The International Arbitration Centre launches: The City finally gets the disputes space it’s been waiting for
For years seasoned practitioners have bemoaned the lack of top-notch arbitration facilities in London, casting an envious eye at the polished offerings in rival hubs like Singapore, even as the City has boomed as a global centre for dispute resolution. Now advisers sick of arguing about venues and decamping to hotels for major disputes are …
DPAs in spotlight as SFO ends long-running Rolls-Royce and GSK investigations
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has today (22 February) ended investigations into two landmark cases involving Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline, prompting scepticism from white-collar lawyers. Despite agreeing a £497.3m January 2017 deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the car manufacturer, the SFO has pulled its bribery and corruption probe into Rolls-Royce following a ‘detailed review of the …
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Linklaters ends culture row as wannabe whistleblower agrees to destroy confidential documents
Former Linklaters executive committee member Frank Mellish has agreed that he will not disclose information raising concerns over the firm’s culture after his former employer obtained an injunction against him. Mr Justice Warby said in a judgment in the High Court today (18 February) that the firm’s former director of business development and marketing had …
‘Ongoing struggle’: Linklaters shuts down former director going public with concerns over firm culture
Linklaters has been granted an interim injunction against a former director of business development and marketing seeking to raise his concerns over the firm’s ‘current culture’ in ‘interviews for publication’. In a High Court ruling yesterday (5 February), Mr Justice Warby restrained the firm’s former executive committee member Frank Mellish from sharing information highlighting what …
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.