The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has named Capsticks as its sole provider for disciplinary and litigation work, opting to abandon a law firm panel approach.
Continue reading “Capsticks wins out as SRA ditches panels for sole adviser mandate”
William Hill has invited law firms to pitch for its new UK panel with the bookmaker expected to slim down its six-strong roster. Continue reading “Luck of the draw: William Hill invites law firms to pitch for smaller legal panel”
LB100 firm Bevan Brittan has brought 90 administrative staff back into the firm, ending its six-year agreement with Intelligent Office UK – which takes outsourced services from professional services firms. Continue reading “Back in-house: Bevan Brittan ends outsourcing agreement to bring 90 admin staff into the firm”
Listed law firm Slater and Gordon (S&G) is to bring a £600m action against the company formerly known as Quindell over its 2015 deal to acquire Quindell’s professional services division.
White & Case‘s London associates have seen a significant increase in their pay with the US firm awarding its newly qualified (NQ) associates with a £15,000 pay hike for 2017.
Experienced financial regulation partner Bob Penn, who moved to Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton last year and advised HSBC on the controversial bank ring-fencing reforms while at Allen & Overy (A&O), is clear on whether those reforms are fit for purpose. ‘This is a hugely unwelcome and disruptive process, and frankly yet another distraction from running a profitable bank at a time when they are already facing a cascade of regulatory reform and the prospect of Brexit.’
The City’s leading firms have formally embraced flexible working, with the percentage of fee-earners working part-time at the top ten of the Legal Business 100 ranging between 2% and 10%.
Continue reading “‘Some firms do it very well’: Top City outfits embrace flexible working”
While pitching to general counsel (GCs) is hardly a foreign concept for private practitioners, an elite group of GCs for fast-growth companies has invited a pre-selected list of law firms to bid to host its events.
After going months without a global managing partner, King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) has appointed Australia chief executive partner Sue Kench to the role, effective 1 June 2017. Continue reading “‘Cementing KWM’: Australian chief exec Kench elected as new global managing partner”
Kirkland & Ellis has returned to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to hire financial restructuring partner Sean Lacey.
Clyde & Co has kept up the rapid pace of its international expansion by announcing its first office in Mexico, merging with four-partner local law firm Garza Tello & Asociados. Meanwhile, Dentons has signed a strategic alliance in Brazil with local firm Vella Pugliese Buosi Guidoni.
The media company’s group legal director discusses how her personal approach took her to the top of her game
At the age of 19, while doing work experience for a duty solicitor, Nilema Bhakta-Jones was called to Nuneaton police station, finding herself in a mostly empty set of cells at 1am. One cell was occupied by the client, a man arrested on suspicion of committing grievous bodily harm against his pregnant girlfriend.
Continue reading “Client profile: Nilema Bhakta-Jones, Ascential”
My father, who sadly died last year, did his articles. Absolutely hated it. Left as soon as he could. He did briefly work in London and then went to Edinburgh, and carried out his career as a fund manager. He was always much more interested in stock markets than the law. He was a very kind, calm and perceptive man.
I joined SJ Berwin in 1991, qualified in 1993, became a partner in 1999, left in 2004. Came back in 2006. Until the bitter end.
Researching our quality of life special, we canvassed the top ten UK firms for details on their HR policies on parental leave and flexible working, as well as other support provided to improve the lives of all staff. Below are the results
Super-exam to be used from September 2020
Despite some considerable hostility, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) announced last month that its planned Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), dubbed ‘the super exam’, will be used from September 2020.
Tom Baker speaks to corporate crime specialists as Freshfields advises supermarket on UK’s fourth-ever DPA and hires top SFO lawyer
Last month the fourth deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in UK history was approved by judge Sir Brian Leveson, enabling Tesco to pay a £129m fine and escape criminal charges relating to the false accounting scandal of 2014.
Senior management discuss closures in non-essential markets
Simon Levine, DLA Piper’s global co-chief executive, has said that the firm’s recent office closures in Berlin, Tbilisi and Canberra are a result of ‘nothing more than a mature business reviewing strategically where it needs to be from time to time’.
Continue reading “DLA Piper resolute as it shuts down three minor offices in a month”
Clifford Chance (CC) has picked up its first significant deal for Prudential Capital Group in the UK government’s £11.8bn sale of buy-to-let mortgages from failed lender Bradford & Bingley.
Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy (A&O) and CC all picked up advisory roles on the disposal of loans purchased at the height of the financial crisis.
In response to a pair of competing takeover bids, Linklaters won the mandate to advise the target Bovis Homes, taking the role from regular adviser Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
CMS Cameron McKenna advised prospective buyer Galliford Try, while Slaughter and May won a place acting for rival bidder Redrow.
Victoria Young assesses the advisers targeting the alt lending crowd
‘Almost every partner in our team is working on a direct lending mandate right now and that’s reflective of where markets are moving,’ notes White & Case partner Gareth Eagles. ‘It began as a niche, but it’s now a regular part of the funding mix. It’s not alternative finance. People said the Beatles were alternative in 1962 but they didn’t by 1966!’
