Litigators at the London arms of Debevoise & Plimpton and Reed Smith have been drafted in on a €578m (£418m) professional negligence claim brought by British American Tobacco (BAT) against Big Four accountancy firm PwC.
Allen & Overy gears up to replace its C-suite as Morley to retire in 2016
It will be the end of an era at Allen & Overy (A&O) come May 2016 when senior partner David Morley and global managing partner Wim Dejonghe step down from their current leadership roles, with Morley retiring from the firm after 36 years.
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Allen & Overy and Linklaters win key roles on £550m Quorn acquisition
Allen & Overy and Linklaters secured advisory roles as the private equity owners of meat-substitute Quorn offloaded it to a Filipino noodle maker for £550m.
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Under review: Fasken Martineau to cut up to 70 roles in London
Canadian firm Fasken Martineau has confirmed its London office is under consultation and up to 70 roles could be cut. Legal Business also understands that City office head Gary Howes has resigned.
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GC Power List Summer Reception – In search of excellence
To celebrate our annual GC Power List report, Legal Business this summer teamed up with DLA Piper and Thomson Reuters to hold an evening reception and debate to explore the topic of teamwork and give senior in-house counsel an informal chance to network.
Our discussion panel comprised British American Tobacco’s Western Europe legal head Benoit Belhomme, Credit Suisse’s EMEA general counsel (GC) Maria Leistner, ITV’s GC Andrew Garard, Diageo’s GC Siobhan Moriarty and AIG’s EMEA legal head Chris Newby. Bringing a private practice view to the proceedings was DLA Piper co-chair Sir Nigel Knowles, with Legal Business editor-in-chief Alex Novarese chairing the discussion. More than 50 senior in-house counsel attended the reception at the The Ivy’s private members’ club on 24 June.
The GC Power List will return in 2016.
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Concerns raised as consultation closes on court fee hikes
Disputes practitioners contend another hike will deter foreign litigants
City lawyers have voiced concerns over government policy once again as submissions closed this month on the latest round of court fee hikes proposed by justice minister Shailesh Vara.
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News in brief – October 2015
FIRST-TIME GC FOR BRITISH LAND
Property developer British Land has hired HSBC deputy company secretary and former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner Elaine Williams as its first general counsel. Williams, who was a partner at Freshfields between 2000 and 2011 before joining HSBC in 2011, will become British Land’s first ever general counsel when she starts in November.
Deal watch: Corporate activity in October 2015
HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS AND ALLENS ENLISTED FOR WOODSIDE TAKEOVER BID
Australian oil company Woodside turned to Herbert Smith Freehills as it rejected a takeover offer by rival Oil Search. Australian firm Allens advised the Papua New Guinea firm that made the £5.3bn offer.
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Slater & Gordon unveils £20m UK profits in revised accounts
Following controversy after its £637m purchase of Quindell’s Professional Services Division (PSD), Australian-listed Slater & Gordon (S&G) has revealed a revised version of its accounts following an audit of its UK business, which shows profit after tax of nearly £20m on revenue of £128m for the 2014/15 financial year.
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Dealwatch: Herbert Smith Freehills strikes gold with Polyus takeover bid
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has picked up a new client as a number of firms took advisory roles in Sacturino’s bid to buy the remaining part of Polyus Gold it does not own.
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Clydes sees run of departures after City corporate team comes under scrutiny
Several corporate partners have resigned from Clyde & Co’s London office after what has been described as a ‘shoulder tapping exercise’ took place as the practice came under management scrutiny for under performance.
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Opting in: Consumer Rights Act ushers in class action model in much touted competition reforms
The Consumer Rights Act 2015, which comes into force today (1 October), will for the first time establish a procedure for class actions for competition claims, giving consumers and small businesses an easier route to success for claims made over anti-competitive behaviour, including price fixing and market sharing.
US firm partner promotions: Kirkland elevates eight in London, while Goodwin Procter promotes one
In its latest global partnership promotion round, Kirkland & Ellis has promoted another eight of its London associates to partner, the same as last year, as 90 lawyers join the firm’s 735-global partnership.
A&O, Ropes and Latham advise on £1bn Ibstock flotation
Allen & Overy (A&O) is advising new client Ibstock, alongside US firms Ropes & Gray and Latham & Watkins as it floats on the London Stock Exchange.
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Skadden hires new Paris tax head as Linklaters is served with another partner exit
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is ramping up its Paris offering, having hired Linklaters tax partner Thomas Perrot to head its French tax practice.
VW emission scandal: City claimant firms gear up for diesel-rigging case affecting 1.2m UK cars
Claimant firms Slater & Gordon and Leigh Day are gearing up to represent what could be thousands of European car purchasers after Volkswagen (VW) admitted to rigging diesel engine emission tests in the US and Europe.
Dealwatch: Olswang, Weil Gotshal among firms acting on French Burger King acquisition
A host of firms including Olswang, Weil Gotshal & Manges have won advisory work as Burger King France owner Groupe Bertrand negotiates to acquire Belgian hamburger chain Quick.
Herbert Smith Freehills trims regional management as Cox and Cochrane take on more global roles
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has rejigged its global executive for the first time since its Anglo-Australian merger in 2012, trimming back regional management in a bid to boost its integration effort.
Your Legal Friend brings £9m shareholder group action against Quindell
Liverpool-based law firm Your Legal Friend, formerly known as Camps Solicitors, has launched a shareholder group action against Quindell under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), following the £312m swing from profit to loss in its professional services division (PSD).
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Deus ex machina: Riverview Law targets in-house with legal tech consultancy
Alternative legal services provider Riverview Law has launched a new service in a bid to help in-house teams develop automated legal processes.
Referred to as its ‘Solutions Prototyping Consultancy‘, Riverview is targeting large global corporations and mid-sized companies with the aim of helping them develop a technology-driven operating model.
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