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Pinsents posts largest partner round for three years but female promotions dip

Pinsent Masons has lifted its 2018 partner promotion numbers after a slight dip last year, but the proportion of female promotions has fallen ahead of its target of a 30% female partnership by 2020.

The firm has made up 23 partners, effective 1 May, up from last year’s 16. A quarter of the promotions are female, sharply down from last year’s 68%, when Pinsents reached its 25% female representation target a year early. Continue reading “Pinsents posts largest partner round for three years but female promotions dip”

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A&O recruits fintech specialist in rare City lateral while Freshfields loses one in Germany to Latham

The old days when the only ways in and out of a Magic Circle partnership were promotion and retirement (forced or otherwise) seems like ancient history with this week already seeing Allen & Overy (A&O) make a rare City hire as Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer loses one of its own in Europe.

A&O’s move sees the firm recruit partner Ben Regnard-Weinrabe from the London arm of Paul Hastings as the City giant moves to bolster its position in the fast-expanding payment services sector. Regnard-Weinrabe has been a partner in the banking practice of Paul Hastings since 2014. He had been credited with establishing and leading a practice focused on payment services regulation and fintech. Continue reading “A&O recruits fintech specialist in rare City lateral while Freshfields loses one in Germany to Latham”

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‘Clients want greater choice’: Fieldfisher’s Condor spreads wings through Integreon deal

Fieldfisher

A year since its much-touted launch, Fieldfisher’s alternative legal services platform Condor has agreed a partnership with pioneering legal outsourcer Integreon.

Launched in January 2017, Condor is a division of LB100 pacesetter Fieldfisher that offers clients a flexible package of process-efficient services. Among those on offer are contract negotiation outsourcing, contract automation and AI and robotics. Continue reading “‘Clients want greater choice’: Fieldfisher’s Condor spreads wings through Integreon deal”

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#MeToo hits the highest levels of law as head of Latham quits over ‘sexual communications’

The #MeToo campaign has had a number of brushes with the legal industry but nothing like the shock news today (20 March): the head of the world’s highest-billing law firm Latham & Watkins has stepped down after a series of ‘voluntary disclosures… relating to personal conduct’.

Latham today issued a statement confirming that Bill Voge had offered his resignation after a series of disclosures to its executive team. Latham’s official statement notes that: ‘[Voge’s] conduct involved the exchange of communications of a sexual nature with a woman whom he has never met in person and who had no connection to the firm. Mr Voge’s conduct did not involve the firm, any of its clients, or its personnel. Mr Voge engaged in subsequent conduct relating to this matter that, while not unlawful, the executive committee concluded was not befitting the leader of the firm.’ Continue reading “#MeToo hits the highest levels of law as head of Latham quits over ‘sexual communications’”

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Moving on: Pinsents sells early New Law investment to Dow Jones

Richard Foley

Pinsent Masons has sold one of its earliest New Law investments to financial information giant Dow Jones for an undisclosed sum, citing a need for it to move on for its next phase of growth.

The firm has sold online compliance solutions business Cerico, which it launched in 2013 as a joint venture with IT consultancy Campbell Nash and latterly upped its investment to a majority stake in 2015. Pinsent Masons retains a ‘strategic relationship’ with Dow Jones following the sale, meaning it will continue to provide and be paid for legal content, compliance support and consultancy to Dow Jones clients, when required. Continue reading “Moving on: Pinsents sells early New Law investment to Dow Jones”

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Upping the ante: City Law feels pressure on transparency as Big Four includes partners in gender pay stats

man with a barcode mask

The Big Four accountancy firms have set a precedent for their legal counterparts by disclosing updated gender pay gap figures that include equity partners.

The result is a substantial increase in the pay gap between men and women, adding pressure on law  firms to follow suit and reveal the disparity in remuneration  at the top. Continue reading “Upping the ante: City Law feels pressure on transparency as Big Four includes partners in gender pay stats”

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Former Cobbetts partners fined by SDT for their role in firm’s downfall

Solicitors Regulation Authority

Six former Cobbetts partners have been fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) after an admission of failings relating to the firm’s high-profile collapse in 2013.

The six partners – which includes former managing partner Nicholas Carr and senior partner Stephen Benson – were found to be in breach of Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) principles by failing to enact an appropriate contingency plan. All six were referred to the SDT last year following allegations of providing misleading information and exhibiting manifest incompetence. Continue reading “Former Cobbetts partners fined by SDT for their role in firm’s downfall”

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#MeToo: HSF latest firm to axe partner after sexual harassment allegations

The string of sexual harassment scandals that are blighting the legal profession shows no sign of stopping, with Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) becoming the latest firm to fire a partner following claims of workplace misconduct.

An unnamed male partner based in Australia was suspended from the partnership on 9 March, after an internal investigation discovered evidence of misconduct. The investigation came after a number of female employees of the firm made claims of sexual harassment. HSF will remove the partner from the partnership on 23 March. Continue reading “#MeToo: HSF latest firm to axe partner after sexual harassment allegations”

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‘Real opportunity in Ireland’: Lewis Silkin becomes fourth firm to open in Dublin post-Brexit vote

City firm Lewis Silkin is to follow in the footsteps of Simmons & Simmons, Covington & Burling and Pinsent Masons by launching a Dublin office.

The new outpost, which will focus on Lewis Silkin’s core strength of employment law, is set to open on 3 April. To staff the new office it has hired employment specialist Siobhra Rush , who will join from local firm Leman Solicitors. On launch, Rush will be supported by London-based partner Sean Dempsey, with fellow City associates Catherine Hayes and David Hopper offering reinforcements when needed. Continue reading “‘Real opportunity in Ireland’: Lewis Silkin becomes fourth firm to open in Dublin post-Brexit vote”

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Disputes round-up: Burford records staggering 109% income boost as SFO branded ‘embarrassing’ by judge

A resounding indication of the impact funders are having on the disputes market, Burford Capital has unveiled impressive financial results underlined by a 109% rise in income.

Elsewhere, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been chastised by a judge over the quality of one of its witnesses, while Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has won a High Court case after the first use of predictive coding technology. Continue reading “Disputes round-up: Burford records staggering 109% income boost as SFO branded ‘embarrassing’ by judge”

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Progress but still work to do on Bunhill Row as Slaughter and May discloses gender pay disparity

Slaughter and May has become the latest magic circle firm to reveal a difference in pay between its male and female fee-earners, placing it ahead of Linklaters but behind Allen & Overy for overall gender disparity on pay.

The firm today (14 March) published its statutory disclosures. The numbers reveal Slaughter and May pays male employees almost 55% more in bonuses compared to women. Men also earned 14% more than women on average, with the gap widening to 38.5% when the figures were considered on a median basis. Continue reading “Progress but still work to do on Bunhill Row as Slaughter and May discloses gender pay disparity”

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Seven wonders: Globetrotting Dentons combines with firms in Africa, the Caribbean and South East Asia

The world’s largest law firm by fee-earners, Dentons,  is continuing its relentless global expansion as it announces new combinations with seven law firms across Africa, the Caribbean and South East Asia today (14 March).

Dentons is combining with Hamilton, Harrison & Mathews in Kenya, Mardemootoo Solicitors and Balgobin Chambers in Mauritius, Dinner Martin in the Cayman Islands, Delany Law in the Eastern Caribbean, Hanafiah Ponggawa & Partners (HPRP) in Indonesia, and Zain & Co in Malaysia. The combinations mean the firms become full voting, contributing and participating members of the Dentons group, and are expected to launch later this year subject to partner approval and meeting regulatory requirements. Continue reading “Seven wonders: Globetrotting Dentons combines with firms in Africa, the Caribbean and South East Asia”

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Mint insight

Staying covered when the tide goes out

Global demographics are changing. In 2009, Europe had more middle class persons than anywhere else on earth. Contemporarily, Asia is home to more middle class persons than Europe. Over the next 15 years the global middle class is set to double, with three billion people entering its ranks. Many of these new consumers will come from emerging markets. As the balance of global trade shifts away from G8 economies, businesses and investors are increasingly looking to diversify into these emerging markets and reap the rewards apparent from growing economies.

Continue reading “Mint insight”

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In-house: CMS breaks new Crown Estate ground as Heineken UK and DLA toast another two years

Rob Booth

The legal adviser overhaul of £13bn real estate business The Crown Estate by general counsel (GC) Rob Booth continues with CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang picking up a sole legal provider mandate for the estate’s £2.5bn regional retail portfolio. Meanwhile, DLA Piper has won another two years as principal legal adviser to Heineken UK.

CMS’s appointment with The Crown Estate, announced Monday (March 12), covers work including asset management, development, sales and purchases for its regional portfolio, which comprises 14 shopping and retail parks, three shopping centres and one leisure destination. It is the first time the firm has secured a role on the panel. Continue reading “In-house: CMS breaks new Crown Estate ground as Heineken UK and DLA toast another two years”

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Gender diversity: pay gaps revealed at Addleshaw Goddard, Mishcon de Reya and Gowling WLG

A fuller picture of the legal industry’s gender pay gap issue is emerging as Addleshaw Goddard, Mishcon de Reya and Gowling WLG become the latest firms to reveal big earnings disparities.

Gender pay brackets at Addleshaw – published Tuesday (13 March) ahead of the 4 April deadline required by legislation brought in last year – reveal the firm paid its male staff on average 43.2% more in bonuses than women for the year to 5 April 2017. The median bonus figure was 33.3%. Continue reading “Gender diversity: pay gaps revealed at Addleshaw Goddard, Mishcon de Reya and Gowling WLG”

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#MeToo: SRA puts foot down on non-disclosure agreements

Solicitors Regulation Authority

With the profession rocking from multiple allegations of sexual harassment against law firm partners recently, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has today (12 March) taken action to combat the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

In a warning notice on the regulator’s website, the SRA has stipulated that NDAs would be improperly used if they sought to prevent a person from reporting misconduct to the police or other prosecution or regulatory authority. Continue reading “#MeToo: SRA puts foot down on non-disclosure agreements”

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Macfarlanes launches white-collar practice with Eversheds team head hire

Macfarlanes has today (9 March) announced that Eversheds Sutherland corporate crime head Neill Blundell will be joining the firm in a move that will see him spearhead the launch of corporate crime and investigations practice at his new firm.

Blundell will focus on corporate criminal investigations and compliance advice, with particular emphasis on regulatory issues. Regarding the move, senior partner Charles Martin said: ‘The introduction of criminal offences across a broad spectrum of regulation affecting our corporate clients – such as bribery, the Criminal Finances Act and environmental matters – makes this area of work a really important one.’ Continue reading “Macfarlanes launches white-collar practice with Eversheds team head hire”

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Deal watch: Global 100 elite line-up on $6bn GKN-Dana transatlantic union

A group of elite firms both sides of the Atlantic, including Macfarlanes and Slaughter and May, face off as British engineering giant GKN has agreed to a $6.1bn merger of its automotive business with US-based car parts supplier Dana.

In a deal that will create one of the world’s largest auto parts providers, Macfarlanes’ corporate partners Graham Gibb and Richard Burrows acted for Dana as it announced today (9 March) that its shareholders will get a 53% stake in GKN. Continue reading “Deal watch: Global 100 elite line-up on $6bn GKN-Dana transatlantic union”