Brexit

  • It was probably hard to miss even if you were trekking in the Andes or something, but last week Mishcon de Reya lodged a legal injunction on behalf of Gina Miller to prevent Boris Johnson from shutting down Parliament.
  • Herbert Smith Freehills also got in on the act as Sir John Major turned to the firm. The former Prime Minister is seeking the Court’s permission to intervene in the claim already lodged by Mishcon and Miller, rather than initiating separate proceedings.

Lawyers in trouble

  • A Hogan Lovells partner has been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for failing to inform the regulator of a dispute he had with an employee.
  • A Doughty Street Chambers barrister has resigned from the set amid allegations that he was connected to a Twitter account that harassed people involved in the Labour antisemitism issue.
  • Two tax partners at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are under investigation into their role in “cum-ex” transactions. The criminal investigation into the two relates to their alleged involvement in the advice given to the now-defunct Maple Bank.
  • US aviation entrepreneur Farhad Azima has filed a counter-claim against Ras al Khaimah (RAK)’s sovereign investment vehicle RAKIA, alleging that it hacked and published his data on the dark web and that he was threatened by a London-based Dechert partner.

Woes for Burford Capital

  • Litigation funder Burford Capital has had a rotten month. First, investor Muddy Waters published a damning report describing it as a “poor business masquerading as a great one.”
  • Then, a Burford senior executive faced accusations of trading sensitive documents in exchange for a sex tape.
  • A class action lawsuit has also been filed against it in the United States.
Picture of Vidisha Joshi, Hodge Jones & Allen managing partner to illustrate The Lawyer Hot 100 Vidisha Joshi, Hodge Jones & Allen career quiz
Vidisha Joshi

On the move

  • One of the City’s youngest managing partners, Hodge Jones & Allen’s Vidisha Joshi, has quit the firm unexpectedly.
  • Macfarlanes‘ digital and innovation business head is leaving the firm after fewer than two years. Mike Rebeiro was hired in February 2018 from Norton Rose Fulbright to build and lead Macfarlanes’ digital advisory practice.
  • Ikea has hired from Debenhams to fill the UK and Ireland general counsel seat left open following the departure of its legal head this year.

US firms seek new offices space in London

And the rest…

  • Dentons has appointed a ‘chief mindfulness officer’ for Europe in an attempt to develop its lawyers’ emotional intelligence.
  • Eversheds Sutherland has designated September as ‘Techtember‘ – a training month aimed at dispelling lawyers’ fear of IT
  • Freshfields has paid a €50m settlement to the administrators of an insolvent German bank, which was represented by Linklaters.