Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), DLA Piper and Pinsent Masons have all won key mandates on Pearson’s new legal panel, as the company’s general counsel (GC) Bjarne Tellmann praised the robust state of the UK legal market.
Querying the bill: Treasury ‘concerned’ over Freshfields fees on Eurostar sale
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has been put under the spotlight for charging £2.8m in legal fees when advising HM Treasury during the £585.1m sale of the government’s 40% stake in Eurostar International Limited (Eurostar) in March this year. Continue reading “Querying the bill: Treasury ‘concerned’ over Freshfields fees on Eurostar sale”
Comment: It’s a people game – what private equity lawyers can teach bland global law firms
If a good chunk of the latest issue of Legal Business is focused on technology and machines replacing lawyers, our extended focus this month on private equity is an interesting contrast. After all, what good would a supercomputer be in the clubby, driven and entrepreneurial world of leveraged buyouts?
Bakers loses second star litigator to Linklaters in a week as Cassels heads for Silk St
Baker & McKenzie global litigation head Tom Cassels has become the second senior litigator to leave the firm for Linklaters in a matter of days.
Legal Aid Agency faces 100-firm challenge over criminal contract cuts amid whistleblower’s call for an external investigation
It was a decision never likely to sit well with the public defence profession and so it proved.
The ongoing saga over the reduced number of criminal legal aid contracts continues as it has emerged that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, is facing legal challenges from around 100 firms at the High Court to prevent execution of the contracts.
Blue chip clients: cutting-edge tech will reshape law in five years as more jobs taken by intelligent machines
In-house lawyers have been notoriously slow to embrace the tech-backed delivery of legal services, but Legal Business research drawing on responses from more than 600 global clients shows many believe technology will transform the way they work.
Bursting at the seams: Milbank makes room for 50 extra lawyers in the City
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy is gearing up for further growth in London by leasing extra office space, an extra 35% on top of its current City base.
Continue reading “Bursting at the seams: Milbank makes room for 50 extra lawyers in the City”
Easy access: EY lowers threshold for first UK trainee programme
Big Four accountancy firm EY will recruit eight trainee solicitors in the UK over the next two years, launching its first-ever lawyer training scheme in the UK.
Continue reading “Easy access: EY lowers threshold for first UK trainee programme”
Ince & Co Singapore exits continue as energy head departs for Bakers
Ince & Co’s departures continue in Singapore with energy head Martin David being the latest to leave the firm, joining Baker & McKenzie as a partner in its Singapore energy practice.
Continue reading “Ince & Co Singapore exits continue as energy head departs for Bakers”
Freshfields and HFW criticised by Takeover Panel for breaching rules in Bumi transaction
In a rare step, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) have been publicly criticised by the UK Takeover Panel for breaching its code of conduct when advising on the formation of a multibillion-dollar Indonesian coal group.
Goodwin Procter opens Frankfurt base with the hire of four Ashurst partners
US firm Goodwin Procter is setting up shop in Frankfurt, establishing a real estate capital markets platform with four of Ashurst’s six Frankfurt real estate partners.
Continue reading “Goodwin Procter opens Frankfurt base with the hire of four Ashurst partners”
Deep Blue sky thinking: The cutting edge of legal AI
Artificial intelligence is big news once again in law and beyond. Legal Business speaks to leaders in the field of advanced automation to assess what it means for the profession.
> How are you today?
* I’m afraid AI will change the legal profession.
> How long have you been afraid AI will change the legal profession?
* Since I started speaking to AI researchers.
> Can you elaborate on that?
* They were telling me about their latest research.
> I don’t understand you.
* Neither did they, that’s why I wanted to see a therapist.
> Tell me more…
Continue reading “Deep Blue sky thinking: The cutting edge of legal AI”
Applied science and snake oil: AI in practice
The cutting-edge science in artificial intelligence in law is startling, but does the tech currently offered by commercial legal providers match the hype?
It’s a sign of the times: Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) now has its own ‘robot’. In September, the firm announced it had teamed up with tech company RAVN Systems in a deal to use its artificial intelligence (AI) platform, known as the Applied Cognitive Engine (RAVN ACE).
Continue reading “Applied science and snake oil: AI in practice”
The i-Team: The client perspective on AI
Pioneering GCs are taking control of legal spend, armed with the latest tech. Can the rest of the in-house community keep pace?
If conventional law firms have been slow to embrace technology – and they have – their counterparts in-house have been barely moving. But in the last five years signs have emerged of ‘early adopters’ in the bluechip general counsel (GC) community who are willing to do more than apply new tools at the margins. The GCs are turning to technology to reshape the way they work.
AI and the law tools of tomorrow: A special report
The In-House Lawyer Survey – More than a number
Our fourth annual client survey shows the maturing role of in-house counsel leading to greater job satisfaction. But in winning more responsibility, are they taking on more than they can handle?
Career-wise, in-house is the new black. As Chris Fowler, general counsel (GC) for BT’s UK commercial legal services division, observes, there is now much more of a desire among millennials to work for companies than in private practice. With in-house teams evolving in status to become more important to the business, the role of the corporate counsel now is far more attractive to law graduates than ever before.
Continue reading “The In-House Lawyer Survey – More than a number”
The In-House Lawyer Survey – Bang for your buck
Our fourth in-house survey shows a softening stance towards external advisers from general counsel, reflecting the need for high-quality consultative advice.
With more than 20 years spent in multiple in-house legal positions, BAE Systems’ group general counsel (GC) Philip Bramwell has been at the centre of the evolution of the in-house legal profession. But despite seeing the GC rise in prominence to trusted adviser status, he doesn’t believe the role will shift so fundamentally that it will lessen dependence on external counsel.
Continue reading “The In-House Lawyer Survey – Bang for your buck”
The In-House Lawyer Survey – Buying IBM
Client rankings from our fourth annual in-house survey show that GCs continue to trust premium advice. Can non-law firm providers make headway?
During the 1990s, when ITV’s current group general counsel (GC) Andrew Garard was serving a stint as head of legal at Reuters, a deal landed on his desk that required external advice. A revolving credit facility which, he says, was the first-ever syndicated loan deal done via the internet.
The In-House Lawyer Survey 2015: Balancing Acts
ABC – the brutally simple world of a private equity lawyer
As diversifying private equity houses continue to drive transactional activity in Europe, the battle to build high-end buyout teams intensifies. Who has made the right bets?
The philosophy of Richard Matthew Youle is simple: ‘If you’re moving firms then you’ve got to back yourself that you’ve got the charisma to bring in the clients and have chosen the right firm with a strong enough platform to service them. Then you better deliver the deal, because if you fuck it up, you’re toast.’
Continue reading “ABC – the brutally simple world of a private equity lawyer”