First big defeat for Osofsky as SFO fails in Tesco prosecution
Newly-installed Serious Fraud Office (SFO) director Lisa Osofsky has suffered her first major setback, as the agency’s prosecution of two former Tesco executives was quashed this morning. At Southwark Crown Court, Judge Sir John Royce instructed the jury to acquit John Scouler, formerly Tesco’s UK food commercial director, and Chris Bush, previously Tesco’s UK managing …
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Disputes round-up: Simmons wins Petrofac mandate as White & Case makes key regulatory hire
Simmons & Simmons has landed a major Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation mandate at the expense of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Simmons’ crime, fraud and investigations head Stephen Gentle and partner Nick Benwell have been enlisted to defend oil and gas company Petrofac in the SFO probe, taking on the mandate from Freshfields.
Disputes round-up: Supreme Court loss for Pfizer as Mishcon’s Levitt QC returns to the Bar
Allen & Overy (A&O) client Pfizer has lost a landmark Supreme Court battle against a host of manufacturers, leaving it vulnerable to substantial financial claims. In a judgment handed down yesterday (14 November), the Supreme Court upheld lower court decisions that Pfizer’s patent for its pregabalin pain relief product was invalid. Branded as ‘Lyrica’, the pregabalin-based …
Sponsored briefing: An asymmetric approach to litigation PR
Tim Maltin of Maltin PR on the importance of getting the balance right between winning the court case and winning over the public King Pyrrhus of Epirus famously said: ‘If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.’ He was talking in 279 BC about the large number …
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‘Don’t start a war you can’t win’: High Court throws out SRA’s Leigh Day misconduct appeal
The High Court has dismissed an appeal by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) which challenged the decision to exonerate Leigh Day of misconduct related to the Iraq War. Last June, the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) cleared the firm and three of its lawyers accused of pursuing false damages claims of torture and murder made by Iraqi …
Vannin Capital shelves IPO as volatile market knocks Aston Martin and Funding Circle listings
High-profile litigation funder Vannin Capital has shelved its planned initial public offering (IPO) only one month after announcing its intention to float, blaming volatile equity markets. The move is a blow for the fast-growing litigation funder, which in September hired Allen & Overy veteran David Morley (pictured) as chair to spearhead the October listing, which …