The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been criticised in a Legal Services Board (LSB) report for its failures in its enforcement work and its IT systems, as part of a wider review of legal regulators.
Osborne Clarke praises sector focus as it posts yet another round of impressive financial results
Osborne Clarke (OC) has posted another round of impressive results, enjoying double digit growth across both its global offices and in the UK.
Comment: Fieldfisher’s Chissick on why real change on diversity needs leadership in law
‘Did you see the game at the weekend?’ is the type of question I am often asked at events. I know my answer, ‘no, I don’t really follow sport’ – will kill the conversation dead, and I don’t have the skills or required knowledge to blag my way through the small talk of the weekend’s fixture list.
Freshfields loses another Paris partner as Norton Rose Fulbright takes tax specialist
Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has made a key appointment with tax partner Antoine Colonna d’lstria from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer moving to its Paris office.
In-house: Saudi Aramco names new general counsel as IPO looms
The world’s biggest oil company, Saudi Aramco, has appointed Nabeel Al Mansour (pictured) as its new general counsel ahead of a potential IPO set to make it the world’s first trillion-dollar business.
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HSF client Goldman Sachs loses costs argument against sovereign wealth fund ahead of $1bn trial
A pre-trial review of the upcoming $1bn court battle between Goldman Sachs and the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) has seen the bank lose a key costs argument at London’s High Court.
Weil makes key infrastructure hire with appointment of HSF’s London head of private equity
Weil, Gotshal & Manges has landed Herbert Smith Freehills‘ London head of private equity James MacArthur as the US firm looks to ramp up its infrastructure coverage in the City.
‘Too good to pass up on’: Former Addleshaw banking head Papworth joins gunnercooke
Richard Papworth, who served as head of banking and finance at Addleshaw Goddard until retiring last May, has joined corporate and commercial law ABS gunnercooke.
Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, Clyde & Co and Taylor Wessing linked in latest Panama Papers leak
Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, Clyde & Co and Taylor Wessing have all been named as firms linked to secret offshore entities in the latest leak of over 11.5m files as part of the Panama Papers investigation.
Promotions wrap: Gowling WLG makes up first round of partners as OC, Bond Dickinson and DAC release figures
In a busy week for partner promotions, recently-merged Gowling WLG has completed its first round, while Osborne Clarke (OC), Bond Dickinson and DAC Beachcroft also released their figures.
Pinsent Masons scraps leadership for life amid top-down management restructure
Pinsent Masons has made a series of changes to its management structure, including the introduction of fixed terms for those in leadership positions, the formation of an operations committee and the cession of decision-making control to the board.
Continue reading “Pinsent Masons scraps leadership for life amid top-down management restructure”
Comment: The bottom line is, well, the bottom line – numbers always settle the score
At a recent drinks evening with a leading City law firm, Legal Business heard a familiar refrain from a veteran corporate partner about how the team he leads is doing very well but has had its reputation – and that of the firm as a whole – dragged down by the sniping of ex-partners.
Hogan Lovells makes Asia arbitration play with BLP hire
Hogan Lovells continues to make a play for greater market share in Asia with the hire of Berwin Leighton Paisner‘s (BLP) head of international arbitration, Kent Phillips, to its Singapore office.
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‘We want to be the game changer’: Dentons launches free technology platform for referrals
Dentons has established a free-to-use law firm referral network, which uses a technology-focused platform which allows member law firms to ‘easily connect and track referrals.’ Continue reading “‘We want to be the game changer’: Dentons launches free technology platform for referrals”
Taylor Wessing takes former Latham technology co-chair in bid to build out TMC practice
Taylor Wessing has made a key lateral hire to its technology, media and communications (TMC) practice in London with Latham & Watkins‘ former global technology co-chair, Martin Cotterill.
Welcome to Tinder Law – LOD launches online matching service for clients wanting a legal hook-up
There are websites to match people with food, taxis and dates, but the sharing economy has entered a new sphere with LOD now launching an online marketplace to pair individual lawyers with clients.
Revolving doors: HSF, Pinsents and Bird & Bird make key international laterals while High Court judge returns to Bar
Last week saw a host of international law firm lateral hires, while judge Sir Jeremy Cooke has left the UK’s High Court to return to the commercial Bar.
Kirkland takes fourth Linklaters City partner in a year, appointing PE partner Holdsworth
Kirkland & Ellis has returned to Magic Circle firm Linklaters for one of its last remaining private equity heavyweights in the City, hiring David Holdsworth as the US firm rebuilds its London office.
GCs have arrived and all we have to welcome them are platitudes
Two books of note have just been published by veteran lawyers – The Inside Counsel Revolution: Resolving the Partner-Guardian Tension by former GE legal head Ben Heineman and The Future of the In-House Lawyer: The General Counsel Revolution, a collection of essays edited by Carillion’s Richard Tapp. The common ground is obvious in charting the wresting of power and resource over the last 25 years from law firm to corporate legal teams.
Continue reading “GCs have arrived and all we have to welcome them are platitudes”
The bottom line is, well, the bottom line – numbers always settle the score
At a recent drinks evening with a leading City law firm, Legal Business heard a familiar refrain from a veteran corporate partner about how the team he leads is doing very well but has had its reputation – and that of the firm as a whole – dragged down by the sniping of ex-partners. Several weeks previously at a dinner, another major firm had run through its strategy and performance, making a great play of the claim that, though the firm had clearly suffered a few reverses since the banking crisis, it was performing ahead of peers.
Continue reading “The bottom line is, well, the bottom line – numbers always settle the score”