Squire Patton Boggs has made its first UK partner hire since the May announcement that Squire Sanders would unite with Patton Boggs, recruiting former Dundas & Wilson partner Andrew Walker to head its burgeoning UK real estate litigation team.
Lawyers on Demand launches in Manchester
Berwin Leighton Paisner’s (BLP’s) spin-off lawyer contracting service Lawyers on Demand (LoD) is set to launch its first hub outside of London in Manchester, after BLP in March announced it will open an office in the UK’s second largest legal market.
Wonga to pay £2.6m for ‘unfair and misleading’ debt collection practices
Wonga, the UK’s biggest payday lender, has entered an agreement with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which will see it pay compensation of over £2.6m to around 45,000 customers for unfair and misleading debt collection practices.
Deutsche Bank appoints new global head of regulatory affairs
Following the departure of Deutsche Bank’s compliance and regulatory affairs chief Andrew Procter to Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) in March, the investment bank has hired Banque de France’s Sylvie Matherat as its new global head of regulatory affairs, taking over some of Procter’s former responsibilities.
Guest post: The hollow middle since 2008
I call it the hollow middle, but Knowledge@Wharton prefers ‘disappearing middle.’ Here’s what, writing in their pages, the CEO of the Cambridge Group, identified as ‘a growth strategy consulting firm that is part of Nielsen,’ has to say about it.
Bird & Bird secures dual Indonesia tie-up in continued Asia push
Bird & Bird has signed strategic cooperation agreements with two Indonesian law firms, intellectual property specialists K&K Advocates and business law firm Nurjadin Sumono Mulyadi & Partners (NSMP).
SRA announces replacement for outgoing chair Charles Plant
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has today (24 June) announced that one of its board members, Enid Rowlands, will succeed outgoing chair Charles Plant from 1 January 2015.
Law Society proposes significant cuts to practising certificate fee and compensation fund
The Law Society Group has put plans in place to slash lawyers’ practising certificate fees by almost 17% from the 12 months beginning 1 November 2014.
Comment: A self-deceiving return to business as usual
In 2010, Georgetown University, under the direction of Professor Milton Regan, held a conference of academics, practitioners and leading thinkers on the profession. To delegates, the atmosphere was heady; change was palpable in the room.
Growth for Stephenson Harwood with revenue up 8% and 19% hike in PEP
Revenue at UK top 40 firm Stephenson Harwood rose by 8% to £121m in the 12 months to 30 April 2014, marking the firm’s sixth successive year of growth, coupled with an 19% increase in its profit per equity partner (PEP).