SLAUGHTER AND MAY WIPES £600M OFF BA SUIT
Litigators at Slaughter and May have successfully struck out around £600m from a claim against client British Airways. The airline is one of several airlines facing a cartel damages action from flower importer Emerald Supplies and 564 other shippers. In October the Court of Appeal disagreed with Justice Peter Smith’s decision to adjourn a strike-out application against the economic tort claims and reduced the £1bn claim to £400m.
INCE & CO DOWNSIZES
Insurance specialist Ince & Co will move into a new office almost half the size of its current lease at the end of March 2016. The firm’s switch to Aldgate Tower will reduce its office footprint from 64,000 sq ft to 35,000 sq ft, although the firm has said headcount will not be reduced as part of the process.
HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS MAKES GROUP PROJECT HIRE
While lateral hiring legal teams is commonplace, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has taken the unusual move of appointing a process management team of four from Berwin Leighton Paisner. The move comes after HSF developed two outsourcing centres in Belfast and Perth to handle low-end legal work.
NAME PARTNER LEAVES VOLTERRA FIETTA
Four years after leaving Latham & Watkins to help launch arbitration and international law boutique Volterra Fietta, Stephen Fietta has resigned to set up his own practice. While Fietta will depart in December, Volterra Fietta will continue to operate under the same name.
DECHERT LONDON REVENUE SLIPS BY £2M
London income at Dechert dropped by 4% from £50.97m in 2013 to £48.98m for the year ending 31 December 2014, according to filings at Companies House. Overall, the fees generated within Dechert’s UK LLP, which includes some income from overseas offices, dropped 1% to £66.96m. Profit, however, rose by £1.4m to £29.1m in 2014.
CROWN ESTATE GC TO DEPART
The Crown Estate’s general counsel (GC), director of business operations and GC Power List member Vivienne King is leaving as the company restructures. The UK property business said she will be replaced by head of legal Rob Booth, who becomes GC and company secretary from the start of 2016. As Legal Business went to press, it was not known what King is doing next.
WHITE & CASE BOOSTS TURNOVER IN UK AND AFRICA
White & Case’s most recent limited liability partnership accounts reveal turnover at its UK and Africa offices increased 12% in the financial year ending 31 December 2014. Overall turnover at the offices rose from £137m to £154m, while operating profit across those offices rose a robust 14% to just under £60m.
RPC HIRES WORLDPAY GENERAL COUNSEL
Former Worldpay corporate general counsel Matthew Griffith joined RPC last month as a partner in its corporate insurance and financial services team. Griffith had led the corporate team at the payment services group and was previously a partner at Sidley Austin and Pinsent Masons.
SHEPPARD MULLIN OPENS BRUSSELS OFFICE
US firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton announced last month it has hired competition lawyer Jacques Derenne from Hogan Lovells’ Brussels office to launch an EU competition and regulatory practice in the Belgian capital. Derenne, who was the head of antitrust, competition and economic regulation practice at Hogan Lovells’ Brussels office, will lead the practice, which will also employ Mayer Brown partner Robert Klotz.