Public sector and local authority

Kelly Young, Marie Curie

Marie Curie’s GC on strategy, budgets and working with CMS

For Kelly Young, incumbent general counsel and company secretary at Marie Curie, the charity feels more like a corporation than any other entity. Marie Curie is the largest funder of palliative care in the country, and its business lines include 160 shops, 450 doctors, clinical services and licensing intellectual property from garden supplies to stationery. […]

Downing Street

Ex-GC of 10 Downing Street joins Kingsley Napley

Kingsley Napley has hired No. 10 Downing Street’s former general counsel, barrister Lord Harold Carter of Haslemere, to join its public law team as a consultant.  Carter has been at the Government Legal Department for 34 years and was No. 10’s GC from 2016 to 2023, meaning he served under several British Prime Ministers, including […]

Capsticks bucks sluggish profits trend with 22 per cent hike

While other law firms saw profit flatline last year, Capsticks experienced strong double-digit growth, allowing it to invest in technology and key growth areas. Revenue grew 14 per cent from £56.1m to £63.7m in the 2022/23 financial year, while net profit jumped up 22 per cent from £10.6m to £12.9m. Capsticks senior partner Rachael Heenan […]

Boris Johnson

Disgraced ex-PM hires Pannick KC (again) for Covid-19 judicial review

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has once again hired Peters & Peters and a team from Blackstone Chambers for tomorrow’s judicial review between the Cabinet Office and the chair of the Covid-19 inquiry, in which Johnson is an interested party. Lord Pannick KC, Jason Pobjoy and Peters & Peters’ head of business crime Nick Vamos […]

Pennon’s new GCs on moving the water industry forward

Pennon Group is a giant when it comes to the water industry. Encompassing South West Water (SWW), Bristol Water, Pennon Water Services and Bournemouth Water, it boasted a 2020/21 revenue of £624m and is the largest private sector employer in the south west. But with all that grandeur comes a lot of responsibility and scrutiny. […]

Gown

Uni students begin group claim over Covid-19 disruptions

The High Court will hear applications today in the first stage of a group action brought by students over Covid-19 and strike-related disruptions. Over 105,000 students have signed up to seek compensation from British universities in a case run by Harcus Parker partner Ryan Dunleavy and Asserson partner Shimon Goldwater. The case today (Wednesday) is […]

parliament government

Longstanding Government lawyer takes on director general role

The Government Legal Department has appointed long-time lawyer Caroline Croft as a new director general. Croft will take over the leadership role of the employment with economic recovery and UK governance directorate from Mel Nebhrajani, who recently took over from Jessica de Mounteney as director general for litigation with justice and security. Croft currently serves […]

DLA Piper bags two-year Defra contract

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has awarded DLA Piper a contract to provide legal support for its Landscape Recovery project. The firm has been named as the sole legal supplier to the scheme, having been granted the award on 13 October 2022. The contract worth over £321,000 will run for two […]

Pension

DLA Piper and Trowers dropped from local government pensions panel

The legal services framework for Local Government Pension Services (LGPS) has finalised its new panel, with 12 law firms having been appointed. The firms that have made the cut are: Addleshaw Goddard, Anthony Collins Solicitors, Brodies, Burges Salmon, Burness Paull, Cleveland & Co, Eversheds Sutherland, Freeths, Gowling WLG, Osborne Clarke, Pinsent Masons and Squire Patton […]

Dominic Raab

Fountain Court silk to investigate Raab complaints

Fountain Court silk Adam Tolley KC has been appointed to investigate conduct complaints made against the deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab MP. The UK Government has tasked Tolley KC to investigate two formal complaints against Raab made on 15 November. These two complaints refer to Raab’s stint as foreign […]