Commercially minded: Allen & Overy chooses BPP for business-focused LPC David Stevenson In what constitutes a major overhaul of its training programme, Allen & Overy (A&O) has announced today (16 December) that…
Consolidation watch: serial acquirer Shakespeares targets City practice through Davenport Lyons merger David Stevenson It may not have attracted as much attention as DWF this year but Midlands challenger firm Shakespeares shows no sign of…
Comment: The New New Normal – a changing market beckons for 2014 Legal Business The last three years have drawn to a close heralding another 12 months much like those that went before: depressing.…
LLPs face hike in tax bills as legislative changes target salaried partners David Stevenson Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are facing significantly increased tax bills after HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) issued draft legislation this week…
Quinn makes record number of promotions as US firms announce partner elections Jaishree Kalia US firms have begun to announce their partnership promotions with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan making the largest number of…
Buy-side story: how CMS and Dundas & Wilson finalised their surprise merger Sarah Downey Talk to any partner at Dundas & Wilson in the early 1990s – when Cameron McKenna launched its fledgling oil…
Management overhaul for KWM SJ Berwin as dual corporate heads replace Davis Legal Business As King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin beds down its $1bn merger the Sino-Australian and UK giant has announced further changes…
In-house hires – TSB appoints Post Office GC as legal head as Mercedes-Benz fills top spot Legal Business Following its split from Lloyds, TSB Bank has announced the appointment of former Post Office general counsel (GC) Susan Crichton…
Guest post: A cannon fodder shortage looms as LPC and trainee numbers head for market over-correction Richard Moorhead Nigel Hudson has written an interesting post on LPC numbers. He says (among other things): ‘The number of students enrolled…
Updated merger watch – CMS completes successful tie-up with Dundas & Wilson Caroline Hill CMS Cameron McKenna and beleaguered Scottish firm Dundas & Wilson have merged, the firms announced this evening (12 December), creating a…
Revolving Doors: Strategic growth for A&O, Eversheds, Wiggin, Dentons, Field Fisher and Olswang Jaishree Kalia In the last major round of hires before 2013 draws to a close, Allen & Overy (A&O) has boosted its international…
Adviser reviews: Surrey County Council puts out tender for external legal panel Sarah Downey Surrey County Council (SCC) and 11 local authorities have again teamed up to launch a tender for a four-year legal…
‘People were ready’ – Immelt to become sole Hogan Lovells CEO as Harris and Gorrell to stand down Sarah Downey The sensitive issue of governance has hung over Hogan Lovells since the 2010 merger that created the Anglo-American giant but…
Sealed at last – Wragges secures major City merger as vote backs LG tie-up to forge £171m practice Francesca Fanshawe After years of rejecting the need for a City presence – and subsequent years hunting for a major London deal…
Not everyone is getting hitched – Kennedys and Simpson & Marwick call off agreed merger Sarah Downey Getting a legal merger over the line is notoriously difficult but once the tie-up is agreed it usually goes through,…
Guest post: My thoughts (as a citizen) on Lord Sumption’s Azlan Shah lecture Legal Business On 20 November, Lord Sumption (Justice of the Supreme Court) delivered the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Lecture in Kuala Lumpur…
Moscow team hire: Goltsblat BLP take on real estate trio from Akin Gump David Stevenson Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has bolstered its global real estate capability with the hire of a rated three partner team from…
LSB recommends patent and trademark firm regulator become ABS licensing authority Francesca Fanshawe Increasing numbers of patent and trademark firms can be expected to join the swathes of legal entities becoming alternative business…
Updated deal watch: Hogan Lovells wins £40bn Student Loans Company debt sell off Sarah Downey Following a six-month tender process the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) has appointed Hogan Lovells to advise on the…
Comment: Victories, defeats and growing up – Ashurst faces up to life after Charlie Alex Novarese Here’s one anecdote that didn’t make it into this month’s extended focus on Ashurst. Sometime soon after the firm had pulled…
