After a long-running dispute between Clyde & Co and former partner Krista Bates van Winkelhof, the firm has finally settled the whistleblowing case outside of court.
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Mishcon de Reya set to move to full-equity LLP structure in 2015
Mishcon de Reya is set to bring all partners into the equity and convert to a limited liability partnership at the end of autumn in 2015, following a vote made by the firm around eight months ago.
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Post-merger fallout: Squire Patton Boggs loses 23-strong team in the Middle East
The legacy Squire Sanders practice in the Middle East, a team of 23 lawyers that included five partners, has exited Squire Patton Boggs following the firm’s merger, leaving it with Patton Boggs’ legacy affiliate The Khalid Al-Thebity Law Firm.
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Slaughters and HSF lead as BHP Billiton undergoes major demerger
Slaughter and May corporate partners Richard de Carle and Susannah Macknay are spearheading a demerger at mining giant BHP Billiton, which is spinning off its less profitable aluminium, silver, South African coal, manganese and nickel businesses into a new company estimated to be worth around $14bn.
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Reed Smith and BLP lead on £430m business park buy up
Reed Smith and Berwin Leighton Paisner have led on a £430m purchase of three UK business parks by asset management groups Oaktree Capital Management and Patrizia.
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‘We’re actively looking at our growth’: PwC hires King & Wood managing partner duo to spearhead Asia legal arm
PwC Australia has hired former King & Wood Mallesons managing partners, Tony O’Malley and Tim Blue, to spearhead the expansion of the accounting giant’s corporate legal services business across the Asia Pacific.
Things to come – accountancy body handed power to grant ABS licences
There has been more attention of late on the corporate ambitions of major audit groups but news this week is a reminder that accountants are also targeting the high street legal services market.
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Asia: Fears over Hong Kong’s judicial autonomy see vote of no confidence passed in local law society head
Hong Kong lawyers turned out in force last night (14 August) to cast a vote of no confidence in local law society president Ambrose Lam, following his recent support of a Beijing white paper perceived to raise issues over Hong Kong’s judicial independence. Continue reading “Asia: Fears over Hong Kong’s judicial autonomy see vote of no confidence passed in local law society head”
Taylor Wessing and BLP advise on £97m Heron Plaza sale as City real estate mandates stack up this summer
Taylor Wessing and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) have both secured roles on the latest major real estate deal to emerge in the City this summer, advising on property group UOL’s purchase of the Heron Plaza site for £97m.
On Chancery Lane – Law Society appoints NHSLA head as successor to outgoing chief
In the days when in-house lawyers have gained increasing influence in law and business, the Law Society could be seen to have played safe in the appointment of its new head. Chancery Lane today (14 August) announced the appointment of NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) chief executive Catherine Dixon to succeed its outgoing chief executive Des Hudson, who is to retire at the end of August.
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Norton Rose Fulbright hires oil and gas head from South African firm Bowman Gilfillan
Norton Rose Fulbright has enhanced its top tier energy practice in South Africa with the hire of energy specialist Lizel Oberholzer, following recent expansion by other international law firms in the market.
Guest post: Wild Boys: Why some at the Tax bar need to learn to say no
It’s quite a rarity for a practising lawyer to suggest serious unethicality on the part of his or her colleagues, so when it happens it’s worth taking notice.
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Financial results 2013/14: Slater and Gordon unveils UK revenue jump
Australian-listed firm Slater and Gordon (S&G) has today (12 August) announced financial results for the 2013/14 year, with UK revenues jumping to £100m (A$182.5m) due to multiple acquisitions last year, and has voiced plans for further expansion.
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Former News International legal duo face solicitors tribunal
More than three years after it emerged that the phone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler had been hacked – leading to the closure of The News of the World and the launch of the Leveson inquiry – the reverberations from the scandal continue to rumble on.
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Harper Macleod merges with Bird Semple to create top 100 firm
Scottish firm Harper Macleod, the legal advisor to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, has expanded by merging with private client boutique Bird Semple to create a firm with a combined turnover of more than £23m.
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Dechert gains Singapore licence after 8 month wait
Eight months after applying for a Foreign Legal Practice licence to open in Singapore, US law firm Dechert has been given the nod to launch its fourth Asian office.
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Trainee Retention: Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith Freehills reveal retention rates
Following a spate of healthy trainee retention rates in recent weeks, magic circle firm Clifford Chance (CC) and international firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) are the latest to unveil results, recording 75% and 87% respectively.
‘Clients are more confident about the market’: Baker & McKenzie becomes world’s largest law firm
Baker & McKenzie has overtaken DLA Piper as the world’s largest law firm, with revenues for the year ending 30 June 2014 climbing by 5% to $2.54 billion after a transactions bonanza.
Guest post: Stop being proactive, stop being commercial, stop being nice
I made a mistake. It was in 1989. I went in-house and found I was good at my job. It was the first time in my life I truly felt I was good at something. Until then I had found everything hard. Exam results were never adorned with flying colours and my CV, such as it was, looked more apologetic than full of promise.
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Slaughters posts high trainee retention rate while BLP keeps on 83%
Slaughter and May, which is well known for its high retention rates, has kept on 33 out of its 34 qualifying trainees, giving it a retention rate of 97%. In March, the firm retained 36 people from a cohort of 38, a rate of 95%.
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