A report by the Law Society published today (6 August) into the health and well-being of solicitors has found that solicitors took an average of 1.8 days a year due to illness or injury in 2014, less than half the national average recorded in 2013 of 4.4 days.
Continue reading “1.8 a year: Solicitors take less than half the national average of sick days”
A raft of Global 100 firms, including Allen & Overy (A&O) and Slaughter and May, have won work as three of Europe’s bottlers combine to form the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler.
Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) has seen a 15% slide in its profits per equity partner (PEP) for the 2014/15 financial year as the firm increased its partnership ranks but saw turnover and profit fall.
Continue reading “PEP plunges 15% to fall below £500k at Holman Fenwick as revenue drops”
After having carried out two redundancy rounds over the year, Hill Dickinson has seen its revenues for 2014/15 fall 6% from £112m to £104m while profit per equity partner (PEP) is down 4% from £271,000 last financial year to £261,000.
In its reshuffle of senior management, The University of Law (ULaw) has appointed Lord Grabiner QC (pictured) as president after the departure of the incumbent-holder and chief executive, John Latham, by ‘mutual consent’.
Shire has turned to longstanding adviser Slaughter and May in the UK while Ropes & Gray won the mandate in the US as it looks to takeover rival drug company and Kirkland & Ellis-client Baxalta in a hostile $33.9bn deal.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has confirmed that it is investigating Quindell’s ‘business and accounting practices’ as the company published revised annual accounts for 2014 showing a £312m swing from profit to loss in its Professional Services Division (PSD).
The University of Law’s (ULaw) chief executive John Latham has left the institution by ‘mutual consent’ after having lost several key clients to rival BPP and as the university seeks to win more business from students without training contracts by offering a money-back guarantee.
Continue reading “ULaw’s chief exec departs as university woos students with job guarantee”
Simmons & Simmons is set to shut its nine-partner office in Rome following a ‘detailed review’ and focus on clients in Italy’s industrial heartland in the north of the country.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges‘ structured finance practice in the City has been hit by the departure of two lawyers with partner Rupert Wall heading to Sidley Austin and senior associate Chris McGarry making partner at Ropes & Gray.
With a mandate to generate London revenues of upwards of $40m, Cooley is making good on its City ambitions and hired a trio of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo lawyers to bulk out its London offering and launch a patent practice.
Continue reading “Cooley continues London expansion with launch of City patent practice”
Having entered the legal services market in 2014 by buying Simpson Millar, Eversheds-client Fairpoint group has added a second law firm to its holdings with the acquisition of Colemans-ctts for £9m.
Having helped secure third-party funding, City boutique Signature Litigation has been instructed by the RBS Shareholders Action Group in its high profile £1.2bn court battle against the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), the second change for the case and a move which has replaced Fladgate.
Continue reading “Funding issue sees Signature Litigation replace Fladgate on RBS litigation”
In a fillip for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the first person to go on trial after a global investigation into interest rate manipulation scandal, Tom Hayes, has been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court and convicted on eight counts of conspiracy to defraud.
O’Melveny & Myers (OMM) made a strategic move last week as it continues to ramp up its City office with the hire of Mishcon de Reya’s co-head of funds and financial services while Eversheds also looked to bolster its London presence. In Asia, Morrison & Foerster made a high-profile hire when it recruited Winston & Strawn’s Asia head of litigation.
Continue reading “Revolving doors: Mishcon loses City funds chief to OMM as firms bulk up in Asia”
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Kirkland & Ellis continue to swap talent in the City, this time with Kirkland hiring the Magic Circle’s finance partner Michael Steele.
Top-50 UK law firm Burges Salmon has posted another year of solid growth as results released for the 2014/15 year show revenue up by 6% to £80.8m from £76.5m while profit per equity partner jumped 11% to £485,000.
Helped by its Scottish and Northern Ireland mergers, BLM has surpassed the £100m turnover mark and posted £104m in revenues for the 2014/15 financial year.
Continue reading “PEP up to £265k as BLM’s mergers lift firm past £100m turnover mark”
Mr Justice Peter Smith is set to face an investigation by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) after his recent recusal from the high-profile litigation involving British Airways (BA).
Continue reading “Judicial watchdog investigates Justice Peter Smith after BA ‘lost luggage’ case”
I knew better and that only makes this worse. Recently, I needed a lawyer to review an agreement. There was some vague language that made me anxious. So I called an old friend who recommended one of the partners at his big firm. The partner gave me good advice, spotted an issue I hadn’t considered, re-drafted a couple clauses, and left me feeling reassured. The problem went away.
Continue reading “Guest post: Tales of an Unhappy Client – The Search for a Smarter Way to Bill”
