Ashurst has this morning (8 April) announced its 20-strong partner promotion round, which will take effect from 1 May 2015, with 45% of the new partners female while Macfarlanes reduced round of five comprises 40% women.
A £47bn deal: Slaughters and Freshfields win key roles on Shell’s acquisition of BG Group
Slaughter and May and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have both won key roles advising on Royal Dutch Shell’s £47bn acquisition of BG Group – likely to be one of the biggest M&A deals this year.
In-house: Graham Vinter set to retire as BG Group appoints a new GC
In-house heavyweight Graham Vinter is set to retire as the general counsel (GC) of BG Group later this year, with Norwegian aluminium manufacturer Sapa’s GC, Tom Melbye Eide, lined up to take on the role from 1 September.
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No judicial experience required: Judiciary rolls out diversity initiative for deputy High Court judge roles
In a move to boost diversity within judicial ranks, the judiciary has begun piloting a new initiative to allow candidates from ‘non-traditional backgrounds’ to apply for positions as deputy High Court judges without gaining judicial experience first.
‘Committed to the Russian market’: Chadbourne & Parke hires BLP energy partner to manage Moscow office
After shutting down its Kiev operations last summer, Chadbourne & Parke has boosted its presence in Russia with the hire of energy partner Andrei Baev from Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) as Moscow managing partner.
Dealwatch: Bakers and A&O deliver as FedEx looks to buy TNT for €4.4bn
Baker & McKenzie and Allen & Overy (A&O) have both won places advising on US delivery service FedEx’s €4.4bn agreement to buy Dutch rival TNT Express as the company looks to boost its European capabilities and global footprint.
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Seeking £3.4bn in damages: Clifford Chance and Travers Smith lead on HP High Court contest with Autonomy founders
Clifford Chance and Travers Smith have taken lead roles advising on the £3.4bn dispute between Hewlett-Packard (HP), and Autonomy founder Michael Lynch and its former chief financial officer Sushovan Hussain regarding allegations of fraudulent accounting.
Partner promotions: Trowers promotes nine as Debevoise makes up third of six-strong round in the City
Continuing the trend of bumper partner promotions by law firms this year, Trowers & Hamlins has made up more than double the number of lawyers it did in 2014 with nine joining the partnership, while Debevoise & Plimpton, which has missed London out in recent years, made up a third of its round in the City.
Guest post: Parliament dissolved – the fight for power at Westminster commences
On 30th March, Parliament was dissolved. The coalition government remains in place pending the outcome of the General Election on 7th May and it may remain in place for some time beyond the election (see later). At present, the opinion polls suggest that no political party will gain an overall majority over all other parties in the House of Commons.
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Guest post: How do law firms stay alive?
As the global financial crisis bit, and (in England and Wales at least) the regulatory landscape shifted for law firms, there was a sense that the coming years would see the collapse of a significant number of firms. That doesn’t seem to have happened.
Targeting London: Locke Lord duo depart to launch boutique Foran Glennon in the City
Just three years after helping to launch Locke Lord in the UK, insurance litigators Damian Cleary and Gavin Coull have departed to launch US firm Foran Glennon Palandech Ponzi & Rudloff in the City.
International hires: A&O makes first lateral in South Africa as Freshfields bulks up in Hong Kong with Links partner
Allen & Overy (A&O) has bolstered its project finance offering in its sub-Saharan practice with its first lateral partner hire in South Africa, turning to Linklater-ally firm Webber Wentzel. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer also turned to Linklaters in building its Hong Kong office with finance and energy partner Thomas Ng.
In court: Gibson Dunn faces interim payout over Djibouti court case
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has been hit with a £880,000 charge, which it must pay jointly with the Republic of Djibouti, for the freezing order obtained on businessman Abdourahman Boreh’s assets in 2013.
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Partner promotions: Skadden makes up one in London from 15-strong round
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has increased its promotions round again with 15 new partners being made up though it sees just one being brought up through the ranks in London.
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Building the team: Proskauer Rose hires Simmons M&A partner as it targets City PE market
Matt Rees, an M&A partner at Simmons & Simmons focusing on private equity, has resigned from the firm to join Proskauer Rose later this month.
An opportunity to ‘get involved’: Shoosmiths to move to an all-equity partnership
National law firm Shoosmiths will move to an all-equity partnership from 1 May 2015 with 76 salaried partners becoming fixed-share – and bringing the total number of equity partners to 126.
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‘The conversation we never had’ – SRA to give handbook in-house makeover as UCL unveils ethics research
It’s been the debate the profession has avoided over the last decade, but one that finally appears to be stirring. Scrutiny of the regulation, guidance and professional support for in-house counsel will be addressed by the UK’s primary legal watchdog, it has been confirmed.
Deal breaker to deal maker
Lawyers are commonly viewed as deal breakers who protect their clients right out of deals. General counsel would be wise not to dismiss this notion – justified or not – and we can to respond to it on multiple levels.
From client to colleague: the John Lewis partnership
It’s mid-December when I pay a visit to John Lewis, and as I’m waiting in the foyer of the aptly named Partnership House, I notice that most head office staff are sporting Christmas jumpers. When senior commercial lawyer Amy Holt arrives to greet me, she too is decked out in festive knitwear – putting paid to any notions of stuffiness in the retail chain’s commercial legal team.
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The company man
“Does the company lawyer hold a job or does he practise a profession?”
This is a question posed by Jacques Barthélémy of Cabinet Barthélémy Avocats in Paris. He is writing in the 2014 European Company Lawyers Association [ECLA] white paper, which calls for all in-house lawyers in Europe to be recognised as independent professionals – and afforded the legal privilege enjoyed by their peers in private practice.