DWF loses entire family law practice as national head exits with 15 lawyers
DWF has lost its family law capability after head of family David Pickering and his entire team decamp to Manchester-based firm JMW, The Lawyer has learned.
Phone hacking: Apologies read to victims of phone hacking in the High Court
Six clients of leading law firm Collyer Bristow, including actor David Tennant and Olympic Athlete Colin Jackson, received an apology in the High Court today from News Group Newspapers after their phones were hacked by News of the World. Also represented by Collyer Bristow in this case are Fran Cutler, Jess Morris, Tanya Frane and […]
Charles Russell Speechlys loses out in Cancer Research panel review
Charles Russell Speechlys has been replaced as one of Cancer Research’s core legal advisers by national firm Michelmores.
Debra Powell QC and James Berry represent core participant in Child Sexual Abuse inquiry
Debra Powell QC and James Berry represented the National Police Chiefs’ Council at the first hearings in the Internet and Child Sexual Abuse strand of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The Inquiry, chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, is comprised of thirteen investigative strands. The Internet and Child Sexual Abuse strand is inquiring into institutional responses to […]
Angus Moon QC and Aaron Rathmell win costs award for Chief Constable of Northumbria Police
Angus Moon QC and Aaron Rathmell acted for the Chief Constable in successfully persuading the Employment Tribunal to make a very unusual costs award of £15,000 against the Claimant in this long running employment litigation. The order was made against the Claimant on 15th January long-running basis that she never had a reasonable prospect of succeeding in her […]
Creme, Adam – Unison
Adam Creme, head of Unison Legal Services, is a tenacious man. In 2017 he led his team to victory on one of the most important employment cases in recent years. R (on the application of Unison) v Lord Chancellor will change the face of employment tribunals after the Supreme Court ruled that the level of […]
This year’s financials show how much Clifford Chance and A&O have played catch-up
It is a historical oddity of magic circle figures that there is always one firm that has an off year.
Data breaches: ‘tech suppliers, firms and clients must collaborate’
Lawyers discuss the lessons that can be learned from recent cyber security breaches and the best ways to prevent future infringements
He’s coming home – but is McKimm’s multimillion-dollar Shearman return the cosy choice?
Back at Shearman, Ward McKimm will be reunited with his former client base – and with some old friends.
But much has changed in the seven years since he left Shearman & Sterling. Can the superstar partner replicate his past success, or is it true that you can never go back?
Litigation funding: Firms miss out as clients go direct
Corporates are increasingly going direct to funders with opportunities, meaning firms are last in on the conversation
The tech pioneers: 24 evangelists for change in the legal sector
To accompany our extended feature on the legal tech revolution we have singled out some of the main evangelists for change across the profession.
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The legal tech revolution is here and these are the firms ahead of the curve
Firms are targeting an emerging breed of professional able to span the gap between technology and the practice of law
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The day DLA went dark: how WhatsApp saved the firm after its crippling cyber-attack
One year on from the day DLA Piper went down to a Russian cyber attack, its leadership recalls the firm’s fortnight of crisis – and how it survived.
The Lawyer Awards: Firm of the Year shortlist 2018 shows New Law has arrived
Eight names are on the list for the final and biggest award of the night – which firm will claim victory?
Top 50 US law firms in London: who dominates the $5bn market
The Lawyer has tracked the financial performance of the 50 largest US firms in the UK, including lateral hires and investment priorities
Extortion, blackmail, and kidnap for ransom
In this market insight, originally written for CampdenFB, Schillings’ extortion, blackmail and kidnap for ransom specialists, John Chase and Brittany Damora, set out the scope of the threat and what steps family offices and family businesses need to take when faced with this type of critical risk scenario…
The Court of Protection endorses use of the Mental Capacity Act
By Michael Mylonas QC The requirement for written consent in schedule 3 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act has caused difficulties in some notable cases. Last week saw another challenge in which Mrs P needed the consent of her husband who had suffered an irreversible brain injury. She turned to the Mental Capacity Act 2005…
Short shrift for party litigant in Scotland
The Court of Session in Scotland has followed the example of the Supreme Court, giving short shrift to a party litigant (or, ‘litigant in person’ in England and Wales) in his legal proceedings against his bank. Walker Morris’ Banking & Finance Litigation partner Rob Aberdein explains.
Court of Appeal: Catja Thum v Oliver Thum
The Court of Appeal today dismissed Oliver Thum’s appeal and ruled that his wife Catja Thum’s divorce and related financial claims should proceed in the English court and not, as Dr Thum had argued, in Berlin. Giving judgment for the Court of Appeal Lord Justice Moylan said…
The BVI extends visa exemption to PRC nationals
By Robert J.D. Briant and Christopher W.H. Bickley The British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) Government has enacted a measure which exempts nationals of the People’s Republic of China from the need to apply for a visa to visit the BVI for up to six months for business or tourism purposes. The Order dated 5 July 2018 […]
Inheritance tax: time to think again?
In 1726, Daniel Defoe published a satirical portrayal of the devil’s achievements up to that time. In encouraging the notion that he had a cloven foot, Satan had become so successful in the popular imagination that there was nothing: “not the Man in the Moon, not the GroaningBoard, not the speaking of Fryar Bacon’s Brazen […]
Material contribution in acute hypoxic ischaemia
By John de Bono QC There is no doubt that since the decision in Bailey v MoD the claimant’s task in proving causation has become significantly easier because she no longer needs to prove that her condition is worse than it would have been ‘but for’ the defendant’s breach of duty. There are cases where […]
‘Bolam is dead, long live Bolam’
By Dr Simon Fox QC As a doctor transferring from medicine to law 25 years ago, I was struck by the illogicality of the Bolam test, in that it seemed to me that it couldn’t logically be applied to many circumstances of medical negligence…
Court of Appeal upholds s.2(1) Suicide Act
It is a criminal offence to assist another person to commit suicide. The Court of Appeal has today rejected a challenge to this offence brought under art 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case raises key constitutional and ethical questions…
Supreme Court rules in favour of civil partnerships for all
By Sarah Green This week, judgment was handed down by the Supreme Court of England and Wales in the case of Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, who have campaigned to be able to enter into a civil partnership, historically only available for same-sex couples. The couple wished to be able to have legal recognition of […]
UK: discrimination against married transgender person accessing State pension
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave judgment on 26 June 2018 in the case of MB (Appellant) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Respondent) (C-451/16) concerning a condition of UK law that required a married transgender person to annul his/her marriage in order to be legally recognised as his/her acquired gender and […]
Fathers and the workplace: The difficulties continue
By Michael Briggs In March 2018, the Women and Equalities Committee presented its Fathers and the Workplace report to the House of Commons. Within this report, it was made very clear that government action was needed to reform workplace policies in an attempt to support fathers to better balance their parental responsibilities with work and […]