Dentons has taken on Clifford Chance’s (CC) Russia and CIS oil and gas head Louis Skyner as partner, the second practice leader to be poached from the Magic Circle firm this month.
Continue reading “Dentons appoints Clifford Chance Russia, CIS oil and gas head Louis Skyner”
Linklaters has landed a significant mandate acting for SoftBank Group Corporation on the launch of the SoftBank Vision Fund, the world’s largest technology fund focusing on innovation including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and mobile applications. Continue reading “Linklaters advises technology giant SoftBank on launch of $100bn investment fund”
Uber’s European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) general counsel Jim Callaghan will step down from his role in June this year. Continue reading “In-house: Uber searches for new EMEA GC as Callaghan to step down”
Reed Smith‘s new head of international arbitration following the firm’s recent Miami merger with Astigarraga Davis, José Astigarraga (pictured), discusses his plans at Reed Smith and the future of international arbitration with Georgiana Tudor. Continue reading “Q&A: Reed Smith’s new global arbitration head on the transition from a Miami litigation boutique to an international firm”
Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Berwin Leighton Paisner and DLA Piper are among firms named on American International Group’s (AIG) new UK panel arrangement. Continue reading “Clifford Chance, BLP and DLA among firms named on AIG’s new UK roster”
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is due to launch a real estate and infrastructure practice in Hong Kong this autumn with the hire of Mayer Brown JSM’s rated head of Asia hospitality and leisure, Andrew MacGeoch.
Continue reading “‘Didn’t want someone average’: BLP taps Mayer Brown in Hong Kong real estate push”
Linklaters has hired Ropes & Gray partner James Douglas to its London office, its second restructuring hire in as many months.
Continue reading “Linklaters makes second restructuring hire this year with Ropes’ Douglas”
Following the unveiling of an 18-firm general legal advice panel in March, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has announced plans for a new £90m finance and complex work legal panel.
Continue reading “Government launches tender process for £90m complex projects panel”
In what amounts to a break-up of one of the City’s most storied private equity partner duos, Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom has hired White & Case’s global and EMEA PE co-head Richard Youle, along with recently promoted PE partner Katja Butler.
Continue reading “‘Move makes sense’: Skadden breaks up White & Case City PE duo with Youle hire”
Six former Cobbetts lawyers, including former managing partner Nicholas Carr and senior partner Stephen Benson, have been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) following the Manchester firm’s collapse in 2013.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett‘s London managing partner Gregory Conway has stepped down from his role after 10 years of leading the practice in favour of private funds partner Jason Glover, while litigator Sally Davies has been named Sean Connolly’s replacement as senior partner at the City office of Mayer Brown.
Following the completion of its transatlantic merger with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan on 1 February, legacy Eversheds today (19 May) reported revenue growth of 8% to £438.6m for 2016/2017.
Continue reading “‘An anticipated dip’: Eversheds’ 2016/17 profit falls as revenue increases by 8%”
Theresa May’s pledge to scrap the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and incorporate it into the National Crime Agency (NCA) has dominated the City’s reaction to the release of the Conservative Party manifesto, which also makes clear the need for proper approval of bidders on M&A transactions.
Continue reading “Big leap forward? City reacts to Conservative manifesto pledge to scrap SFO”
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan announced today (19 May) that it has hired Shearman & Sterling’s global antitrust head and managing partner of its Brussels office, Stephen Mavroghenis, as well as competition partner Miguel Rato – after first approaching the team last autumn.
In a world where newspapers are branding judges ‘enemies of the people’ and fake news dominates public discourse, these days the media itself is the story.
At a recent event for senior in-house counsel in London, two clear messages emerged. Firstly, that there is a rapid professionalisation in the way that major legal departments are managing themselves. Secondly, there was agreement that much of the support for change was being driven from the ‘alternative’ legal market. Despite this, there was a lack of agreement as to what lay behind this process and how alternative providers were supporting it. In this article we explore these two issues. Firstly, what are the changes in-house legal departments are looking to bring about? And, secondly, how can the alternative marketplace help support them? Continue reading “The shock of the new”
For classists, the word ‘disruptive’ still carries negative connotations of damage, chaos and disarray. But these days in corporate circles it has become the phrase of the day – a complimentary shorthand to describe tech-driven innovators remaking all manner of industries. But the cult of disruption – birthed in Clayton Christensen’s hugely influential 1997 book The Innovator’s Dilemma – has truly come of age when it has reached not only the legal profession, but its in-house branch.
In her much-touted new book on bolstering team-working in professional services, Smart Collaboration, Harvard Law School professor Heidi Gardner argues that sophisticated buyers are increasingly expecting an open-house approach from advisers in delivering their wares.
DAC Beachcroft and The In-House Lawyer recently conducted a survey to assess the role and influence of the in-house lawyer in managing risk. Is the role that of ringmaster – right at the heart of the matter – or more a side-line prompt? Essentially does the legal department have the necessary influence, associations, and information to fulfil the role of business adviser effectively? A picture emerges of the in-house lawyer as a key player in risk management and important contributors to the risk process, albeit that they own few risks. Continue reading “Managing risk: the in-house view”
‘When fintech became a big thing the narrative was all about the banks being disrupted and the threat to their business model,’ says Martin Cook, UK general counsel at Funding Circle, one of the world’s most successful peer-to-peer lenders. ‘There has since been a shift toward what might be called “fintech 2.0”, with a less aggressive conversation on both sides. The business model has matured toward delivering a better service to the customer rather than simply beating the banks.’
