Public and civil law set One Crown Office Row (1COR) has seen six of its junior barristers take silk in this year’s round of Queen’s Counsel appointments, constituting over 10% of its juniors.
Killing the golden goose: City concerns as review backs online courts and regional court hearings
A landmark review of civil justice has backed the creation of an online court for claims worth up to £25,000, and suggests more cases should be heard in the provinces.
A&O and Linklaters win mandates as spread-betting company CMC Markets plans float
Allen & Overy (A&O) and Linklaters have landed roles advising online spread-betting company CMC Markets as it plans to float on the London Stock Exchange, in what will be the first initial public offering (IPO) of 2016.
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‘Need to secure value for money and quality’: industry groups welcome competition probe into legal market
In a move welcomed by industry groups, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into the legal services market over concerns about the affordability and standards of legal services.
Guest post: Law land annual reports -has the partnership model been outgrown?
With the release last week of the Annual Report from Georgetown Law’s Center for the Study of the Legal Profession, the ‘Big Three’ annual reports – Altman-Weil’s Law Firms in Transition, Citi/Hildebrandt’s Client Advisory, and Georgetown’s – are now all out and we can see what trends and developments they seem to discuss in common.
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Bird & Bird’s net debt rises by a fifth, as highest paid member gets 12% more
Bird & Bird‘s net debt rose by 21% in the last financial year to €46.3m from €38.3m in 2014 following a refinancing of the business, while the top paid member took home 12% more, the firm’s accounts show.
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MAB set to close as corporate and property teams move to Veale Wasbrough Vizards
Having endured an exodus of partners in recent weeks, Matthew Arnold & Baldwin (MAB) has confirmed it is to close its doors as its remaining 30 lawyers will join Veale Wasbrough Vizards (VWV).
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Revolving doors: DLA Piper makes commercial contracts play, as Global 100 firms make key hires
In a busy start to the year, DLA Piper has strengthened its commercial practice with the appointment of two lawyers from Simmons & Simmons, while Global 100 firms K&L Gates, Cooley and White & Case have all made lateral hires.
Law firms win pay battle with RBS as Clifford Chance, Linklaters and Allen & Overy reappointed
The tug of war between The Royal Bank of Scotland and its go-to law firms over a proposed pay freeze ended in victory for the lawyers, as Magic Circle firms Clifford Chance (CC), Linklaters and Allen & Overy (A&O) won appointments to the bank’s legal panel for the next three years.
In-house: Barratt promotes deputy to top legal role as GC Keevil retires
Barratt Developments has reshuffled its internal legal team following the retirement of general counsel (GC) Tom Keevil, promoting his deputy Nick Mullen to succeed as head of legal.
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Finance push: DLA Piper ramps up City offering with Latham hire
Fresh from hiring Slaughter and May’s ex-head of derivatives Mark Dwyer and Baker & McKenzie’s former head of structured capital markets Vincent Keaveny, DLA Piper has added Latham & Watkins partner Andy Kolacki to its London office as it pushes its finance credentials in the City.
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Taking silk: Quinn, Gibson and Freshfields heavyweights among new QCs in 107-strong round
A trio of City heavyweights has been appointed among 107 new Queen’s Counsel (QC) announced today (11 January), an increase on last year’s round of 93.
Partner promotions: Reed Smith focuses on London in 24-strong round, as MoFo promotes just one in the City
London dominates the latest promotions round at Reed Smith, with a quarter of the 24 newly-made partners at the US firm based in the City, while Morrison Foerster has promoted one in London in a round of 12.
Holman Fenwick Willan posts revenue and profit slide in latest LLP accounts
The latest to emerge in a run of recent LLP filings is Holman Fenwick Willan, which has seen its revenue dip 5% to £139m from £145m while operating profit fell by 16% to £49.9m from £59m.
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‘Not unexpected’: SFO asks for extra funds for fourth time in as many years
Prosecutors at the SFO have made another request for cash, seeking an additional £21.1m for ‘blockbuster’ cases, after making a £10m request in June last year. The SFO’s core funding budget for 2015-16 is £33.8m.
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Trainee retention: Slaughter and May and Nabarro up their intakes for spring 2016
Slaughter and May and Nabarro improved their trainee retention figures this month with the latter firm retaining 89%, while the Magic Circle firm posted a 95% retention rate.
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‘Tremendous experience’: City M&A heavyweight Steve Cooke elected as senior partner at Slaughter and May
Slaughter and May, the UK’s most profitable law firm, has elected its longstanding head of M&A Steve Cooke as its next senior partner.
Further scrutiny: Banks order investigative review of Slater and Gordon’s books
Australian-listed Slater and Gordon is facing further inquiry as the company’s lenders have appointed their own investigative accountants to look at the firm’s books.
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Responding to demand: Dentons hires 75-strong Matthew Arnold & Baldwin banking litigation team
Dentons has (7 January) confirmed the hire of Matthew Arnold & Baldwin‘s (MAB) 75-strong banking and finance litigation team, including 11 partners and 64 fee earners.
C-suite roles at Allen & Overy take home 9% more last year as firm raises revenues
Allen & Overy‘s (A&O) senior partner and managing partner, global practice heads and support directors took home £1.1m more in the financial year ending 30 April 2015 than the year before, the Magic Circle firm’s latest LLP filings show.