Cherie Blair QC has resigned from the judiciary to focus on arbitration work at her law firm, Omnia Strategy. A spokesperson for the judicial office confirmed on Wednesday (8 April) that Blair is no longer a recorder – a part-time Crown and County Court judge. She said she was stepping down from the bench after 20 […]
Scottish firm Gillespie Macandrew has revamped its management team to create the role of chief executive, with non-lawyer chief operating officer Chris West being first to fill the position. The chief executive position will replace that of managing partner at the firm, with West effectively taking over from managing partner Ian Turnbull when the latter […]
Ashurst has promoted nine women to partner in its 20-strong promotions round following its pledge last year to improve its gender diversity representation. In 2014 the firm promoted three women amid 15 promotions. Last summer the firm said it would ensure that 40 per cent of its promotions would be female by 2018 (4 June 2014). […]
Slaughter and May is advising Royal Dutch Shell on its recommended cash and share valued at £47bn to take over natural gas company BG Group, represented by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Slaughters commercial partners Roland Turnill, Hywel Davies and Rebecca Cousin are leading the team acting for Shell. Cravath Swaine & Moore partners William Rogers and […]
Macfarlanes has appointed five lawyers to its partnership, including two women, with another five lawyers promoted to senior counsel. The promotions round is 45 per cent smaller than 2014, when the firm made up nine partners in a record year (7 April 2014). However it is still one of Macfarlanes’ largest promotions rounds in the […]
Guardian Care Homes has instructed Hausfeld & Co to launch court proceedings against Lloyds over interest rate derivatives mis-selling, despite reaching a settlement with the bank in 2011 over Libor-rate manipulation claims. The care homes operator is asking for more than £8m from Lloyds in a consequential losses case, filed with the High Court in […]
Severn Trent’s US arm, Severn Trent Services (STS), has made savings of 75 per cent and 35 per cent over two years by resculpting its external legal panel in favour of bringing work back in-house. Senior counsel in Philadelphia Chris Turnbull reviewed STS’s legal panel last year in a bid to reign in costs. Employment […]
The former head of Linklaters’ Amsterdam employment and pensions team, Martijn van Broeckhuijsen, has launched his own firm in a continuation of the trend for boutiques in the Netherlands. Van Broeckhuijsen left Linklaters earlier this year and has now announced the launch of the boutique, Shearwaters. The firm will focus exclusively on Dutch corporate employment […]
Round World Entertainment general counsel Oli Shipton has taken on the additional role of partner at media and entertainment law firm Lee & Thompson. Round World Entertainment said that Shipton would continue as principal counsel for the company. Shipton has filled the role at Round World Entertainment since 2013, and was involved in advising across the group’s […]
Debevoise & Plimpton has named two lawyers to partner in London as part of a six-lawyer firmwide promotions round, breaking a four-year run with no promotions in the City. In London, investment management lawyer Sally Gibson and litigator Richard Lawton were appointed as partners. Gibson joined Debevoise in 2008 and was promoted to international counsel […]
Senior in-house lawyers are set to share a bonus pot of nearly £1bn this year, with the typical bonus 67 per cent greater than the average UK salary of £26,500. A survey from recruiter Laurence Simons, which attracted over 2,500 respondents, revealed that the average bonus in 2015 is set to be £44,133, equating to […]
Allen & Overy (A&O), Baker & McKenzie and NautaDutilh are advising on FedEx’s €4.4bn (£3.2bn) acquisition of TNT Express to expand its European operations. Baker & McKenzie London head of M&A Timothy Gee advised FedEx in the deal to acquire the Dutch delivery business, alongside corporate M&A partner Henk Arnold Sijnja, based in Amsterdam. NautaDutilh […]