As the Christmas wind-down approaches inertia, in time-honoured tradition along with ghastly jumpers and inappropriate comments on social media, we signal the closing down of Legal Business HQ with a look back at the stories that made our year.
Continue reading “Comment: The 2015 edit – our favourite Legal Business pieces from this year”
Allen & Overy (A&O) has made a key hire for its US securities practice with David Flechner joining the firm’s New York office. Flechner joins from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton where he worked for a decade.
Magic circle heavyweight Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has joined Addleshaw Goddard, Herbert Smith Freehills, Jones Day, King & Wood Mallesons, Mayer Brown and Simmons & Simmons on British Land’s first panel.
In a decision that will provide little comfort for those facing similar charges, the Court of Appeal has refused the appeal of former derivatives trader Tom Hayes, who in August was found guilty of manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor).
Allen & Overy‘s veteran leader David Morley remarked sometimes that in running a law firm, success or failure is less about the decisions you make and more the ability to communicate what you are doing and why. Though directed at his own firm, the observation speaks to much of what ailed Linklaters over the last four years as a chasm opened between its leadership and partnership.
Jones Day has become the latest US firm to announce its partner promotion round with 4% of the 47-strong round making the ranks in London.
Continue reading “US partner promotions: Jones Day makes up two in London from 47-strong round”
It has become commonplace – I have bowed to convention and endorsed the notion myself – to observe that law firms are labour not capital – intensive, and that (here’s the dangerous and subtle segue) therefore there would be no benefit to them in taking on outside investors, much less going public.
Raminder Singh, the London-based general counsel and chief compliance officer of Indian conglomerate Essar Global Fund Limited (EGFL), the holding company for Essar Energy, is to depart at the end of the year.
Continue reading “In-house: Singh steps down from GC post at Indian energy giant Essar Global Fund”
In a bid strengthen its platform in Germany, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is closing its Cologne office, with the bulk of its staff transferring to the firm’s existing Düsseldorf outpost.
Continue reading “Closing Cologne: Freshfields restructures German offices to create broad offering”
Morton Fraser has picked up four places on Edinburgh City Council’s £3.1m panel, being appointed alongside larger firms such as Pinsent Masons and CMS Cameron McKenna.
Eversheds Manchester banking head Nigel Dale is leaving the firm after 20 years to join specialist lender Together as its general counsel (GC).
Continue reading “Switching sides: Eversheds Manchester banking head departs to take GC role”
Reduced commercial activity has slowed growth at Simmons & Simmons after a record-breaking 2014/15, with the firm reporting a modest 1% rise in revenue for the first half of the current financial year.
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has instructed Simmons & Simmons to defend a £800m claim from former Sheffield lawyer turned property mogul Glenn Maud over alleged losses from Euribor rigging.
Continue reading “Simmons & Simmons picked to defend RBS against £800m rate-rigging claim”
DWF, Eversheds, Addleshaw Goddard and Clyde & Co have been awarded places on Tata Chemicals Europe’s first panel following a review led by the company’s general counsel Phil Davies, the legal and estates manager Sally Evans and a team from external adviser GC Hub.
Just a week after launching its first office in continental Europe in Brussels, DWF has acquired the four-partner German arm of commercial and tax outfit BridgehouseLaw to establish a footprint in Europe’s biggest market.
Lawyers are warning of substantial change following the European Union’s agreement last night to regulate data collection and punish companies that violate EU data protection laws with penalties of up to €1m or up to 4% of the global annual turnover of a company.
Let’s get this out of the way up front. The least expected new entrant to the Global 100, Gowling WLG, is going to have to work very hard to avoid being the classic 2 + 2 = 4 union when its tie-up goes live in January.
The UK’s first listed law firm Gateley has hit its revenue target by achieving a 10.9% rise to £29.6m, up from £26.7m in 2014, in audited half year results released today (15 December).
Continue reading “Hitting the target: Gateley posts 11% rise in revenue in first post-IPO results”
Allen & Overy (A&O) has confirmed eight candidates for its upcoming management elections which are to take place in February.
Continue reading “In the race: A&O announces candidates for upcoming management elections”
After announcing two major City finance hires last week, DLA Piper has hired Paul Reeskamp as a partner in the firm’s IP and technology group. Reeskamp joins the Amsterdam office from top tier Dutch IP outfit Klos Morel Vos & Reeskamp, where he was partner and head of patent litigation, and brings with him associate Marijn van der Wal.
