khuzami.
A national study has revealed that one in three people experience civil justice problems. The findings were unearthed by the Legal Services Research Centre in the most in-depth and long-term study ever conducted in England and Wales. It was also revealed that one in five take no action to solve their problem and close to […]
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has boosted New York and London with the addition of five special counsel. Justin Bickle, Yvette Croucher and Tony Horspool will bolster financial restructuring in London, while in New York real estate attorney Michael Kavourias and healthcare, not-for-profit attorney Pamela Landman have been appointed.
Allen & Overy (A&O) is to transfer its two-lawyer Albanian office to Austrian ally Wolf Theiss after deciding that the office no longer fitted with its strategy. A&O had inherited the Tirana office when it merged with Italian firm Brosio Casati e Associati in 1998. It was initially established to serve the European Bank for […]
US firm Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has swooped for Alan D’Ambrosio, a former senior partner of Winston & Strawn. D’Ambrosio joins the firm as a partner in Orrick’s New York corporate practice. His practice will focus on IT and outsourcing and European corporate work. D’Ambrosio’s European experience has mainly been advising French and Italian companies […]