The post-financial crisis wave of professional negligence suits against law firms appears to have passed, as RPC figures show a 47% drop in High Court cases against law firms last year.
Continue reading “High Court cases against law firms down 47% in a year”
The ongoing dispute between the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has escalated after a row broke out over whether the regulator should formally split from the representative at Chancery Lane.
Insurance giant RSA’s longstanding group general counsel and company secretary Derek Walsh (pictured) is to leave the company at the end of February after nearly six years, with Charlotte Heiss to succeed him in the new role of chief legal officer and company secretary.
Continue reading “RSA group GC Walsh to depart as rising star Heiss appointed legal chief”
Addleshaw Goddard‘s staff costs rose 12% from £57,000 to £63,600 in the 2014/15 financial year, the firm’s filings at Companies House show, after it paid larger bonuses and salaries to its employees.
Continue reading “Addleshaws staff costs rise as firm ups partner rewards, accounts reveal”
Italian firm BonelliErede, the European best friend of Slaughter and May, has made a key hire with Allen & Overy‘s Italy senior partner, Massimiliano Danusso. Meanwhile, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has invested in its Dubai team with a double hire.
In a conspicuously early move demonstrating confidence in its leadership, the partnership at Macfarlanes has re-appointed Charles Martin (pictured) and Julian Howard to the roles of senior partner and managing partner respectively for another three years.
Continue reading “Macfarlanes sticks by management duo, reappointing Martin and Howard until 2020”
National law firm DAC Beachcroft took a £4.39m hit on a failed IT project as it tried to change its case management system internally, accounts reveal.
Continue reading “DAC Beachcroft takes £4m hit on failed IT project, LLP accounts reveal”
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and Trowers & Hamlins are the latest firms to publish their trainee retention rates, with HSF recording its third straight score over 90%.
Continue reading “Trainee retention rates: Herbert Smith, Weil and Trowers release figures”
The major US banks released fourth quarter 2015 results this week, with Goldman Sachs blaming poor profits on legal costs, as other lenders benefited from declining legal spends.
Continue reading “US banking results: Goldman Sachs quadruples annual legal spend as others cutback”
After a slow churn of lateral partner hires in Ashurst‘s London office, the Anglo-Australian firm has kick-started 2016 by recruiting DLA Piper‘s high-profile international arbitration head Matthew Saunders.
Continue reading “Ashurst hires DLA Piper arbitration head Saunders to boost City practice”
Cooley has kicked off 2016 with further hires to its now year-old London office, adding prominent Sullivan & Cromwell litigator Louise Delahunty (pictured).
Partners at King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) could be asked to inject more cash into the business as the firm considers alterations to its capital contributions structure.
Continue reading “KWM reviews capital contributions ahead of refreshed global strategy”
Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy (A&O), Linklaters and King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) are advising on Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank’s proposed initial public offering (IPO) as its owner National Australia Bank (NAB) announced a cut-price share offer ahead of the float – a move which could impact other IPOs in the market.
UK top 20 firm Pinsent Masons is the top law shop, and fifth best overall UK employer for LGBT staff according to Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index.
There’s a fascinating article in the December issue of the Harvard Business Review that ought to be required reading for the leaders and owners of the world’s leading law firms. Called ‘Knowing When to Reinvent’, the essay describes what I think of as the Aetna Corporate Health Test, one that managing partners might start taking each year along with an annual physical.
Continue reading “Guest post: Knowing when to reinvent – the Aetna plan for business health”
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has made a key hire to enhance its international arbitration offering in London with the appointment of Jones Day construction head Hamish Lal (pictured).
Continue reading “Arbitration investment: Jones Day construction head Lal departs to join Akin Gump”
Having launched a trio of practice areas – finance, private equity and funds – in London in just over a year, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has kick-started 2016 with the launch of a restructuring practice, appointing Mayer Brown‘s co-head of restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency Ashley Katz.
Former New York Mayor and the face of Bracewell & Giuliani, Rudolph Giuliani (pictured), is leaving the firm for Greenberg Traurig as the latter firm moves to bolster its crisis management and white collar practices.
Continue reading “‘An absolute match’: Former Mayor Giuliani to join Greenberg Traurig in New York”
Just days after the resignation of King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) European practice head William Boss, Taylor Wessing has announced it has hired KWM chief operating officer (COO) Rachel Reid.
Continue reading “Taylor Wessing taps King & Wood for COO Reid following MP resignation”
Reed Smith, which last week cut 45 jobs across its US, Europe and Middle Eastern offices, has bolstered its energy offering in the United Arab Emirates and China by appointing partners from Pinsent Masons and Norton Rose Fulbright.
