Litigation powerhouses Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Boies, Schiller & Flexner, have been selected by hedge funds who purchased bonds issued by India’s Castex Technologies to prepare for a $200m dispute in the English courts.
BPP continues to lure Kaplan clients as it wins Mayer Brown’s business
Despite already having a relationship with The University of Law (ULaw), Mayer Brown has become the latest firm to opt for BPP as their Legal Practice Course (LPC) provider after Kaplan announced the closure of its law school at the end of 2016.
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In-house: Standard Life hires RBS stalwart Rushad Abadan as GC
After nearly a year since its previous permanent general counsel (GC) exited the insurer, Standard Life has hired Rushad Abadan from British banking giant RBS as its new legal head.
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Asia: US firms chase disputes work as Kobre & Kim and Alston & Bird launch new offices and Reed Smith builds in Singapore
The past week has continued to see law firms invest in Asia with US litigation outfit Kobre & Kim chasing litigation work with a new office in Seoul, Alston & Bird targeting intellectual property (IP) mandates with its first Asian office and Reed Smith building its projects practice with a focus on disputes.
Voting with your feet: Nabarro and HFW pick BPP after Kaplan shuts law school
After more than five years at Kaplan, both Nabarro and Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) have opted for BPP as their Legal Practice Course (LPC) provider over the University of Law (ULaw).
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A&O turns the tables on Latham with structured finance partner Oddy’s hire
Reversing the flow of partners from the Magic Circle to US firms, Allen & Overy has made a rare lateral hire in London and recruited structured finance lawyer Lucy Oddy from Latham & Watkins.
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Big four pacesetter A&O maintains expansive form to launch in much-hyped Seoul
Global firms continue to pile into South Korea with Allen & Overy (A&O) the latest to announce it will launch an office in Seoul as the firm aims to offer clients antitrust, arbitration and IP advice, alongside the traditional projects, capital markets and M&A.
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OC pushes on with Asian growth strategy as it formalises Hong Kong links
Osborne Clarke (OC) has taken another step into Asia by formalising its relationship with Hong Kong-based Koh Vass & Co, in a move which paves the way for a combination between the two firms.
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Dealwatch: Glencore returns to Linklaters and Clifford Chance for $10bn debt deal
Commodities giant Glencore has turned to Magic Circle firms Linklaters and Clifford Chance to implement a raft of plans in order to cut $10.2bn from the business’ $30bn debt pile.
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In-house: Transocean starts headhunting as GC who secured Deepwater Horizon settlements steps down
Lars Sjöbring, senior vice president and general counsel at Transocean, has resigned from his role after steering the company through litigation stemming from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
DLA Piper sharpens sector strategy to focus on seven key areas
Global law firm DLA Piper has launched a seven-sector strategy as the firm bids to sharpen its focus and foster great amounts of cross-selling.
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Comment: What can you be sure of as the LB100 goes down the rabbit hole?
It’s common in the legal industry to talk about unprecedented change but there are many rules of professional gravity unchanged for 20 years to keep feet on the ground and most lawyers in their place.
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Dealwatch: Freshfields and Cleary Gottlieb advise on Tesco’s £4bn South Korean sale
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton have won roles advising as Tesco agrees to sell its South Korean unit Homeplus for £4.2bn, in an effort to raise funds to revitalise the business.
Shearman hires Freshfields head of telecoms Miller in push to broaden City M&A offering
Shearman & Sterling has hired Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s co-head of telecoms, media and technology, Frank Miller, as the firm bids to pull in a greater array of M&A in the City.
Parabis’ private equity owner in ‘discreet discussions’ to sell off legal businesses
Following a number of restructurings and a Christmas-time capital injection from its private equity owner, insurance-focused law firm Parabis Group is in talks to sell off parts of its business.
Ranson eyes Eversheds’ chief exec role as he leads growth drive
In a move which sets him in a strong position to run for chief executive when incumbent Bryan Hughes steps down in 2017, Eversheds managing partner Lee Ranson (pictured) has been tasked with leading a ‘Growth Agenda’ following the firm’s subdued performance in this year’s Legal Business 100, which saw growth flatline, and profit per equity partner (PEP) edge up by 2%.
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Revolving Doors: Insurance-focused firms invest as Clydes expands in South Africa and DWF hires a former managing partner
Last week saw a flurry of announcements as firms revealed their hires made over the summer. Clyde & Co invested in its South Africa office with a lateral from Linklaters’ ally Webber Wentzel, DWF hired the former managing partner of Anderson Strathern and Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) hired a partner from Chadbourne & Parke’s City office.
The right questions – The client view on innovation
In a flagship report last year, we teamed up with BLP to assess the state of innovation in law – and the role of leaders in forcing through change within conservative law firms. We assemble a group of GCs and academics to get the client perspective
Innovation it seems is everywhere and nowhere in the legal industry these days. Given the dramatic upheaval in the global economy over the last six years and an unmistakable shift in in-house legal teams – teams that are increasingly able to take over work being unimaginatively handled by external counsel – providers are at pains to stress their progressive credentials.
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Professional Indemnity – There may be trouble ahead
It feels like 2014 again as the SRA pushes for an upheaval to the PII market amid benign conditions for insuring law firms. But with negligence claims mounting, how long can the calm last?
In what felt to many in the profession like a bureaucratic version of Groundhog Day, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) again issued a discussion paper on professional indemnity insurance (PII) in July. Groundhog Day, because the SRA put back on the table many of the proposals it had originally suggested around the same time last year, again suggesting a reduction in the minimum compulsory cover levels for PII from £2m-£3m to £500,000 and the requirement that law firms assess the PII cover level appropriate for their work themselves.
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Small gestures – can a new wave of social inclusion schemes deliver?
Despite much debate in recent years, social inclusion in the legal profession remains woeful. Are a new range of initiatives the latest diversity fads or steps towards a breakthrough?
Ray Berg, UK managing partner of Osborne Clarke, recalls first getting his foot in the door of the legal profession: ‘I only got work experience because my dad started talking to someone in the back of his cab. He was so proud to say his son was this, that and the other. That someone was the then managing partner at Nicholson Graham & Jones and he said: “Would your son like to do a week’s work experience with us?” That was extremely fortuitous but people without those contacts shouldn’t have to rely on fortune like that.’
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