National firm Weightmans today (26 May) announced a modest revenue increase of 2.5% for the 2014/15 financial year to £89.2m from £87m, demonstrating a slowing growth rate compared to last year.
Continue reading “Weightmans’ growth slows but still manages 2.5% revenue increase to £89.2m”
Last week saw a range of firms bolstering key practices areas with a capital markets partner returning to Simmons & Simmons, Nabarro building its disputes resolution group, Jones Day hiring a team in The Netherlands while Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) made a significant appointment.
Linklaters has revealed its salary bands for junior lawyers in London with newly-qualifieds (NQs) receiving a £3,500 pay bump to £68,500 while those with three year post-qualified experience (PQE) had a 5% increase to £98,500.
Creating Shakespeare Martineau, Midland firms Shakespeares and SGH Martineau have confirmed they will merge on 15 June with Andy Raynor (pictured, right) acting as chief executive.
Just over a year after Paul Devitt stood down early as managing partner of Addleshaw Goddard, he is due to leave the firm along with fellow corporate partner Richard Thomas for big four accountancy firm EY.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) yesterday afternoon announced that five major banks have made a collective settlement of $5.7bn (£3.6bn) to bring a close to investigations which have seen a raft of firms pick-up work including Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Clifford Chance.
Continue reading “A $5.7bn settlement: Bank quintet admit market manipulation guilt”
Back in February Labour announced that it would, if it took power, begin an ‘immediate and independent review into the culture and practices of HMRC with regard to tax avoidance.’ This politicisation of the question whether HMRC retained public confidence diffused the logic of the demand.
Continue reading “Guest post: HMRC – Taking stock and keeping public confidence”
Bird & Bird has made an application to open in Luxembourg as it targets work heading to the new European Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Nearly a year in planning, Reed Smith has opened its second German office with seven partners arriving from Mayer Brown; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Jones Day to launch the firm in Frankfurt.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed Anup Kollanethu as centre director for its combined legal and business services centre in Manchester having signed a lease for space in Arndale House.
Eversheds has been instructed by Network Rail on its legal challenge to the TSSA union in an attempt to limit disruption should talks regarding a planned rail strike this bank holiday weekend fail.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said it will seek permission to appeal a decision by the Court of Appeal last Friday (15 May) which overturned a ban on Eurotunnel-owned and RPC-client MyFerryLink’s right to operate between Dover and Calais.
Continue reading “CMA seeks permission to appeal after RPC-client’s victory in Eurotunnel case”
Dentons UKMEA LLP is understood to have increased its revenues by 6% to £155m in the 2014/15 financial year, while net profit rose by 18% to £34m.
Hogan Lovells has bumped up the salaries of its newly qualified lawyers by £5,000 to £70,000 in a move that will see it again match the salary on offer at Magic Circle firm Slaughter and May.
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
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’.
Continue reading “Harnessing ‘new technologies’: Dentons launches NextLaw Labs to boost innovation”
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.
Continue reading “Taking off: Luton airport appoints TFL’s Swati Paul as new general counsel”
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.
Continue reading “Guest post: An EU referendum Bill – what would it entail?”
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.
Continue reading “Financials 2014/15: PEP soars by 22% at BLP as turnover rises to £259m”
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.
