Private client

Irwin Mitchell expands in the south with Brighton launch   

Irwin Mitchell has opened an office in Brighton in order to extend its footprint in the south and to attract more high-net-worth clients. The firm is taking office space at Mocatta House, Trafalgar Place, and it will be set up to allow for client meetings and collaborative working. Irwin Mitchell already has four other offices […]

UK map

Shoosmiths sells 41-strong private client team

Following a strategic review, Shoosmiths has parted ways with its wealth protection group and sold it to a Midlands-based firm. Rothley Law is acquiring the 41-strong team, led by partners Melissa Maple, Adam Draper and Lucy Taylor. The groups specialise in wealth protection matters, wills and trusts, and Court of Protection. Rothley Law has offices […]

Hong Kong

Withers’ Hong Kong managing partner leaves for Mishcon

Withers has taken a hit in Hong Kong, after losing its managing partner and a private client partner to Mishcon De Reya. Wei Zhang, the firm’s office head, has spent more than 13 years at Withers. She joined Withers Bergman as an associate in 2010 and was given the nod to partner in 2017. Timothy […]

Charles Russell Speechlys kickstarts private capital initiative

Charles Russell Speechlys is to launch a new practice that focuses on landing new mandates from global private capital clients, families and their businesses. The firm’s “Private Office” is expected to focus on the private and business aspirations of new and existing clients and how they can service their global assets. Once established, the firm […]

Glasgow Scotland

Dentons hit in Scotland with 20-strong team move

Dentons’ private client team in Scotland is decamping to Shepherd and Wedderburn, with a team of 20 making the move. The group is led by partners Eleanor Kerr and Alexis Graham in Glasgow, and includes seven other lawyers. Both Kerr and Graham are legacy Maclay Murray & Spens, which merged with Dentons in 2017. Kerr […]

Taylor Wessing raids BCLP with 11-strong team hire

Capitalising on the hire of three partners last year, Taylor Wessing has recruited 11 further lawyers from BCLP’s private wealth team. The firm has hired the team following the arrival in November of BCLP’s co-leader of the private client team Damian Bloom and partner Simon Phelps. The team includes 11 lawyers comprising consultants, senior counsel, associates […]

Analysis

buckingham palace

By royal appointment: the monarchy’s go-to lawyers

With Harry and Meghan announcing they will step back as senior royals and work to become financially independent, The Lawyer looks back at the royal family’s legal representation. Farrer & Co Farrer & Co has been the royal’s established advisers since the 1930s – Sir Leslie Farrer was the personal adviser to George VI and […]

Private client briefings

The reality of the value of ATE insurance for high-net-worth clients

I often hear commercial dispute resolution practitioners, unlike their personal injury and clinical negligence colleagues, say “Our clients are not interested in ATE Insurance or disbursement funding because they can afford to pay disbursements and bear the opponents costs if the case is unsuccessful”. I have a few things to say about this view.

Depp v Heard, and what is SLAPP litigation/Anti SLAPP?

Currently taking place in the Fairfax County Courthouse, Virginia, US, and with a celebrity witness line-up and livestream, Johnny Depp v Amber Heard is sure to attract the most column inches of any libel case this year.

Kids Company: Practical lessons for charity trustees

The demise of Kids Company and its aftermath has unfortunately overshadowed the pioneering work that charity did for nearly twenty years with some of the most damaged children and young people in our society.

Ukraine: Available visa routes for individuals and employers

The Government have introduced various visa concessions for Ukrainian citizens affected by the conflict. Legal director of immigration Rachel Harvey and Pavan Sumal, associate specialising in immigration law, discuss the routes available and what you can do to assist.

Life rights exposed: Pam & Tommy

Last month Hulu released its final episode of the television series Pam & Tommy. The biographical miniseries follows the lives of newlyweds Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee during the time that their sex tape was stolen and made available over the internet. The series is based on a 2014 Rolling Stone article that tells the story of the man who stole and distributed the tape. However, just like the sex tape, the show was released without the consent of the titled stars.

Ireland: Is change on the horizon for the disclosure regime under Order 39, Rule 46 RSC?

In a recent decision, O’Flynn v HSE & Ors [2022] IECA 83, the Court of Appeal considered the interpretation and application of Order 39, Rule 46 of the Rules of the Superior Courts. Order 39, Rule 46 sets out the disclosure rules in High Court personal injury claims, regarding the exchange of expert reports. The decision suggests a novel roadmap to resolve the impasse between the parties in the case.

Property tycoon jailed after refusal to grant Jewish religious divorce

Alan Moher pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour on 28 February 2022, in a landmark private prosecution brought by his ex-wife, Caroline Moher, in part concerning his refusal to grant her a ‘Get’ (the document effecting a Jewish couple’s religious divorce).

The new RCI Register

The new Register of Persons Holding a Controlled interest in Land (RCI) will come into force in Scotland on 1 April 2022.

Defamation law developments

The Supreme Court recently substituted a defamation damages award in an appeal from the Court of Appeal, giving important guidance around the assessment of damages in defamation cases. This article explores the leading judgment of the Supreme Court in this note, together with the proposed changes to Irish defamation laws outlined in the recently published Review of the Defamation Act 2009.

Great Expectations: Potential confusion for beneficiaries under Ontario’s new probate court forms

On Jan 1, 2022, O. Reg. 709/21 came into effect. The regulation addresses the significant changes made to the Succession Law Reform Act R.S.O. 1990, c. S.26, and, through the introduction of new streamlined court forms, also endeavours to simplify and improve the probate process in Ontario. The official announcement on Ontario’s Regulatory Registry touts the elimination of 43 forms, the introduction of eight new forms, and the amendment of some 15 other forms.

Spring Budget Statement 2022: Tax

The Chancellor has pledged to cut the basic rate of income tax by the next general election in 2024. This announcement was not anticipated beforehand. Tax & estate planning Partner James Austen comments on this and the so-called “Tax Plan” outlined.