The dust has yet to settle, indeed the horizon in post-referendum Britain is heavy with smoke and particles of an uncertain nature. But as the market turmoil of the vote to exit the EU subsides, the profession is left asking: what now?
Continue reading “Comment: After the Brexit vote you can kiss the UK’s stability premium goodbye”
Former Land Securities Group general counsel and company secretary Adrian de Souza has joined student accommodation firm Vero Group as interim general counsel and company secretary.
Continue reading “De Souza resurfaces as GC for Goldman Sachs-backed property firm”
More than half of GCs face budget cuts and almost a quarter have cut their in-house team internal headcount, a new survey has found.
Struggling to plug a stream of exits, litigator Greg Lascelles has become the latest partner to depart King & Wood Mallesons and is set to join Covington & Burling in July.
Continue reading “Securities litigator Lascelles latest to exit King & Wood Mallesons”
Following an extensive tender process, Eversheds has been appointed as preferred supplier for Specsavers across multiple practice areas.
Continue reading “Chief adviser: Eversheds wins Specsavers preferred supplier tender”
Shoosmiths is to open a new office in Leeds with an employment duo from Yorkshire-based Gordons as part of the firm’s ongoing strategy to increase its share of the UK legal market.
Continue reading “Launching Leeds: Shoosmiths takes Gordons employment duo to open eleventh office”
Ashurst has seen yet another partner exit with Reed Smith hiring restructuring partner Diane Roberts into its London office. Continue reading “Another Ashurst exit as restructuring partner Roberts quits for Reed Smith”
Despite the European Commission’s new data privacy framework coming into force this week, City lawyers still believe a legal challenge is likely.
Continue reading “‘A little upgrade’: Privacy Shield in force but legal challenge still expected”
Freelance lawyer service Lawyers On Demand (LOD) received 2,400 applications ahead of launching Spoke, an online service that matches lawyers to clients that has been dubbed Tinder Law.
A lawyer who styles himself as senior counsel Lord Harley and was criticised for dressing ‘like something out of Harry Potter’ has been kicked out of the profession after a two day hearing at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is appointing a new Western European panel with the bank intending to pick a small number of firms to do the bulk of the work in the region.
Continue reading “RBS to appoint new Western European panel as bank aims to cut costs”
Following one of its most successful years, Macfarlanes has seen revenue remain static at £161m for 2015/16, up less than 1% from £159.6m.
Continue reading “After five years of growth Macfarlanes revenue stalls and PEP falls 17%”
Mid-tier sets are continuing to feel the pressure of a squeezed legal market at the commercial Bar as it has emerged that Stone Chambers is to be acquired by national set St Philips Chambers.
Continue reading “Bar consolidation continues as St Philips acquires ailing Stone Chambers”
Allen & Overy (A&O)’s growing private equity (PE) team has had a strong year, topping Dealogic’s European PE table after advising on 31 deals across the 2015 calendar year for clients including Apollo Global Management, The Blackstone Group and Carlyle Investment Management.
Continue reading “Allen & Overy beats UK rivals to top 2015 deal table for European private equity”
Latham & Watkins‘ hiring spree in the City has ramped up a gear this week, with the arrival of Stuart Alford QC from the UK Serious Fraud Office, the firm’s second partner hire in two days.
Continue reading “Latham’s London hiring spree continues with SFO Queen’s Counsel”
Totum’s Deborah Gray on achieving a global presence.
The vision of a truly global legal business offering a seamless service to multinational clients is an alluring one for law firm leaders. But achieving a global presence and making it work in practice is a challenge. According to PwC’s annual survey 2015, the UK continues to subsidise international offices with UK profit per partners far outweighing those in international offices. Continue reading “Harnessing business talent for global growth”
City firm Ashurst has missed out to former partners at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher on the $1.2bn sale of London-based Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group by private equity owner Terra Firma. Continue reading “Ashurst misses out as Gibson Dunn and Pinsents take front row seats on $1.2bn Odeon deal”
Following another disappointing round of financial results, Ashurst is considering implementing a raft of changes to partner remuneration.
Continue reading “Ashurst to revamp lockstep and add bonus pool after financials disappoint”
A fêted global giant acquires a punchy mid-tier player to provide coverage in a key global region. Hopes are high. Yet just a few years later the combined firm is plagued by culture clashes, an identity crisis and damaging departures. Buyer’s remorse sets in and the ‘acquired’ firm longs for freedom or even just the good old days.
Continue reading “Comment: How KWM became Rogers & Wells II but with less staying power”
Just two weeks after taking Ashurst’s global co-head of financial regulation, Latham & Watkins has returned to the struggling City firm to hire restructuring partner Simon Baskerville. Continue reading “Latham ignores Brexit fears and continues City investment charge with Ashurst’s Baskerville”
