Legal Business

Referred to the SDT: Fieldfisher partner pursued by SRA after criminal conviction

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Fieldfisher partner Michael Harte has been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) which alleges he broke multiple aspects of the SRA Principles 2011.

Harte, who pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis after a driving incident in September 2013, is being accused by the SRA of failing to uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice, not acting with integrity or behaving in a way that maintains the trust the public places in you and in the provision of legal services.

He will appear before the SDT which will consider the SRA’s case and allow Harte to give evidence in his defence.

Harte joined Fieldfisher as a partner in November 2011 from Olswang, where he had been a consultant, and having previously worked at Goldman Sachs and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. He joined the commercial IP group with an eye to building the firm’s sport, media and retail offering and is also a registered lawyer under the FA Football Agents Regulations.

Fieldfisher said in a statement: ‘The firm is aware of Michael Harte’s forthcoming hearing before the SDT. We will not be commenting on it as this is a personal matter and is still in the hearings process.’

michael.west@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

A public inquiry: Fieldfisher’s Smith serves as lead counsel as Litvinenko inquiry starts

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A public inquiry into the London death of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko has opened at the High Court this morning (27 January), with Fieldfisher partner Martin Smith serving as lead solicitor.

Litvinenko, a former secret agent and political dissident, died from radioactive polonium poisoning in November 2006 after meeting two Russian men at a Mayfair hotel. On his deathbed, Litvinenko named the Kremlin as responsible for his condition.

The inquiry was formally set up in July last year, just weeks after Home Secretary Theresa May announced the government would investigate the death of Litvinenko in 2006. It followed the High Court battle in January 2014 when Litvinenko’s widow, Maria, challenged the Home Office over its refusal to order the setting up of a statutory inquiry. Presided by Lord Justice Richards and Lord Justice Treacey, the court held the reasons given by the state did not provide a rational basis for the decision not to set up an inquiry.

Fieldfisher’s Smith, who leads the firm’s inquiries, inquests and investigations team, is experienced in dealing with such heavyweight instructions having previously advised Lords Hutton and Morris on their public inquiries as well as Sir William Gage in relation to the Baha Mousa Public Inquiry. He further acted as solicitor to the inquests into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed and inquests into the London Bombings of July 2005.

Today’s judge-led inquiry is led by Sir Robert Owen, one of the UK’s most senior judges and the original coroner in the case, while counsel to the inquiry includes Temple Garden Chambers’ duo Robin Tam QC and Andrew O’Connor, and Three Raymond Buildings’ Hugh Davies QC.

Also in attendance today is Litvinenko’s widow, Maria and her son Anatoly, whose legal representation is Matrix Chambers’ Ben Emmerson QC and for the Atomic Weapons Establishment (which will give evidence on characteristics of polonium-210) is One Crown Office Row’s David Evans QC.

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Trainee retention: Nabarro and Fieldfisher maintain high rates while Trowers & Hamlins drops to 64%

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Nabarro and Fieldfisher have kept on a high number of trainees this month with the latter firm retaining 100% of its intake, while Trowers & Hamlins posts a lower rate of 64%.

Nabarro’s 100% trainee retention rate earlier this year was not repeated, but the firm has maintained a high standard keeping 81% of total trainees, with offers to 14 from a total of 16 and 13 accepting. Ten of the firm’s trainees were kept on in London with the remaining three in Sheffield.

The firm kept on all eight of its City newly qualified lawyers in January and was preceded by a 94% retention rate last September, when 17 from a total of 18 trainees were kept on.

Similarly, Trowers & Hamlins also follows high expectations, but announced a much lower retention rate today (6 August), keeping on seven out of eleven trainees or 64%. Trowers retained 100% of its trainee intake in March 2014 (a total of six) and in 2013, the firm had an overall trainee retention rate of 95%.

Trowers & Hamlins partner and training principal Tonia Secker said: ‘On behalf of the entire firm, I want to congratulate these excellent trainees. They have all worked very hard over the last two years, and it is a great pleasure to be able to offer them permanent roles. We look forward to continuing to work with them and support them as they establish their careers in the law.’

But while both Nabarro and Trowers hit a 100% trainee retention rate in the spring, Fieldfisher has become the latest law firm to keep on an entire cohort in August, keeping on all eleven newly qualified lawyers – albeit from a reduced intake size.

The firm, which runs an annual cohort, kept on disputes, IP and regulatory lawyers, while retaining three newly qualified lawyers in its finance and technology, outsourcing and privacy practices. However the overall intake is still lower than last year, when the firm retained 12 of 17 newly qualified lawyers, which gave it a 71% retention rate.

Edward Miller, Fieldfisher’s training principal, said: ‘It is fantastic news for our newly-qualified solicitors and for the firm. It is a testament to the high quality of the Fieldfisher trainees and underlines the confidence across the firm’s practice areas for their future growth.’

Jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

BP announces specialist panel with Fieldfisher returning to the fold

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BP has selected nine firms to provide niche legal services as part of its wider panel. Firms appointed are Baker & McKenzie, Fieldfisher, Hill Dickinson, Holman Fenwick Willan, Reed Smith, Stevens & Bolton, Sullivan & Cromwell, Watson Farley & Williams and arbitration boutique Three Crowns.

The agreement, which will last until 2017, starts with immediate effect and will cover BP’s specialist activity in the UK.

BP unveiled its 2014 core panel for UK-instructed legal work earlier this month which saw firms like Ashurst, Simmons & Simmons and Addleshaw Goddard all added to the oil major’s roster.

While Fieldfisher was the only firm to lose its place on the revamped panel, it now sits on the panel that provides niche advice.

The panel win is a significant coup for recently launched arbitration boutique Three Crowns, set up by heavyweight arbitrators including Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer’s Constantine Partasides, former arbitration co-chair Jan Paulsson and former Covington & Burling’s London-based international arbitration co-chair Gaetan Verhoosel earlier this year. The new firm will hit the ground running with over 30 cases from BP.

Three Crowns founding partner Constantine Partasides QC said: ‘We at 3C are particularly proud to be given the opportunity to deepen our relationship with BP. Our appointment confirms our belief that sophisticated users of legal services see the benefit of a niche, focussed, global arbitration offering for the most complex international disputes.’

Jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Fieldfisher bolsters Paris office with trio of lateral hires

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Fieldfisher has bolstered its Paris office with a trio of local lateral hires, including M&A lawyer Pascal Squercioni and tax specialist Antoine Gabizon from UGGC and competition partner Anne-Laure-Hélène des Ylouses from French boutique YGMA, a firm she co-founded in 2004.

Ylouses advises clients on competition law and unfair practices, merger controls and lobbying. She set up YGMA with regulatory lawyer Anne-Solène Gay, the only remaining partner at that firm, after the pair departed Bird & Bird to launch the boutique a decade ago. Ylouses has also spent stints at Vogel & Vogel and Stibbe’s Paris office, which in 2001 merged with US firm Latham and Watkins. She handles litigation before national regulation authorities and the European Commission.

Gabizon, meanwhile joins Fieldfisher after 18 years at UGGC and has a broad practice spanning corporate tax, the tax aspects of M&A, private asset management and tax litigation. He acts for French private equity funds, French and international corporations and private individuals. Squercioni, who has been at UGGC since 1992 and made partner in 2000, specialises in M&A, private equity, restructuring and capital markets work. He also advises on stock exchange regulations and commercial litigation.

The hires take Fieldfisher up to 19 partners in Paris, an office headed up by corporate partner Bruno Paccioni.

Managing partner Michael Chissick said: ‘Our Paris office has been one of Fieldfisher’s big success stories in recent years, and Pascal, Antoine and Anne-Laure-Hélène’s arrival is a sign of our commitment to building our presence in France. Anne-Laure-Hélène adds significant depth to our European competition team, Pascal will enable our Paris office to provide clients with a complete corporate offering, while Antoine’s tax expertise will be of great value to a number of departments, especially our corporate team.’

Tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Double exit for Osborne Clarke as telecoms chief leaves for Reed Smith and technology head to Fieldfisher

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Top 40 firm Osborne Clarke has suffered the double exit of telecoms head Angus Finnegan to Reed Smith and technology head Mark Webber to Fieldfisher.

Finnegan joins Reed Smith’s media and technology (MT) practice in London, becoming the group’s thirteenth partner in the capital.He joins earlier lateral partner hires Askandar Samad, who joined from DLA Piper at the tail-end of 2012, and Nick Swimer, who joined in 2011 after six years as head of legal for governance and regulatory at Channel 4.

Gregor Pryor, a partner in the MT team, said: ‘As the penetration of internet and mobile services continues to grow, it’s more important than ever for us to add greater strength to our telecommunications and technology capability. Our clients increasingly require a global service and Angus’ unique experience and expertise complements our established US team and capability in telecommunications. More importantly, his arrival enhances our overall capability in the London market, as we continue to grow our global media and technology group.’

Webber’s switch to Fieldfisher, meanwhile, comes after 16 years as a partner at Osborne Clarke. He joins the top 40 firm’s technology, outsourcing and privacy practice and will work closely with the privacy and information sub-group, which recently saw the departure of Stewart Room to PwC Legal and highly-rated head of privacy and information Eduardo Ustaran to Hogan Lovells earlier this year.

Fieldfisher’s managing partner Michael Chissick said: ‘Thanks to the excellent work of the head of our Palo Alto office Phil Lee, and the arrival of [Taylor Wessing corporate partner] David Kent, we have made significant progress in Silicon Valley. We are delighted a lawyer of Mark’s quality is joining the partnership, it strengthens our offering and will help us to build our reputation on both sides of the Atlantic.’

Tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

18 months’ notice commuted to eight – Field Fisher’s Eduardo Ustaran joins Hogan Lovells

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Field Fisher’s high profile former head of privacy Eduardo Ustaran joins Hogan Lovells today (4 June), almost a year before the expiry of the exceptional 18-month notice period announced at the time of his resignation last October.

Ustaran, a dual-qualified English solicitor and Spanish abogado, who built and until last year headed Field Fisher’s first-tier privacy and information law group, will now lead Hogan Lovells’ European team within the global privacy and information management practice. It is understood the top-10 firm is looking to make further hires in this area.

His arrival today follows a statement by Field Fisher in October that his leaving date would be 1 May 2015: an announcement that appeared to come as much as a surprise to Hogan Lovells as to the legal market at large.

Ustaran’s departure is a blow to Field Fisher, despite its leading privacy practice that counts Vodafone, Thomson Reuters, Ernst & Young, Nintendo, Reed Elsevier and Orange Business Services among its clients.

It is understood that Field Fisher, which was also hit this year by the resignation of data protection and privacy partner Stewart Room for PwC Legal in April, and trademark partner Mark Holah for Bird & Bird, is still in negotiations over Ustaran’s clients.

Room will join PwC Legal in October to lead its cyber and data security practice.

On Ustaran’s arrival, Hogan Lovells’ global co-head of privacy and information management practice, Christopher Wolf, said: ‘We already have a strong privacy team in the US, London and in continental Europe, handling US, UK and multi-jurisdictional data protection projects. Eduardo will significantly boost our capabilities in this area. In particular, Eduardo has a highly-regarded track record in advising on complex and business-critical data protection issues, including his involvement in the development of the future EU data protection framework through his advisory role to the UK Ministry of Justice.’

Ustaran added: ‘There has been significant growth and specialisation in data protection and privacy in the EU and globally. I am delighted to be joining one of the largest, most experienced and most global data privacy and information management practices in the world.’

Field Fisher said: ‘We can confirm that Eduardo Ustaran has left the partnership of Fieldfisher and joined Hogan Lovells. We wish him well at his new firm. Moving forward, our focus is on continuing to build on Fieldfisher’s long-standing reputation for excellence in privacy and information law under the leadership of Simon Briskman and Phil Lee.’

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

TMT exits continue at Field Fisher as two more partners sign off

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Field Fisher Waterhouse‘s TMT practice has taken another hit as technology and outsourcing specialist Stewart Room is leaving for PwC, while head of trade marks Mark Holah is set to join Bird & Bird.

Room, who is to lead PwC’s cross-service offering on cyber and data security, is the latest in a series of hires for the accounting giant’s legal services capability.

A dual-qualified barrister and solicitor, Room’s departure date is unknown. He specialises in privacy, data protection and data security law, having joined Field Fisher as a partner in 2007 from Manchester-based Rowe Cohen.

In a statement, Field Fisher said: ‘We confirm that Stewart Room has resigned from the partnership of Field Fisher Waterhouse and is joining PwC to lead their cross-service offering on cyber and data security. This is at an early stage and so we are not in a position to comment any further on a departure date. We would like to thank Stewart for his dedicated service to the firm. Separately, we also confirm that four additional associates have been recruited to and four associates have resigned from the privacy and Information team. Partners Simon Briskman in London and Phil Lee in Palo Alto will continue to oversee privacy & information team.

‘Our technology & outsourcing practice will also be expanding its client offering in the North West region in conjunction with our recent merger with Heatons in Manchester. Our privacy & information team still remains the largest in the UK and together with our US and EU offices serves global organisations with European privacy concerns. The team includes the highly regarded Phil Lee and Nick Holland, as well 10 dedicated privacy lawyers including associates and directors.’

Also departing Field Fisher is Holah, who leads the trade marks and brand protection group – part of the firm’s intellectual property practice. He will join former TMT practice colleagues Graeme Payne, Victoria Hobbs, Allan Poulter and high-profile former IP and technology head Mark Abell at Bird & Bird. Holah joined Field Fisher in 2000 from DLA Piper before being made partner in 2002.

Field Fisher has suffered a spate of partner departures in recently, including its head of privacy and information Eduardo Ustaran, who is being held to a 19-month notice period by the firm before he is able to move to Hogan Lovells’ global privacy and information practice.

Dentons has also benefited from the departures, with franchising partner Babette Marzheuser-Wood who was hired last September to help build the firm’s franchising practice in the UK and Europe, as well as its capabilities in the hotel, leisure and retail sectors.

francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Revolving Doors: Capsticks hires BBC’s head of competition as Field Fisher, Kennedys and TLT bring in laterals

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After a week that saw Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW), Kennedys and TLT all make significant hires into their City bases, one of more unusual hires of the past few days was leading healthcare firm Capsticks’ recruitment of the BBC legal department’s head of competition and regulatory team, Noel Watson-Doig.

Watson-Doig initially trained as a barrister at the European Court of Justice of the EU, as a pupil to Judge J. Cooke in competition, state aid, trade mark and employment law. He joined Reed Smith in 2006, Cameron McKenna in 2008 and the BBC in March 2009.

Watson-Doig has worked on a range of high profile matters including the European Commission’s clearance of Syniverse Technologies’ acquisition of Billing Services Group, the Competition Commission’s review of the broadcasting joint venture Project Kangaroo, and the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation in the UK grocery sector. He also advised HM Treasury on the competition protocol included in the Lisbon Treaty.

Capsticks commercial partner Sharon Lamb said: ‘We’re delighted to welcome someone of Noel’s calibre to our busy competition team, he will be a great asset in helping our clients to transform and improve their services whilst meeting the challenges around competition law.’

Elsewhere, FFW has bolstered its finance group with the hire of former Simmons & Simmons banking and finance partner, Philip Abbott, who joins the top 40 firm at the end of the month.

With a significant focus on funds finance, real estate finance and restructurings in the emerging markets – in particular Libya, Turkey and the Middle East – Abbott advises hedge funds, real estate funds, corporate borrowers and lenders, including the German banks, investment banks and the commercial banks.

Having trained with Allen & Overy, qualifying in 1996, Abbott has been with Simmons since 2003, spending two years as head of regional finance for the Middle East in Dubai  from 2008 to 2010.

FFW managing partner Michael Chissick said: ‘The addition of a senior partner such as Philip to our finance group is a great addition to an already strong team. We have made a number of lateral hires into the group over the past 12 months, and with Philip’s arrival we feel that we are in a better position than ever to service our clients’ needs.’

Also boosting its City practice, LB top 30 firm Kennedys has brought in the former insurance practice group head of CMS Cameron McKenna’s Hong Kong office, Michael Skrbic as a partner in its London office.

Prior to CMS, Skrbic was a partner in the London office of New York and Chicago specialist insurance law firm Boundas Skarzynski Walsh & Black, and was a corporate insurance attorney in Bermuda with Appleby.

He has also held senior in-house roles at ACE Group, Zurich Financial Services, Dresdner Kleinwort and Commerzbank.

Peter Cashin, Kennedys international head of corporate insurance based in Hong Kong, says: ‘Kennedys already has a substantial corporate insurance practice, based in Hong Kong, and this appointment strengthens the international presence of the firm in corporate insurance.

‘With financial sector assessments, assessments on the implementation of the insurance core principles, and the many other aspects of international insurance regulatory reform, we expect regulatory and transactional activity in the insurance sector to continue to grow and to be increasingly cross-border. Michael is one of the few lawyers with the experience in these areas across a number of jurisdictions most important to our clients.’

Also in London, TLT – which counts financial services as 40% of its client base – has recruited financial services and regulatory partner Emily Benson to join regulatory head Clare Hughes, advising on all aspects of FCA regulation.

Benson joins from financial services regulatory boutique firm Kinetic Partners, having previously worked in-house for Santander and spending five years in the Financial Services Authority’s enforcement division (now part of the Financial Conduct Authority).

Hughes said: ‘The majority of TLT’s financial services regulatory team, like Emily, have worked in the legal and compliance departments of financial services institutions or regulators. We understand the need for commercially based legal solutions in this technically exacting area. Emily’s arrival will boost this experience and help ensure that our clients are pre-warned and pre-armed in the ever complex and dynamic world of financial services regulation.’

francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Cost cutting and near-shoring – Field Fisher Waterhouse ties up with Manchester’s Heatons

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Following last year’s announcement from Field Fisher Waterhouse that it was looking to move a number of its London support functions to Manchester in a bid to cut costs, the top 40 LB100 has merged with local boutique Heatons.

Field Fisher’s partnership voted last week to merge with Heatons, which specialises in real estate, corporate and intellectual property. In 2006 the now single-site Manchester firm lost its Birmingham office to Clarke Willmott, leaving it with just 12 fee earners at the time including three partners, which has subsequently dropped to eight fee earners, led by managing partner Matthew Fleetwood.

Field Fisher has had an office in Manchester since 2004 and Fleetwood will become the managing partner of the joint Manchester operations working with Sarah Ellson, who leads the firm’s existing Manchester office.

The tie-up comes after Field Fisher last year announced it was looking at moving IT and secretarial roles to Manchester in a bid to cut costs, as part of an on-going strategy review conducted by managing partner, Michael Chissick (pictured).

By extending its operations outside of London, it’s only other UK site, the firm is banking on being able to provide more cost effective options to its clients.

Chissick commented: ‘Like many other UK City law firms, we have to continuously find ways of providing more value to our key clients. Feedback from our clients has encouraged us to look at having an enlarged regional operation, which has resulted in this merger.

‘We have long known and admired the Heatons team. This merger will give us the ability to offer more competitive rates across various practice areas and will improve our geographic reach for national and regional clients. We also have a number of long standing clients in the Manchester area that we are keen to continue supporting.’

Field Fisher last year unveiled disappointing financial results, posting a 2.5% drop in revenues to £95m, compared with £97.6m in 2012, while profit per equity partner decreased 7% on the figure published by Legal Business in 2012, down from £434,000 to £402,000.

The firm, which has engaged in a number of unsuccessful mergers, including both Lawrence Graham and Osborne Clarke in 2012, is the latest to look at setting up or extending a ‘near-shoring’ base, after Ashurst in 2013 announced its intention to establish a 150-strong unit in Glasgow.

david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk