Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has recruited a team of five lawyers from Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson’s disputes practice in Hong Kong in the wake of the latter’s decision to pull out of Asia in January.
Partner promotions: CMS makes up 39 in international partnership round
The CMS international network has this year made up 39 lawyers to partner across Europe and the Middle East, including 10 in the UK and with women accounting for over 46% of total promotions.
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Partner promotions: DAC Beachcroft makes up 47% of 15-strong round in Bristol
UK-top 25 firm DAC Beachcroft has announced its partnership promotions for 2015, making up almost half of its intake in Bristol.
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In-house: Lloyds’ disputes head Simmons exits as Dixons Carphone appoints BT’s Paterson after merger
Lloyds Banking Group has seen the exit of disputes chief Philippa Simmons as the bank undergoes a consultation of the in-house legal team that could see up to 25 mid-level redundancies. Meanwhile, BT Group’s general counsel (GC) for consumer legal, governance, compliance & regulatory, Nigel Paterson, has taken on the GC role at Dixons Carphone less than a year after the latter’s merger.
Partner promotions: Taylor Wessing makes five up to partner in UK as Clydes global round sees 13 made up
As it shifts to an all equity structure, Taylor Wessing has this year promoted five lawyers to partner in its UK round, building on last year’s promotions which saw three made up in the City. Meanwhile, Clyde & Co has made up 13 to its partnership.
Targeting London: Ropes launches City commercial litigation practice with K&L Gates hire
Five years after setting up in London, Ropes & Gray has launched a City-based commercial litigation practice with the hire of K&L Gates disputes partner Thomas Ross.
Middle East: DLA Piper opens second office in Saudi Arabia with plans for a third
Following its Canada merger last month with Vancouver-based Davis, DLA Piper has embarked on further international expansion opening a second office in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah and plans for a third in the country.
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Revolving doors: CC loses another German partner as Ashurst hires from Reed Smith and HFW turns to Orrick
Last week saw K&L Gates become the latest firm to pick up a partner from Clifford Chance’s (CC) Germany practice, hiring an intellectual property (IP) partner into its Frankfurt office. Meanwhile, Ashurst turn to Reed smith to hire a global head for its pro bono practice, Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) boosted it Paris finance team with a high-profile higher from Orrick and in-house saw Publicis Groupe appoint a new general counsel (GC).
Expanding the board: BLP adds two to its board including first overseas member
With the leadership of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) set to change on 1 May, the firm’s new managing partner Lisa Mayhew will have an expanded board to work with after the partnership voted German managing partner Roland Fabian and asset finance head Russell Clifford on to the body.
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Comment: Being right in real life is much harder than being right intellectually
A long, long time ago when I used to report on fund management, one of the defining figures was Tony Dye, then the chief investment officer of Phillips & Drew, one of the City’s most storied asset management houses.
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Partner promotions: Weightmans makes an all-female round as BLM cuts its to six and Browne Jacobson’s partnership passes 100
This week saw Weightmans carry out its first all-female promotions round, making four women up to partner level, while BLM made up six in a reduced round from 2014 and Browne Jacobson promoted seven new partners taking its total partnership to 104.
Partner promotions: Allen & Overy makes up 22 to partner in a 40% female round
In its largest promotions round for years, Allen & Overy has made up 22 lawyers to partner with nine of those being women. The round saw just under a third made up in the City while a strong contingent was based in continental Europe.
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Building the team: Mishcon de Reya hires Proskauer corporate partner
In an effort to broaden its M&A and private equity capability, City firm Mishcon de Reya has today (16 April) announced the hire of corporate partner Michael Nouril from Proskauer Rose.
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Guest post: Legal Risk Study – how in-house lawyers manage (or don’t) ethics and risk
Dealwatch: A&O, Linklaters and Slaughters take lead on Virgin Active sale to South Africa-listed Brait
Magic Circle trio Allen & Overy (A&O), Linklaters and Slaughter and May have taken instructions advising on Virgin Group’s £682m sale of an 80% stake in international health club operator Virgin Active to South African-listed private equity group Brait.
10 weeks to respond: Cleary Gottlieb called in to handle EU competition claims against Google
Google’s lawyers at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton have been given 10 weeks to respond to the European Commission’s charges that the search engine abused its dominant position to favour its own price comparison service.
Targeting London: Goodwin Procter hires KWM’s Lever to launch City PE practice
Having set its sights on creating a private equity practice, given how Weil, Gotshal & Manges has made moves on prized client Advent International, Goodwin Procter has hired King & Wood Mallesons’ City corporate co-head Richard Lever.
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Financials 2013/14: Baker & McKenzie’s UK outfit sees profits slump despite turnover rise
Baker & McKenzie UK arm’s LLP accounts for the year ending 30 June 2014, filed at Companies House this week, show operating profits fell some 13% from £48.2m in 2012/13 to £42.1m in 2013/14.
Opening up new markets: Trowers becomes first foreign firm to get licence in Malaysia
Trowers & Hamlins has become the first law firm to secure a Qualified Foreign Law Firm (QFLF) licence in Malaysia as it seeks to capitalise on its Islamic finance offering and target European bound investment.
Simpson Thacher’s Glover: Tied up and tied down – a peculiar way to police the private funds market
The financial crisis ushered a wave of new regulations aimed at mitigating systemic risk to the financial system. While no-one has been able to rationally point a finger at private funds as a cause of the crisis, the industry has nonetheless seen a dramatic rise in the level of regulation and scrutiny. As legal and compliance costs soar, one is hard-pressed to find a private fund manager or – perhaps more importantly – an investor welcoming these changes.