Legal Business

Partner promotions – Trowers, Nabarro and BLP see reduced numbers as Addleshaws holds on eight

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Partner promotions at the UK’s leading firms have largely been down so far down this year, as firms including Trowers & Hamlins, Nabarro and Berwin Leighton Paisner all promote fewer senior associates than last year, with Addleshaw Goddard maintaining a promotion level of eight associates.

Trowers & Hamlins made up just four new partners globally, down from seven in 2013, of which three were in the Middle East – Oman, Dubai and Bahrain – and just one in London.

Three of the promotions were across the top 50 firm’s global real estate practice, with the remaining one promotion in corporate. The promotions were a 50:50 split in female and male promotions. All promotions will take effect from 1 April 2014. Last year, the majority of promotions took place in London, while elsewhere they were in Manchester and Dubai.

Trowers’ senior partner Jennie Gubbins said: ‘We have a strong, international portfolio of work across real estate and corporate, which are both highly important, strategic areas for the firm. We are actively developing and expanding these core areas in the UK and overseas. These promotions will help us make additional strides towards bolstering our offering to clients and – with three promotions in the Gulf – further strengthening our Middle East offices.’

Meanwhile, Nabarro announced last week (27 March) that three associates would be made up, down from eight last year, taking effect from 1 May. The top 30 firm said this year’s round focused on the firm’s intellectual property, funds and real estate practice areas in London. All the partners came of age through Nabarro’s talent development programme for senior associates – a joint venture with the London Business School set up in December 2010 to create a wider pool of potential partnership candidates.

Elsewhere Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) made up eight senior associates to partner level, down one from last year, of which the lion’s share are in London.

Six promotions took place in London, while the remaining two were in Moscow and Hong Kong. BLP’s corporate department saw the largest intake with four partner promotions, followed by finance with two, and one each in disputes and real estate. All of the appointments are effective from 1 May 2014. BLP’s managing partner Neville Eisenberg said: ‘I am delighted to welcome these very talented lawyers into the partnership.’

Addleshaw Goddard, on the other hand, promoted eight, in an all-male round of promotions, also taking effect from 1 May. Last year, the firm made up three female partners, also from a total of eight. Promotions have remained UK-based for the last two rounds, with London and Leeds taking on three partners this year and two in Manchester.

‘Unusually for us, this year all the successful candidates meeting the competencies in those areas are male,’ says Addleshaws senior partner Monica Burch. ‘We have a strong cohort of managing associates pushing for partnership and I anticipate that we will have a more gender balanced slate next year and going forward.’

The results follow a mixed set of numbers from the Magic Circle so far: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is promoting 15 this year, up one on last year; Allen & Overy is promoting 16, down from 19; and at Slaughter and May it is a bumper year for promotions, with seven associates made up to partner, up from two in the previous two years.

Jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Those thoroughly fashionable provinces – vogue for City players to hit low-cost regions becomes the new black

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Sarah Downey reports on how a regional arm became the hottest accessory for London firms

How the fashions in professional services can change. Having long disdained moving into lower-cost regions, March saw another two top 20 City players announce ‘northshoring’ ventures, with Hogan Lovells and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) confirming moves respectively into Birmingham and Manchester.

Legal Business

Latham bolsters City arm with hire of partner Lucy Oddy as BLP finance departures keep coming

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Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) structured finance partner Lucy Oddy is set to join Latham & Watkins, representing a further City partner hire for the acquisitive US firm and further fallout from BLP’s beleaguered finance team.

Oddy moved to BLP from Clifford Chance in 2010, where she worked in the structured finance team for 12 years in both London and Tokyo. She advises clients on a broad range of complex, cross-border finance matters in the UK and across Europe, with particular experience in securitisations and structured products.

Her departure follows the news yesterday (24 March) that the top 20 firm has lost another two City banking partners, with real estate finance duo Andrew Flemming and Jo Solomon set to join top 10 LB100 firm Hogan Lovells.

For Latham, meanwhile, the hire follows the high profile recruitment last month of Clifford Chance private equity partner Kem Ihenacho and Weil, Gotshal & Manges funds partner Nick Benson in January. Ihenacho was Latham’s third CC partner hire after global head of private equity David Walker joined in April last year followed by Tom Evans in October. The office now has 250 fee earners including over 60 partners.

Nick Cline, Latham’s London office managing partner, said: ‘Lucy’s hire continues the firm’s significant investment in the London office across our core practices. Her excellent reputation and wealth of experience will enhance the first-class finance offering that we provide to our clients, from our top-ranked bank and bond practices, through restructuring and project finance, to derivatives and structured finance.’

david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Further BLP banking departures as real estate finance duo set to join Hogan Lovells

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Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has lost another two City banking partners, with real estate finance duo Andrew Flemming and Jo Solomon set to join top 10 LB100 firm Hogan Lovells.

BLP today (24 March) announced the departures internally, leaving a depleted real estate finance team, which is acknowledged by the Legal 500 as first tier and one that ‘combines knowledge and experience with unending enthusiasm and strong commercial understanding.’

The news comes just weeks after BLP’s head of real estate finance Laurence Rogers joined DLA Piper alongside commercial real estate partner Richard Hopkinson-Woolley and corporate tax partner Neville Wright.

Other recent departures from the top 20 UK firm include banking and capital markets partner Paul Simcock and former head of restructuring Ben Larkin, who joined Jones Day in March and February respectively; acquisition finance partner Marcus Jamson, who joined Wedlake Bell in January; finance and restructuring partner Trevor Wood, who left for Mayer Brown in October last year; and head of banking and finance Matthew Kellett, whose resignation also in October prompted the 786-lawyer firm to launch an independent review of its finance practice.

Flemming acts for banks, private equity funds, listed corporates, private companies, insolvency practitioners and other senior and mezzanine funders. He has previously spent time on secondment with Barclays Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, and the European finance team within the Morgan Stanley Real Estate funds.

Fellow real estate finance partner Solomon, who specialises in joint ventures and cross-border real estate finance transactions, also has experience in-house, having been seconded to major banks including Barclays Capital.

BLP confirmed that Flemming and Solomon have resigned, while Hogan Lovells declined to comment on the hires.

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

With additional reporting by david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Asia moves: Hires for BLP, Milbank and Rajah & Tann as Harneys launches in Singapore

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Ever active, the legal market in Asia has seen a number of high profile hires and losses over the past week, including Norton Rose Fulbright asset finance partner Nigel Ward’s move to Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy’s hire in Singapore of Stephenson Harwood’s global head of aviation Paul Ng, and offshore firm Harneys Westwood & Riegels expansion into Singapore.

UK top 20 firm BLP last week hired Beijing-based Ward, who will join the 786-lawyer firm’s finance practice in Hong Kong, its third office in Asia after Beijing and Singapore.

Ward specialises in shipping and offshore asset and secured financing transactions, aircraft, mobile equipment finance, commodity and trade finance, export credit finance and project finance.

Ward will be the firm’s fifth asset finance partner, co-ordinating globally with the firm’s offices in London, Singapore and Beijing. The team’s clients include ICBC Financial Leasing, Minsheng Financial Leasing, Deutsche Bank, China Development Bank, DVB Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Spring Airlines.

‘Nigel’s wealth of experience and the international nature of his work will be invaluable to the asset finance team and the finance department as we look to further our offering to clients globally,’ said Russell Clifford, head of the firm’s asset finance practice.

Ward’s hire to BLP’s Asia practice comes as the finance practice in London has faced a number of partner departures to firms including Jones Day and DLA Piper, with new head Adam Dann facing the task of steadying the ship.

Elsewhere in Asia, US firm Milbank has secured the hire of Stephenson Harwood’s global head of aviation, Paul Ng, in Singapore.

Ng, a rated aviation lawyer described as a ‘leading individual’ in the Legal 500, was previously at Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he was head of aviation and asset finance before joining Stephenson Harwood in 2009.

Having spent seven years based in London, NG has also practised in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore and is triple qualified in Singapore, English and New York law.

Aviation finance is core to Stephenson Harwood’s increasingly heavyweight banking and finance practice and the top 35 firm has announced that Richard Parsons will be the firm’s new global head of aviation while Saugata Mukherjee will lead the aviation practice in Singapore.

‘We thank Paul for his work at Stephenson Harwood and wish him the best in the future. Our aviation group is an important part of one of the leading international practices operating in the global transportation sector, with teams based in our Asia offices, London, Paris, Piraeus and Dubai,’ said Sharon White, chief executive of Stephenson Harwood.

Milbank has invested heavily in Asia recently, last year hiring Allen & Overy’s Tokyo managing partner Aled Jones, and its head of international capital markets for Asia and Philippines group leader, James Grandolfo.

However, the top 55 Global 100 firm is understood to currently be in talks with the Hong Kong law regulators over giving up its Hong Kong law practice, after launching in 2011. The reports were neither confirmed nor denied by the firm.

In other news, offshore firm Harneys has increased its Asian footprint with a Singapore launch, relocating two of its Hong Kong partners to spearhead the new office.

Global banking head Colin Riegels and funds partner Lisa Pearce will relocate and be joined by another four lawyers, including Shari Hawke and Richard Griffiths, formerly counsel and senior associate respectively.

Harneys is the seventh offshore firm with a presence in the jurisdiction, including Maples & Calder, Bedell Cristin, Conyers Dill & Pearman, Walkers and Collas Crill.

Harneys chairman Peter Tarn said in a statement regarding the offshore firm’s recent achievements: ‘Singapore is a key jurisdiction in terms of cross-border capital flows and private wealth in South East Asia. Our Singapore launch is an exciting development that will further establish the global reach of our expertise in BVI, Cayman, Anguilla and Cyprus law.’

In other news, the former managing partner of Allens’ Singapore office, Marae Ciantar, has joined Rajah & Tann as head of its energy and resources practice, while Legal Business last week (13 March) reported that BLP has entered into a non-exclusive tie-up in Myanmar with local firm Legal Network Consultants.

david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Asia network: BLP ties-up with Legal Network Consultants in Myanmar

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With energy and infrastructure deals at the forefront of its game plan, UK top 20 firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has joined a growing number of international firms establishing a foothold in Myanmar, via a non-exclusive tie-up with domestic outfit Legal Network Consultants (LNC).

Yangon-based LNC will operate alongside BLP’s Asia network, which includes offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and China, having obtained a license to open in Beijing in February 2013.

LNC is headed by Khin Mar Aye, who has more than two decades of legal experience providing a full service to clients, aided by the firm’s existing relationship with Myanmar-based shipping and intellectual firm The Law Chambers.

Alistair Duffield, head of BLP’s Singapore and South East Asia practices, said: ‘For us, Myanmar presents a whole horizon of huge opportunities particularly in the power, oil and gas, mining, infrastructure and real estate sectors which play to our strengths.’

Earlier this week, BLP hired Beijing-based asset finance partner Nigel Ward from Norton Rose Fulbright, who has extensive experience of working in countries such as Indonesia and Myanmar. Ward specialises in shipping and aviation finance.

BLP follows Baker & McKenzie and Stephenson Harwood into the jurisdiction, while Singapore leader Rajah & Tann, Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi and London intellectual property boutique Rouse have also recently secured local capability.

BLP’s interest in the jurisdiction was reported last month, at the time of Bakers’ launch, which saw the US firm open its own branch in the jurisdiction.

david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

‘The message from clients is clear’ – BLP chief on the thinking behind its latest New Law venture

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Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) this week unveiled a bold attempt to re-enforce its credentials as a ‘New Law’ pioneer, announcing the launch of a multi-strand venture that includes the launch of a new Manchester hub as part of a drive to create a comprehensive suite of options to reduce costs and improve flexibility for clients.

The ‘four-pronged approach’ will see the 786-lawyer firm consult its clients on how to improve its work processes; roll out its already successful Lawyers on Demand (LoD) service to include virtual transactional teams to back BLP clients; offer an extension of its current outsourcing and project management services, including deploying its Managed Legal Services (MLS) division; and provide the option of a low-cost centre in Manchester as an extension of its 11 existing offices.

There is some context with a series of major City law firms in the last three years launching low cost centres in the UK regions, including most recently Hogan Lovells and Field Fisher Waterhouse.

BLP itself is striving to regain the initiative after a tough 2012/13 year saw the firm – previously one of the most upwardly mobile players in the UK top 50 – weather uncharacteristic falls in income and profits. The move will also allow it to leverage off the much touted LoD service, which now generates around £9m in annual revenues.

Manchester, which will launch in the summer, will be staffed by paralegals, associates, business services personnel and secretaries, although the firm does not have a clear idea yet of what size or shape the hub will take.

Legal Business asked BLP managing partner Neville Eisenberg how he saw the project developing.

‘The idea quite early on was to try to come up with something flexible – we were getting a clear message from clients that they want value for money and flexibility.’

How do you see the service in Manchester developing?

‘It will depend on discussions we are having with clients. A clearer sense of what the demand is will shape the launch. It will support our London office but could also support any of our other 11 offices.’

Why Manchester?

‘We looked at a number of different options onshore and offshore. Manchester has a large pool of lawyers and a very good reputation as a services centre for different industries. It is well set up with infrastructure.’

How does this project compare to your MLS team?

‘We always said with MLS we would orient it in future to existing clients. This is a far richer menu of options, although, of course, we have benefited from our experience with [client] Thames [Water]. This is really something different, a new model directed primarily at the administrative needs of existing clients.’

Will the new model operate on a fixed-fee basis?

‘The model is very flexible. It’s relevant to fixed-fees and relevant to all other arrangements. It will help clients with very large volumes of work and big assignments.’

caroline.hill@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Tanks off our lawn – BLP aims to retake future of law turf with huge expansion of ‘New Law’ services

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Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has today (11 March) launched an innovative package of services for clients, which includes rolling out a lower cost team in a new Manchester office early this summer.

The four-pronged model, dubbed the Integrated Client Service Model, will see the firm analyse the systems and processes that clients need; offer them virtual transaction teams as an extension of its existing Lawyers on Demand (LoD) business; offer third parties an outsourcing service based on the type of managed legal services offering currently provided to clients including Thames Water; and access to a ‘large pool of high quality legal staff’ in Manchester.

The team in Manchester will be staffed by paralegals, some associates, business services personnel and secretaries, although the firm currently has not decided how large the new office will be.

The plan is to use the Manchester base to help grow the LoD pool, rolling out virtual transaction teams and making more senior lawyers available for routine and standalone parts of complex client matters.

This is an evolution of the 786-lawyer firm’s remote working, pay-as-you-go ‘On Call’ service, which at the time of its launch last June focussed on individuals rather than teams.

A statement from the firm said: ‘Manchester is the largest legal market outside London and provides access to a large pool of high quality legal staff. Manchester has also over last decade emerged as one of Europe’s leading shared-service hubs, resulting in a highly developed industry infrastructure. Having a legal services delivery team in Manchester will support BLP in delivering integrated services to clients.’

While the firm’s managed legal services division has failed to gain much traction beyond Thames and was restructured in the summer of 2013, LoD has been a success story for the firm, launching its on call service last year and generating revenues in excess of £9m. By packaging up its existing services together with a new low-cost outsourcing venture, the firm looks to have made a credible attempt to expand its new law credentials.

BLP managing partner, Neville Eisenberg said: ‘This is an important step forward in offering our clients a unique model which directly addresses their requirements for high quality and efficient legal services. We have been working on this model in consultation with clients for the last 18 months and I believe it draws on the best of the firm’s reputation for, and experience in, developing innovative client solutions. While parts of the model are already being deployed with clients, the fully integrated service model will be launched when we open Manchester in a few months’ time.’

Other firms to set up near-shoring ventures in the UK include Ashurst with its Glasgow launch last year, and Herbert Smith Freehills’ Belfast volume disputes centre, which it emerged in January had grown to 120 employees, split between lawyers and legal assistants.

caroline.hill@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

And so the tally rises, Jones Day hires fourth BLP partner since August

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Fresh from the news on Friday (28 February) that DLA Piper has hired three Berwin Leighton Paisner partners, Jones Day has added to its own tally of laterals from the firm by recruiting banking and capital markets partner Paul Simcock.

Simcock specialises in leveraged finance and has acted for private equity sponsors, senior and junior lenders, strategic investors and corporate borrowers on leveraged acquisitions.

He also advises on debt restructurings and other distressed transactions, as well as re-financings and other syndicated and bilateral lending. In 2012 he advised Intermediate Capital Group on the £125m secondary buyout of convenience food manufacturer Symington’s from Bridgepoint. Simcock previously worked closely with BLP alumni Andrew Bamber, an acquisition finance hire from Allen & Overy, who left the firm last year.

Simcock is Jones Day’s fourth partner hire from BLP since August 2013. Earlier this month BLP’s former head of restructuring, Ben Larkin followed in the footsteps of private equity partners Raymond McKeeve and Michael Weir, who left for Jones Day’s London office last year.

The hires come after the news on Friday that BLP’s head of real estate finance Laurence Rogers has joined DLA Piper alongside commercial real estate partner Richard Hopkinson-Woolley and corporate tax partner Neville Wright. Their hire follows the arrival in September of BLP corporate partner Patrick Somers, meaning that the top Global 100 firm has also hired four BLP partners in the space of around six months.

BLP also saw its head of employment Fraser Younson join Squire Sanders in December.

The departures follow BLP’s increase in H1 revenues of 6%, after 2012/13 saw the 786-lawyer firm’s turnover drop by 5% to £233m and its profit per equity partner fall by 39%.

However, signs of an improvement in the firm’s fortunes were overshadowed in January by the news that its bank borrowing has increased by over 220% from £14m to £45m.

David.stevenson@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Good things come in threes…or fours: DLA Piper secures triple lateral hire from BLP

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Following the announcement last September that Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) corporate partner Patrick Somers had joined DLA Piper, the top five Global 100 firm today (28 February) confirmed it has secured a further three lateral hires, including head of real estate finance Laurence Rogers.

Rogers joins the 4,036-lawyer firm alongside commercial real estate partner Richard Hopkinson-Woolley and corporate tax partner Neville Wright.

Rogers’ departure, which comes days after Adam Dann was appointed as BLP’s head of finance, specialises in all aspects of property finance including investment, development and structured finance, both on UK and pan-European deals for the syndicated and securitisation markets.

Hopkinson-Woolley, meanwhile, advises a range of clients, from international investors and developers, banks and real estate funds to small private property companies and high-net-worth individuals.

Wright specialises in property tax and has experience in M&A, structured finance and corporate reorganisations.

Sir Nigel Knowles, global co-chief executive, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Richard, Laurence and Neville to DLA Piper. The real estate market both in the UK and internationally has been growing steadily for the last year and this trend looks set to continue. The addition of this impressive team is a significant step in the implementation of the firm’s strategic commitment to the real estate sector.’

The appointments follow a run of lateral hires from BLP by top 10 Global 100 firm Jones Day, which this month took on its former head of restructuring and insolvency Ben Larkin, the third BLP partner to join Jones Day in under six months after private equity partners Raymond McKeeve and Michael Weir.

David.stevenson@legalease.co.uk