As McClure Naismith reveals its difficulties in the Scottish market today (20 August), Burness Paull has shown it is not all doom and gloom for independent Scottish firms by posting double-digit growth in both turnover and profits, with revenues increasing by 11% to £51.3m and profits up 12% to £23.2m.
After 30 years of Appold Street, Ashurst set for new City location in 2019
Ashurst is set to move its entire London operation to a new location at 1-10 Brushfield Street in Spitalfields in 2019 after having shifted its Sydney-based operations last month.
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Guest post: Legal project managers – pioneers or homesteaders?
The recruiters are scouring the market for project managers (PM) to work in law firms. But whilst firms can agree on the title, they don’t agree on the role specification and often the real job is different yet again. So what exactly are they looking for, and why are many firms failing to find them?
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Law firms avoid ‘dangerous precedent’ as High Court clarifies PII rules in landmark dispute against insurer AIG
A client of City-based law firm Royds has been granted a landmark ruling over an insurance-related dispute against insurer AIG with the High Court clarifying the Solicitors’ Minimum Terms of Cover rules.
Dealwatch: Fieldfisher wins role opposite Slaughter and May on private equity takeover of Currencies Direct
Tech-focused firm Fieldfisher bagged an advisory role opposite a five-partner team from Slaughter and May as private equity duo Palamon Capital Partners and Corsair Capital purchased online foreign exchange provider Currencies Direct for £200m.
Ropes adds first full-time City IP partner as it recruits McDermott privacy co-chairs in data security push
Ropes & Gray is pushing on with its City build-out with McDermott Will & Emery data privacy co-chairs joining the firm’s privacy and data security practice in London and Boston.
Financials 2014/15: Irwin Mitchell outperforms insurance peers with 4% turnover growth
Irwin Mitchell has outperformed the relatively flat growth of its insurance-focused peers with modest turnover growth of 4% from £202.7m to £210.6m, along with a 6% rise in profits before tax from £17.1m to £18.1m.
40 out of 48: Freshfields keeps on 83% of autumn 2015 trainees
The first of the Magic Circle’s big four to announce its trainee retention rate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is set to see 40 newly-qualified lawyers walk through its door this autumn, from a trainee intake of 48.
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Senior CC German exits mount as Latham recruits head of banking Hagelüken
Latham & Watkins has returned to Clifford Chance (CC) for another star hire, with German banking chief Alexandra Hagelüken becoming the latest senior partner to switch allegiances.
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Guest post: Why the fuss over Quindell and Slater & Gordon?
OK, the headline is clickbait – kind of. There does, of course, need to be an investigation into Quindell’s financial ‘restatements’, which it admitted earlier this month meant that the 2013 profit after tax of £83m should have been a loss of £68m, and net assets at 31 December 2013 should have been £446m, rather than £668m. That’s a seriously wonky piece of accounting.
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Bryan Cave’s London head talks not being ‘all singing and all dancing’ as firm hires Macfarlanes structured finance chief in City push
After having carried out a strategic review which will see the Global 100 firm look to create three ‘best-in-class’ international practices, Bryan Cave has hired Macfarlanes‘ structured finance and capital markets chief Rachel Kelly as part of a drive to build its financial services offering in the City.
Going south of the river: Greenberg Traurig Maher set for The Shard as it looks to boost City headcount
Greenberg Traurig Maher is moving its London offices to the EU’s tallest building, The Shard of Glass, as the firm plans to bulk up its main practice areas in a wider pan-European push.
In-house: Firms look to ensure places as Prudential assesses legal roster
Four years on from its last review, British insurer Prudential, which recently posted double-digit profit growth, has kicked off the tendering process for spots on its legal panel.
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Linklaters makes it official: Silk Street confirms six-strong managing partner shortlist
With the frontrunners having emerged earlier this summer, the partnership board at Linklaters has formalised the six-man shortlist to replace Simon Davies as managing partner.
Watford’s finest: Dentons in talks with Matthew Arnold & Baldwin over third tie-up of 2015
After having already announced tie-ups with China’s Dacheng and US firm McKenna Long & Aldridge this year, Dentons is pushing on with its expansion plans by holding talks with Watford-headquartered firm Matthew Arnold & Baldwin (MAB).
Ten years after hiring Coudert partners, Dechert pays $2.4m to settle dispute
A long-running case between Dechert and the administrator of the now dissolved Coudert Brothers over the former’s hiring of Paris and Brussels-based partners has finally come to an end with the US dispute shop agreeing to pay $2.4m in a settlement.
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Profits jump 18% at Bircham Dyson Bell as turnover benefits from boutique buy
Westminster firm Bircham Dyson Bell has posted respectable financial results for the 2014/15 year as it grew income 10% to £34.5m from £31.3m and generated profits of £11.1m – up 18%.
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Second edition: Freshfields, Linklaters and Macfarlanes advise on Pearson’s £469m sale of The Economist
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has reprised its role for Pearson as, just weeks after selling the Financial Times, the publishing group agreed to sell its stake in The Economist group for £469m to Macfarlanes‘ client Exor and back to the group itself.
Guest post: Can litigation be project managed? The case for clarity
Litigators live uncertain lives. The current matter could settle or go to trial. Your previous clients may never litigate again. It’s feast or famine.
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White & Case follows project finance clients to launch in Seoul
South Korea is continuing to prove its attraction for Global 100 firms as White & Case launches an office in Seoul with plans to relocate three partners and build on relationships with project finance clients.
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