Browne Jacobson has, for the second year in a row, posted a rise in turnover of over 10% with the firm generating £58.9m in the 2014/15 financial year – up 17% from last year’s £50.2m
Harnessing ‘new technologies’: Dentons launches NextLaw Labs to boost innovation
Dentons has launched a collaborative venture, NextLaw Labs, focused on developing, deploying and investing in new technologies and processes for the legal profession in a bid to ‘drive innovation in legal services, more responsiveness and greater value’.
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Taking off: Luton airport appoints TFL’s Swati Paul as new general counsel
London Luton Airport has appointed TFL’s Swati Paul as its new general counsel, the first in-house appointment since Spanish airport operator Aena acquired the UK’s fifth biggest airport in 2013.
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Guest post: An EU referendum Bill – what would it entail?
It is reported that the government’s EU Referendum Bill will be published the day after the Queen’s Speech – see, for example, The Guardian 19 May. This Bill will not be the first Bill to seek a referendum but, this time, it is a government commitment and was a clear manifesto commitment.
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Financials 2014/15: PEP soars by 22% at BLP as turnover rises to £259m
The first top 20 UK firm to announce its 2014/15 financial performance, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has posted a 6% rise in turnover to £259m as its profit per equity partner (PEP) jumps 22% to £659,000.
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Asia: Sidley builds Singapore M&A team with White & Case’s Indonesia chief as KWM loses an arbitration partner
Sidley Austin has boosted both its M&A and private equity offering in Southeast Asia with the hire of White & Case partner and Indonesia chief Charlie Wilson into its Singapore office.
Guest post: What makes tax lawyers morally limited?
I find the psychology of professional ethics endlessly fascinating. Take this piece by Elaine Doyle, Jane Frecknall Hughes and Barbara Summers (2013) An Empirical Analysis of the Ethical Reasoning of Tax Practitioners, (access here), which I thank Iain Campbell for mentioning to me.
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Targeting the City: Fried Frank hires Hogan Lovells’ Brinkworth as head of finance
After having hired two private equity partners in recent months, US firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has bolstered its finance capability with the hire of Hogan Lovells finance partner Stuart Brinkworth (picutred) to head its London finance offering.
Revolving doors: Cooley, Pannone, DWF and K&L Gates all bolster UK numbers
Last week saw a quartet of US and UK firms, namely Cooley, Pannone Corporate, DWF and K&L Gates, all make lateral hires in the areas of tax, regulatory, real estate, and finance.
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Staying put: A&O Brazil partner remains at the firm having been set for Paul Hastings
Banking partner Bruno Soares, who decided to leave Allen & Overy’s (A&O) Brazil offering to join US firm Paul Hastings and help establish its Sao Paulo office in March, has made the unusual step of reversing his decision.
Partner promotions: Travers Smith adds seven new partners in bumper round
Following two years of slim promotions, Travers Smith has promoted seven lawyers, over 10% of its existing partnership, to partner in a round that’s bigger than 2013 and 2014 combined.
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Emerging markets: White & Case sets up another Indonesia alliance
Moving on from its former association in Indonesia after it suffered several key exits, White & Case has forged a new alliance with local, Jakarta-based firm Witara Cakra Advocates.
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Dealwatch: Linklaters and CC act on New Look sale as South African billionaire Wiese continues UK high street buy-up
Less than 30 days after advising on the £1.3bn purchase of Virgin Active by South African billionaire Christo Wiese’s private equity vehicle Brait, Linklaters‘ rising star Alex Woodward has led on Brait’s £780m deal for a 90% stake in clothing retailer New Look.
Comment: Legal boutiques – unheralded, thriving and coming after your lunch
The rise of boutiques has been yet another development shaping the legal industry that no-one predicted. Conventional wisdom for years held that law firms should go global or specialise but that was largely in the context of mid-tier players becoming more tightly defined around a handful of profitable practice areas (which pretty much hasn’t happened either).
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Replacing Stewart: Olswang picks IP partner Paul Stevens as new chief executive
After looking externally for a permanent replacement for former chief executive David Stewart, Olswang has turned internally and elected intellectual property partner Paul Stevens (pictured) to the role.
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Mounting departures: Trowers loses another partner in the Middle East as CRS hires a new construction chief
Trowers & Hamlins’ former head of Bahrain construction Paula Boast has returned to Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS) as its Middle East head of construction, after spending almost nine years at Trowers’ Bahrain office.
Stephenson Harwood’s Tony Woodcock: Policing the City – where do in-house lawyers fit in?
Though one is always on dangerous ground in suggesting that anything was clear or uncomplicated in the Financial Services Authority’s Handbook and its successors, one could comfortably say that in-house lawyers were not regarded as significant influence function-holders requiring approval under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2000.
Relying on new friends: Dentons to close Singapore office ahead of Dacheng combination
Within months of announcing a combination with one of China’s biggest law firms, Dacheng, Dentons is closing down its Singapore practice as it plans to rely on its new partner’s presence in the country.
In-house: National Grid launches UK panel review in bid to shrink roster
Energy giant National Grid has launched its first UK wide panel review for five years and is considering shrinking its current roster, Legal Business has learned.
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Targeting Warsaw: Greenberg takes A&O and NRF former Polish real estate heads in 12-lawyer hire
Greenberg Traurig has hired real estate teams from both Allen & Overy (A&O) and Norton Rose Fulbright as it bolsters its practice in Warsaw with 12 new lawyers.