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.
Continue reading “Things to come – accountancy body handed power to grant ABS licences”
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 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.
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.
Continue reading “On Chancery Lane – Law Society appoints NHSLA head as successor to outgoing chief”
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.
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.
Continue reading “Guest post: Wild Boys: Why some at the Tax bar need to learn to say no”
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.
Continue reading “Financial results 2013/14: Slater and Gordon unveils UK revenue jump”
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.
Continue reading “Former News International legal duo face solicitors tribunal”
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.
Continue reading “Harper Macleod merges with Bird Semple to create top 100 firm”
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.
Continue reading “Dechert gains Singapore licence after 8 month wait”
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.
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.
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.
Continue reading “Guest post: Stop being proactive, stop being commercial, stop being nice”
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%.
Continue reading “Slaughters posts high trainee retention rate while BLP keeps on 83%”
In a move that has been welcomed by the Legal Services Board, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has granted an alternative business structure (ABS) licence to local authorities for the first time, as Buckinghamshire County Council enters into a joint venture with Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority.
The past year has seen a number of UK firms scale back their back-office support teams to become more efficient and save costs, with international firm Ashurst being the latest and placing half of its overnight support team in London at risk.
Continue reading “Ashurst starts out-of-hours worker redundancies”
The largest drug retailer in the US, Walgreens, has instructed Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Magic Circle firm Allen & Overy to handle its full combination with Nottingham-based chemist Alliance Boots.
Continue reading “Wachtell, A&O and Gibson Dunn lead on Walgreens acquisition of Boots”
Herbert Smith Freehills has landed a blow on Magic Circle firm Freshfields with the hire of the firm’s former co-head of energy and natural resources Dirk Hamann as the Anglo-Australian firm looks to build out its German offices.
Continue reading “HSF snatches Freshfields former energy co-head”
Two of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s lawyers have set up an IP/IT specialist boutique in Spain following the closure of the firm’s Barcelona office in April this year.
Scottish firm Burness Paull is the latest to release its 2013/14 financial results and has today (7 July) announced a hefty 20% turnover increase to £46.3m while profits have risen to £20.7m from £16.5m, constituting a 25% increase.
