In the Middle Ages, map makers would often depict a place where ships could sail off the end of the world. The dangerous straits of uncharted territory were marked by pictures of ferocious sea monsters, vividly suggesting the terrible fate in store for the unwary sailor who tried to go where there were no instructions for the journey. Continue reading “Here be dragons: starting a legal function from scratch”
Most of you can shut your eyes and easily visualise the moon. You’d be able to ‘see’ the ‘face’, the distinctive features that make our moon so recognisable to us. We all know what the moon looks like. But how often have you looked at the other side of the moon, the ‘dark side’? Continue reading “The dark side of the moon”
People go in-house for a variety of reasons, such as wanting to be more involved on the business side, and a desire for greater control over their schedule. The notion of in-house lawyers clocking off at 5pm went out with the dodo, but many in-housers report less fetishisation of the jacket-on-the chair culture than in private practice. Continue reading “In-house got talent? Bay area GCs on hiring”
Catherine McGregor: How does department structure impact on the motivation and incentives of your staff and direct reports? Continue reading “Playing it forward: team structure and motivation”
My team primarily provides legal services to the largest-scale commercial transactions, bond and securities issues, divestitures, joint ventures and M&A. There’s obviously an imperative to avoid litigation, or situations that could lead to the potential for litigation. CNOOC considers a huge number of opportunities, so we get exposed to many potentially high-profile deals, but we only look at about 5% of all the opportunities we’re offered seriously. Continue reading “In-house life – Leslie Zhang Cnooc”
Riverview Law, the fixed priced legal services business, is set to open a second US office with a launch in New Jersey in August as it looks to broaden its offering in the States.
The past seven days have seen Hogan Lovells make a key arbitration hire in New York, Jones Day make a play for Latin American disputes with a double hire in Miami while Hill Dickinson undertook a double hire of its own to bulk up its real estate team.
Ashurst has made a rare lateral hire from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London, bringing in the firm’s country partner for Australia and co-head of mining and metals, James Wood, to bolster its corporate division.
The legal profession is set to see a spate of downsizing of its real estate holdings according to CBRE’s Professional London report with legal occupiers having breaks or leases expiring covering 4.9m sq ft over the next six years.
Documents filed at the London Stock Exchange today (29 May) reveal West Midlands firm Gateley is aiming for a £100m valuation and has investors lined up as it plans to be the first UK law firm to carry out an initial public offering (IPO).
Continue reading “Gateley valued at £100m as it reveals first investors in landmark IPO”
Slaughter and May teamed up with a Baker & McKenzie team led out of London to help US data giant Equinix in its £2.35bn takeover bid for UK rival and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer client Telecity.
The latest firm to win work challenging the UK government’s decision to introduce plain cigarette packaging, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Tom Snelling has launched High Court litigation on behalf of Japan Tobacco International, the maker of Camel, Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut.
As Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co continues its post-merger integration, stalwart Quentin Poole (pictured) has taken on a new role as the firm’s international head in a bid to strengthen its overseas offering.
Continue reading “WLG’s Poole changes retirement plans to take on international head role”
Duncan Woollard has become the latest private equity partner to leave King & Wood Mallesons, heading for Paul Hastings to spearhead its private funds practice in the City.
Addleshaw Goddard has hired Olswang’s general counsel (GC) and partnership secretary Simon Callander as it expands its partnership secretary role, left vacant by Peter Smith last year, to include GC responsibilities.
Gateley has set 8 June as its expected admission date onto the AIM listing, giving it little over a week left to garner interest in what will be the first UK law firm to carry out an initial public offering (IPO).
Continue reading “95p to own a share of Gateley: Firm targets 8 June for admission onto AIM”
Hogan Lovells has bolstered its German operations with senior corporate partner Matthias Jaletzke, who counts Apax Partners among his clients, joining the firm from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom alongside two other lawyers.
The long-awaited trial against three former Dewey & LeBoeuf executives, which will in part probe the causes behind the largest law firm collapse in legal history, started yesterday (26 May) concerning allegations the trio committed criminal fraud and altered accounts in a bid to prevent the firm’s demise.
In one of the largest M&A deals so far this year, US law firms continued to show their dominance of their home market with six securing roles on the $55bn takeover of Time Warner Cable by Charter Communications.
Continue reading “Dealwatch: US firms line up on the $55bn takeover of Time Warner Cable”
Erica Handling, the former EMEA investment bank general counsel (GC) for Barclays, has swapped the bank for a similar role at funds manager BlackRock in a move mirroring the market shift to a more prominent role for asset management companies.
Continue reading “Rise of the funds: Former Barclays EMEA GC Handling takes role at BlackRock”
