McClure Naismith appointed joint administrators on Friday (28 August) just twelve days after the firm’s executive chairman Robin Shannan told the Sunday Herald the firm ‘had not been enjoying the easiest of times.’ Market views agree, putting the failure of one of Scotland’s oldest law firms down to a loss in momentum that led to ‘a game of jenga’.
DAC Beachroft gains ABS for claims business as it prepares for ‘complex and challenging market’
DAC Beachcroft is the latest firm to enter the alternative business structure (ABS) market gaining a licence for its Claims Ltd as it seeks to future-proof its offering in the sector.
Jenner & Block hires White & Case’s Charlie Lightfoot to front London launch
As Jenner & Block ramps up its City presence, the US litigation firm has hired White & Case partner Charlie Lightfoot to lead its charge on the London litigation market.
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Putting things in context: Magic Circle commits to social mobility tool after highly critical report
Eight elite City firms have adopted a contextual recruitment tool designed to boost social mobility in their ranks after a government report criticised professional services firms for ‘systematically excluding bright working-class applicants’ from their workforce.
Mishcon, A&O and Matthew Arnold Baldwin win places as The Co-op Bank unveils 11-strong inaugural legal panel
The Co-operative Bank has appointed 11 firms to form its legal supplier panel with firms including Clifford Chance (CC) and Pinsent Masons winning places after a ‘competitive tender and detailed interview process.’
Justice Eder returns to Essex Court after early retirement from the bench
Having taken early retirement from the bench in April after just four years of service, former High Court judge Sir Bernard Eder has returned to private practice at his former set, Essex Court Chambers, where he will serve as an arbitrator or mediator in disputes.
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Firms divide up McClure Naismith as Scottish stalwart goes into administration
Scottish firms have started dividing up partners and staff at McClure Naismith after the nearly 200-year old firm appointed partners from FRP Advisory as joint administrators on Friday (28 August), though some staff have been made redundant.
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Going Dutch: Taylor Wessing hooks up with former EY Law outfit in the Netherlands
Taylor Wessing has today [1 September] announced it has merged with Dutch firm Deterink, gaining offices in Amsterdam and Eindhoven as it looks to broaden its European presence.
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‘Of strategic importance’: Dechert enters Saudi Arabia with Hassan Mahassni association as Shearman opens in Dubai
After Saudi Arabia’s liberalisation of its capital markets, Dechert has established a presence in the Kingdom by forming an association with the Law Firm of Hassan Mahassni. Shearman & Sterling also bolstered its presence in the Middle East with a new office in Dubai.
EY Law recruits competition chief from CC to spearhead state aid, antitrust and trade practice
Big Four accountant EY continues to enhance its international legal offering and has recruited Clifford Chance’s (CC) competition-focused counsel Steven Verschuur to lead its EU State aid, competition and trade law practice.
Keep calm and call counsel
‘There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.’ So said former US diplomat and politician Henry Kissinger (according to The New York Times Magazine on 1st June 1969). Most of our readers will have had the same thought – perhaps on multiple occasions – but, as veterans of business crises all know: the GC simply has to make time.
The sum of its parts – Charles Handy and the human factor
Charles Handy is often mistakenly claimed as a homegrown British management guru. He’s actually Irish, but he did spend most of his working life in Britain and still resides in the UK.
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What did you do when you weren’t at the office today?
In the last few months I’ve been involved in a number of roundtable discussions, World Café events, advisory boards, awards and publication launches, all within the in-house world. I’ve enjoyed the interactions, the company, the humour and the conversation. Some of you may even have met me at one or two of these occassions.
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GC reads… Covering – The Hidden Assault On Our Civil Rights
NYU School of Law professor Kenji Yoshino’s Covering makes the impassioned argument that despite the enshrinement of equality in the American justice system, the right of the individual not to have to ‘cover’ or mute aspects of their difference that are perceived as a ‘choice’ remain unprotected to a large degree – in everyday life as well as the courtroom.
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Fight for your rights
Nina Macpherson (NM): We are a truly global company and, as such, we do business in more or less every country of the world. In meeting the challenges of a global operation, Ericsson has a code of business ethics based on the UN Global Compact principles, which covers human rights, labour standards, environmental management, anti-corruption and so on.
Cutting out corruption
Once upon a time, in a country far, far away, there was a local tax official. He approached the local manager of a major multinational, offering a reduction in the company’s tax bill in exchange for a bribe. When asked for advice, the general counsel of the multinational forbade the bribe, because to make a payment to the local tax official would be a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
In-house life: Marek Szydłowski, TVN Group
Every day at TVN is different. Not a lot of it is spent on practising law, although when that happens, the matters that land on my desk are the most strategic or confidential legal issues. Quite a lot of time is spent on management work with my direct reports. My duties also include monitoring and presenting TVN’s point of view on any legislative initiatives that may impact operations.
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Legal fusion
GC: Schneider has been acquisitive over the last few years. In terms of the core legal team, what challenges does that represent?
Peter Wexler (PW): There are a couple of things you need to look at when you’re doing an acquisition of a company. Does it have a legal team? Some of the acquisitions we did came with small teams, some with none, and some with large legal teams.
Creating a fun and interesting compliance programme – Pernod Ricard tells us how
The compliance stakes are climbing higher and higher for global companies. Over the past few years, French companies in particular have had a wake-up call: three of the ten biggest-ever FCPA fines have been levied on businesses headquartered in the country.
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Private equity: the equity of in-house
It happens in every private equity deal; private equity firms engage outside legal counsel to conduct extensive pre-acquisition due diligence. The primary result of outside counsel’s hundreds – or even thousands – of hours of legal review is a thorough due diligence report highlighting actual and potential legal risks associated with the target company.