Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer litigator Paul Lomas is leading Sotheby’s defence against a professional negligence claim after the auction house sold a painting in London for £42,000 that is now claimed to be by baroque master Caravaggio and worth over £11m.
Bakers takes three partners from DLA as it merges in Mexico while Clydes hires three to launch in Brisbane
Baker & McKenzie has hired three partners from DLA Piper’s Mexico City office as the latter combines with a local outfit to extend its offering, meanwhile Clyde & Co has launched in Brisbane after taking three partners from Sparke Helmore.
Revolving Doors: Linklaters makes a strategic hire in Europe, Hunton & Williams expands in the City while the LSB appoints a new chief
Last week saw Linklaters make a key hire from DLA Piper in Frankfurt as it sought to expand its cross-border litigation offering, Bird & Bird increase its offering in Sweden while Hunton & Williams did the same in the City developing its energy and natural resources team. Also in the UK, the Legal Services Board (LSB) appointed a new head, Richard Moriarty.
Women in law: BLP signs up to 30% female partnership target by 2018
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has become the tenth major law firm in the UK to establish a gender target, committing to ensure that 30% of the partnership by the end of 2018 are female.
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Dealwatch: After GSK deal, Linklaters leads for Novartis on $275m sale of influenza vaccines as Bakers acts for CSL
Linklaters and Baker & McKenzie have won lead roles advising on Novartis’ definitive agreement to divest its influenza vaccines business to Australian biotech firm CSL Limited (CSL), for $275m.
‘We are a true partnership’: Slaughter and May names Wittmann new practice head as CC re-elects senior partner
Slaughter and May has appointed David Wittmann as the firm’s practice partner with the role’s current holder, partner Paul Olney, stepping down at the end of the year.
The Friday Edit: Ethics and the modern GC, ethics in court and partners behaving badly
As we prepare for the clocks to go back this weekend, here’s our regular look back at some of the stories that have drawn attention over the last five days. For access to subscriber content, click here for full access to Legal Business.
Testing times: CC’s Myers and Felsenstein talk partner exits and having probably ‘the best private equity team in the world’
It’s fair to say Clifford Chance’s (CC’s) traditionally esteemed private equity team has faced testing times in recent years, as evidenced by the ongoing recruitment of the Magic Circle firm’s quality lawyers by US outfits.
‘Not weighed down by a partnership’: Private equity invests £3.15m in Keystone Law
Keystone Law has turned to boutique private equity house Root Capital to fund its growth plans, raising £3.15m in return for a 35% stake in its business.
‘A warning to third-party funders’: Litigation funders found liable for indemnity costs in $1.6bn Excalibur dispute
In what was a keenly awaited judgment for the third party funding profession, the Commercial Court has yesterday (23 October) handed down judgment on the costs liability of litigation funders in the high profile Excalibur Ventures v Texas Keystone & Ors battle, a $1.6bn energy dispute over oil rights in Iraqi Kurdistan and one of the biggest cases of 2013, and has ordered the funders to pay the defendants’ costs of the action.
Redundancy watch: Parabis closes entire claimant offering in Croydon
Parabis Law’s claimant arm Cogent Law is making 24 redundancies in its Croydon base affecting Cogent Law office’s entire headcount, with redundancy reviews set to take place over the next five months.
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Guest post: Partners Behaving Badly – how not to handle client relations
The other day we were in a meeting with the head of strategy and marketing and the chair of an AmLaw 100 firm, and the chair mentioned an extremely promising introductory meeting he’d had a few days earlier with the General Counsel of a well-recognised company.
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Dealwatch: Latham & Watkins, Macfarlanes and Travers Smith lead on £200m Gorkana sale
Latham & Watkins, Macfarlanes and Travers Smith have all landed key roles on the £200m sale of media database Gorkana to US rival Cision.
‘A tactic to intimidate lawyers’: Facebook sues DLA Piper for bringing ‘fraudulent’ US lawsuit
Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg are suing trans-Atlantic firm DLA Piper for its role in bringing a case which they allege was ‘based on fabricated evidence, for the purpose of extorting a lucrative and unwarranted settlement’.
‘Ahead of the curve’: Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance act on UK government’s landmark renminbi bond issue
Magic Circle firms Allen & Overy (A&O) and Clifford Chance have advised on the UK’s renminbi debut bond issue, the first for a non-Chinese sovereign and signalling the first steps of China’s currency internationalising.
‘An important step in executing our strategy’: Bird & Bird opens in Australia following merger with local ally
Bird & Bird is establishing an Australian office by merging with Sydney-based Truman Hoyle, 20 months after entering into a cooperation agreement with the firm.
Reed Smith ISP clients defeated in landmark counterfeit website dispute brought by Cartier owner
In what gives brand owners the power to combat trademark infringement in the EU, UK internet service providers were defeated as London’s High Court on Friday (17 October) handed down a landmark judgment establishing that trade mark owners can secure court orders blocking websites that are structured to infringe their trade mark rights by selling counterfeit goods online.
Into Africa: Orrick launches Cote d’Ivoire presence as Gide announces Morocco union with Cuatrecasas
The race by firms to establish a presence in Africa continues apace as Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has today (20 October) announced the launch of an affiliated office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, the third-largest French speaking City in the world, while leading European firms Gide Loyrette Nouel and Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira have created a union of their Morocco practices in a bid to bolster their presence in one of North Africa’s most politically stable regions.
Comment: Leadership in law – improving, crucial and maybe in the nick of time
Strong leadership is fundamental to driving innovation in law firms. This is not a discussion point. There is no discussion. This issue, Legal Business teamed up with Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) for an extended look at the role of leadership in a period of uncertainty and the strength of that core conclusion surprised even me.
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Joining the Partnership: John Lewis appoints BG Group veteran as GC
The John Lewis Partnership has appointed BG Group’s deputy general counsel (GC) Keith Hubber as the successor to Margaret Casely-Hayford, who stepped down this summer.
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