130,382: Solicitors numbers rise led by in-house expansion while training contract numbers continue to slide

The Law Society today (27 April 2015) published its Annual Statistics Report 2014, showing that while the number of solicitors rose, returning to growth in 2014 after dipping in 2013, and those graduating with a law degree reached record highs, the number of training contracts continued to fall.

Continue reading “130,382: Solicitors numbers rise led by in-house expansion while training contract numbers continue to slide”

Revolving doors: European hires as HSF recruits in Germany and Bird & Bird focuses on Denmark while Ogier hires from Kirkland

King & Wood Mallesons real estate team hire from Eversheds may have made the headlines last week, but there were plenty of notable hires elsewhere. Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) bolstered its Frankfurt office which it launched in 2013 with a finance partner from K&L Gates while Bird & Bird welcomed a new partner in Denmark and Ogier added to its dispute resolution team in the Cayman Islands with a hire from Kirkland & Ellis’ London office.

Continue reading “Revolving doors: European hires as HSF recruits in Germany and Bird & Bird focuses on Denmark while Ogier hires from Kirkland”

A €350bn asset manager: Slaughters and Links lead on Santander and UniCredit’s asset management merger

Slaughter and May and best friend firm Uría Menéndez plus Davis Polk & Wardwell in the US were instructed by Santander to combine its asset management arm with Linklaters-client Unicredit’s Pioneer Investments to create one of Europe’s biggest asset managers.

Continue reading “A €350bn asset manager: Slaughters and Links lead on Santander and UniCredit’s asset management merger”

‘A significant phase of renewal’: King & Wood Mallesons takes real estate team from Eversheds

Three months after persuading Eversheds‘ heavyweight real estate trio William Naunton, Clive Jones and Cornelius Medvei to stay in Big Law and not launch their own boutique, King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) has hired a team of Eversheds partners as it seeks to reshape its London office.

Continue reading “‘A significant phase of renewal’: King & Wood Mallesons takes real estate team from Eversheds”

Significant mandates: Slaughters, Paul Weiss and Hengeler act as Deutsche Bank fined $2.5bn

Famed for its work on blockbuster M&A, Slaughter and May had five partners working around the clock as Deutsche Bank received a $2.5bn fine from regulatory authorities in the US and UK over investigations into its role in the manipulation of interest rates Libor and Euribor between 2005 and 2010.

Continue reading “Significant mandates: Slaughters, Paul Weiss and Hengeler act as Deutsche Bank fined $2.5bn”

Guest post: The Conservative Party manifesto and human rights

The Conservative Party manifesto states that the terms of British EU membership will be renegotiated and an in/out referendum held. The Human Rights Act will be ‘scrapped’ and replaced by a British Bill of Rights. As for legal aid, the document merely informs us that they would continue to review our legal aid systems, so they can continue to promote access to justice in an efficient way.

Continue reading “Guest post: The Conservative Party manifesto and human rights”

Guest post: Ed can enter No. 10 without Nicola’s keys

This election looks a close-run thing – very close run indeed. As I write, polls and forecasts suggest strongly that no party’s going to get near a majority. There’s a lot of talk about what could happen after May 7th. And an idea’s beginning to take hold that, in a hung Parliament, Ed Miliband would need some sort of advance promise of support from the Scottish Nationalists before the Queen would appoint him Prime Minister.

Continue reading “Guest post: Ed can enter No. 10 without Nicola’s keys”

Building the team: Withers boosts Connecticut office with 11-strong hire from US outfit

After undertaking a signifcant push into the Asia-Pacific market since the start of this year, Withers has now enhanced its corporate, litigation and IP law capabilities in the US with the hire of an 11-strong team, comprising five partners and six lawyers, to its Greenwich, Connecticut office.

Continue reading “Building the team: Withers boosts Connecticut office with 11-strong hire from US outfit”