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More Paris moves as Linklaters announces triple partner hire

Further movement in the Paris market has seen Linklaters announce a trio of high level hires as Matthieu de Boisséson, Pierre Duprey and Roland Ziadé join as partners in its Paris office in a move to boost the Magic Circle firm’s arbitration offering.

Duprey arrives from Paris firm Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier, where he spent 11 years as an arbitrator, and he is joined by of counsel Andrew Plump. Ziadé comes over from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton where he was counsel, and de Boisséson was a tenant with Littleton Chambers. While at Littleton Chambers, de Boisséson worked on about 90 cases as chairman or co-arbitrator in the International Criminal Court. He oversaw cases in the construction, telecommunications, oil, and mining and pharmaceuticals industries. Continue reading “More Paris moves as Linklaters announces triple partner hire”

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Guest blog – Securities lawyers and sticky contracts: innovation and elite law

I am sure you, like me, have been on the lookout for an elegant, readable, sophisticated and fairly short book about sovereign debt agreements. And one that happens to end as a critique of elite legal practice. And here it is, The Three and a Half Minute Transaction: boilerplate and the limits of contract design by Professors Gulati and Scott. It blends economic and behavioural theory, history and law, qualitative and quantitative data with solid and measured arguments. Continue reading “Guest blog – Securities lawyers and sticky contracts: innovation and elite law”

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Calling time – Nationwide’s innovative GC Liz Kelly to leave after panel review

Having worked her way up Nationwide‘s ranks to group general counsel, Liz Kelly is to leave the building society at the end of the financial year to spend more time with her family.

Kelly was appointed as general counsel in 2009 and has since pulled together what was a fractured legal department, creating a risk-based blueprint for areas where it needed to grow and building it up to around 50 lawyers, including seven litigators.

Continue reading “Calling time – Nationwide’s innovative GC Liz Kelly to leave after panel review”

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CC on Singapore’s naughty step as Asia markets keep playing the tactical liberalisation game

Back in the boom years, international law firms talked confidently regarding how liberalisation would soon be coming to major legal markets in the Asia Pacific region. This week provides another reminder that in reality such emerging jurisdictions have been rather more tactical – and protectionist – than starry-eyed managing partners believed back in the go-go days.

The incident in question has seen Clifford Chance (CC) publicly criticised by the Singapore justice minister for having the temerity to announce that it was offering litigation services via a formal association set up last year with the boutique Cavenagh Law.

Continue reading “CC on Singapore’s naughty step as Asia markets keep playing the tactical liberalisation game”

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Growth plans: Osborne Clarke continues lateral hiring spree

Osborne Clarke (OC) has made its 25th lateral hire in 18 months, while managing partner Simon Beswick has revealed plans for the firm to continue to build out internationally.

Former Pinsent Masons partner Andrew Normington, who will join 600-lawyer OC’s infrastructure and project finance team, specialises in providing advice to sponsors and financial institutions with particular focus on European economic infrastructure and energy projects.

Continue reading “Growth plans: Osborne Clarke continues lateral hiring spree”

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Going nuclear – Herbert Smith advises EDF on £16bn power plant deal

The UK government’s game-changing decision to build the first nuclear power plant for a generation has seen Herbert Smith Freehills advise longstanding client EDF Energy on the deal.

The £16bn agreement to build two European pressurised reactors at the Hinkley Point C site in Somerset is the culmination of two and a half years of negotiations between the two parties and Julia Pyke (pictured), a Herbert Smith partner and co-head of the firm’s nuclear group, told Legal Business ‘It has been immensely satisfying to reach this milestone. Continue reading “Going nuclear – Herbert Smith advises EDF on £16bn power plant deal”

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Best year for UK IPOs since 2010 as Slaughters and Simpson Thacher bring £1bn Infinis to market

Private equity exits are turning 2013 into the best year for UK IPOs since around 2010 as Slaughter and May and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett represent Infinis and its principal shareholder Terra Firma while Ashurst advises the banks on the wind power company’s £1bn float.

Slaughter and May corporate and commercial partners Jeff Twentyman and Kathy Hughes notched up another IPO for the firm, having already advised on high-value floats this year such as Countrywide and Esure. Continue reading “Best year for UK IPOs since 2010 as Slaughters and Simpson Thacher bring £1bn Infinis to market”

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Comment: More for more – growing pains and questions as in-house comes of age

Confident. That’s the mood as Legal Business conducts its second annual poll of in-house counsel. For all the talk of the ‘more for less’ agenda, our special illustrates that there is robust demand for legal services at most sizeable companies and that the growth story of corporate legal teams continues.

More than two thirds of responding in-house legal teams have seen growth over the last five years. Law Society figures underline the wider extent of that growth with the in-house profession growing by 137% between 2001 and 2011. Law firms continue to feel the pinch in part because in-house teams have become determined to retain matters internally.

Another headline finding: law firms have to a considerable extent listened to client demands on value and service; over 90% of clients believe their advisers offer good or fair value, while 81% believe their advisers are appropriately staffing their matters.

Continue reading “Comment: More for more – growing pains and questions as in-house comes of age”

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Revolving Doors: Strategic hires for WilmerHale, Eversheds, Irwin Mitchell and DWF

As former co-head of Bird & Bird’s London-based international life sciences sector group and rated intellectual property (IP) litigation partner Trevor Cook joins WilmerHale’s New York office, Irwin Mitchell this week took on Pinsent Masons former dispute resolution and litigation head Nigel Kissack and Squire Sanders IP partner Alex Newman, while in Birmingham, Eversheds and DWF pulled in international rail partner Andrew Herring and real estate partner Melanie Williams respectively. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Strategic hires for WilmerHale, Eversheds, Irwin Mitchell and DWF”

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Ashurst leadership contest – Mary Padbury for vice chairman

The latest instalment of Ashurst’s senior management elections has seen Ashurst Australia’s chair Mary Padbury voted in as vice chair of the newly-merged firm just days after partners said no to incumbent head Charlie Geffen for the chair role in favour of Ben Tidswell.

Padbury, who was widely-tipped for the vice chair post, held a number of management roles at legacy Australia Big Six firm Blake Dawson, which formally merged with Ashurst in September, including as the firm’s resident London partner from 2001 to 2003 and as an executive partner with responsibility for the firm’s national corporate, competition and intellectual property practices from 2003 to 2005.
Continue reading “Ashurst leadership contest – Mary Padbury for vice chairman”

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‘I could walk away but I don’t want to’: Mansfield QC explains launch of virtual chambers following Tooks closure

The recent dissolution of Tooks Chambers was widely regarded as a sign of the times, as legal aid cuts coupled with a turbulent economy have hit publicly funded sets at the Bar harder than most. Now, however, former chief Michael Mansfield QC has embarked on plans to reinvent a low-cost, virtual version of the civil liberties set.

While Tooks closed its doors in Farringdon Street last Friday (11 Oct), 15 of the 55-strong set are expected to join Mansfield Chambers, as it will be known. Although the official launch is expected to take place in February next year, the new set began operating out of serviced offices at 5 Chancery Lane on Monday (14 Oct).
Continue reading “‘I could walk away but I don’t want to’: Mansfield QC explains launch of virtual chambers following Tooks closure”

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In-house: A&O, Ashurst and Eversheds on Morrisons first-ever legal panel

One of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, Morrisons, has revealed its first-ever legal panel, with Allen & Overy (A&O), Ashurst, DAC Beachcroft and Eversheds are among the 15 firms selected, which was overseen by the company’s recently appointed general counsel Mark Amsden.

40 firms made the long list, which was whittled down to a shortlist of 22. Amsden divided the panel into six categories: employment, property, personal injury, licensing and regulatory as well as one panel covering ‘everything else’ – corporate, commercial, litigation, pensions and intellectual property. One more panel covers Scotland, with DWF and MacRoberts selected.

Continue reading “In-house: A&O, Ashurst and Eversheds on Morrisons first-ever legal panel”

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Bind and drive: Freshfields’ Tim Jones to join England Rugby 2015 as GC

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer corporate partner and former City head Tim Jones has been hired as general counsel to England Rugby 2015 ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup.

Established by the Rugby Football Union, whose current legal and governance director is Karena Vleck, England Rugby 2015 will employ the corporate heavyweight three days a week, beginning on 1 November. Jones, however, will also continue to work on a part-time basis for the Magic Circle firm, and carry on with client matters.

Continue reading “Bind and drive: Freshfields’ Tim Jones to join England Rugby 2015 as GC”

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Comment: The social contract – what is the law firm but the people?

The market for legal services will never be the same again. Mergers, alternative business structures, multi-disciplinary practices, law firm failures, onshoring, offshoring and the continual advance of technology all signpost change, and will continue to drive change in the future. But as we all jostle for market position and attempt to make sense of this ongoing maelstrom, how much thought is being given to the lifeblood of the profession: the lawyers of tomorrow?

Continue reading “Comment: The social contract – what is the law firm but the people?”

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Linklaters private equity ambitions dealt a blow by departure of Bagshaw and Youle

Linklaters‘ now decade-long effort to carve a credible position in the private equity market has been dealt a serious blow as co-heads Ian Bagshaw (pictured) and Richard Youle leave to join White & Case.

The high profile pair, long-term friends having started their careers together at Eversheds, had to build the Magic Circle firm’s private equity practice almost from scratch after the departure of Graham White and Raymond McKeeve in 2007, although it has been an enduring irony that their own reputations in private equity exceed that of the firm. Continue reading “Linklaters private equity ambitions dealt a blow by departure of Bagshaw and Youle”

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The beautiful game: Cleary advises Inter Milan on sale of 70% stake to Indonesian tycoons

One of Italy’s most successful football teams, Inter Milan, has turned to Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton as it becomes the latest European football club to be taken over by foreign investors.

The club has sold a 70% stake to International Sports Capital (ISC), which is indirectly owned by Indonesian billionaire Erick Thohir and prominent Indonesian investors Rosan Roeslani and Handy Soetedjo. Continue reading “The beautiful game: Cleary advises Inter Milan on sale of 70% stake to Indonesian tycoons”

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Paris walk out: Gide hires nine partner team from Morgan Lewis

The highly fluid Paris market has seen nine partners and ten associates walk out of Morgan Lewis & Bockius’ regional office to join Gide Loyrette Nouel, leaving the US firm with just three local partners.

Senior exits include Paris managing partner Anne Tolila and partner Jean Leygonie, who both left De Pardieu Brocas Maffei & Leygonie to launch Morgan Lewis’ Paris office in 2004.

Tax partner Christian Nouel, who only joined Morgan Lewis in September last year from Paris-based STC, having previously headed Latham & Watkins Paris tax practice, is among those leaving the firm.

Continue reading “Paris walk out: Gide hires nine partner team from Morgan Lewis”

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Caught in controversy: A&L Goodbody jettisons Irish lottery clients after conflict arises

A&L Goodbody has received unwelcome national press and the ire of a former client after declaring a conflict of interest in its dealings with the high profile Irish lottery licence competition.

The Irish Times reported at the beginning of October that the leading Dublin-headquartered firm had been advising the bidding consortium led by UK operator Camelot and An Post, at the same time as advising charity group Rehab on a possible legal challenge to the national lottery, which may have serious consequences for the operator. Continue reading “Caught in controversy: A&L Goodbody jettisons Irish lottery clients after conflict arises”

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It’s a wrap – Penningtons acquires Manches after PWC brokers sale of business and assets

In what was initially billed as merger talks but has turned out to be far more of a takeover Penningtons yesterday acquired the trading operations of Manches in a deal brokered by PriceWaterhouseCoopers as administrators.

Under the business transfer agreement, 265 Manches employees, including 46 partners will now move to Penningtons. However, in a reflection of the fact that, despite their contrasting recent profitability the firms are close in lawyer size and revenues, the combined firm will be called Penningtons Manches. Continue reading “It’s a wrap – Penningtons acquires Manches after PWC brokers sale of business and assets”

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Training for tomorrow – SRA outlines outcomes-focused approach to legal education

‘While the current education and training system has served us well, technology, changing consumer demands and the regulatory system itself are shaping the ways in which legal services are delivered. Legal education and training must adapt to reflect these wider changes.’

So says the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in today’s (15 October) ‘Training for Tomorrow’ report, which proposes moving to an outcomes-focused approach to legal education, with less input from the regulators on how to achieve competence and ongoing training. Continue reading “Training for tomorrow – SRA outlines outcomes-focused approach to legal education”