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Layton leads the field as CC set for managing partner election

The race to fill the shoes of Clifford Chance (CC)’s longstanding global managing partner David Childs has reached a decisive stage, with the initially reluctant Matthew Layton widely cited as the favourite as the firm takes soundings on potential candidates.

Layton is widely tipped to be running alongside three other likely candidates: Paris-based office managing partner and M&A corporate specialist Yves Wehrli; global head of tax, pensions and employment David Harkness; and City-based banking and finance partner Andrew Carnegie. Continue reading “Layton leads the field as CC set for managing partner election”

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Guest blog: Do you heart QualitySolicitors?

I’ve spent the last two days at the QualitySolicitors conference in Manchester. I was invited to chair the opening session of the event and stayed to listen to the rest.

This was on the basis that I would not report on product development that was discussed but is not yet in the public domain, so I can’t tell you everything I heard.

But having done this and had the chance to speak to the chiefs of several QS firms, it may come as a disappointment to the QS knockers out there (and there is no shortage of them) that I sensed the network is heading into a positive new phase. Continue reading “Guest blog: Do you heart QualitySolicitors?”

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Asia Pacific: DLA hires four-strong Jones Day team in Beijing

DLA Piper has further bolstered its Asia Pacific offering with the hire of a four-lawyer IP team from Jones Day in Beijing, led by the US firm’s former head of IP in China, Horace Lam.

Lam will join DLA’s Beijing office in October along with counsel Stacy Yuan and associates Alicia Ma and Helen Ding, together with the additional hire of IP lawyer Miya Wen from Rouse.

Prior to joining Jones Day in May 2011, Lam was the Beijing managing partner of Hogan Lovells and head of the firm’s IP practice. He focuses on IP disputes, protection strategies and licensing. Continue reading “Asia Pacific: DLA hires four-strong Jones Day team in Beijing”

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Bircham Dyson Bell ex-partner struck off for £2m client overcharging and false expenses

A former Bircham Dyson Bell partner has been struck off the Roll after knowingly overcharging clients, misusing client funds and making false expense claims to the tune of nearly £2m.

William Pencharz was asked to leave Bircham Dyson in February 2010 after a routine review of a file relating to the estate of ‘Ms JB’ raised concerns and led to the review of a further 181 files by the firm.

Of those files, 83 raised suspicions of client overcharging – with one client overcharged by as much as 1100% on a worst case scenario costs draftsman’s estimate. Thirty one files revealed misuse of client funds for minor expenditure and 85 files showed inadequate accounting to clients. Pencharz was also found to have forged three clients signature. Continue reading “Bircham Dyson Bell ex-partner struck off for £2m client overcharging and false expenses”

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Guest post – Opinion: SFO confirms 8 Bribery Act ‘Projects’ – enforcement rhetoric will convert into action

‘We have some 68 cases on our books at present, including matters under development in our intelligence section; these include eight Bribery Act projects. We have also charged our first offences under the Bribery Act 2010.’

said David Green speaking at the Cambridge Economic Symposium [on 2 September].

The SFO may have laid its first Bribery Act charges but they were not against a corporate.

Speaking at the symposium Mr Green went on to say:

‘What the SFO does helps to underpin the recovery by attacking criminal corporate behaviour and thereby encouraging good corporate culture. Similarly, foreign bribery undermines civil society, and ultimately harms the poorest most.’

Blah blah blah. Say some.

Over two years old and brought in with huge fanfare and publicity the lack of visible enforcement against a corporate has created a false sense of security among many. Continue reading “Guest post – Opinion: SFO confirms 8 Bribery Act ‘Projects’ – enforcement rhetoric will convert into action”

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Ever reducing panels: AIG reveals new look firm line-up

The in-house trend towards panel downsizing is again in evidence as AIG today (26 September) revealed a 25-strong list of advisers with a view to ultimately reducing that number to as little as single figures.

Phase one of AIG’s Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regional legal panel review – covering AIG’s claims and corporate legal panels for the UK and its nine largest European operations – has seen firms including Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, CMS Cameron McKenna, Clyde & Co, DAC Beachcroft and Kennedys reappointed. Continue reading “Ever reducing panels: AIG reveals new look firm line-up”

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Approved: Ashurst achieves full financial integration and single profit pool

Ashurst today (26 September) effectively threw down the gauntlet to a number of its newly-merged competitors by announcing it has ‘overwhelmingly’ voted in favour of full financial integration with Blake Dawson, including agreeing on a single profit pool.

The united firm will operate a managed lockstep and will have a single unified management structure operating globally under the Ashurst brand, after Blake Dawson rebranded as Ashurst Australia. Continue reading “Approved: Ashurst achieves full financial integration and single profit pool”

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Deal round-up: Bakers, Bird & Bird and Simmons advise on multi-billion energy programme as BLP takes on PFI bond issue

The UK government may be short of funds but it has generated high value deals for Baker & McKenzie, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) Bird & Bird and Simons & Simmons in the past few days as the recent initial public offering (IPO) wave also see CMS Cameron McKenna advise on an Alternative Investment Market (AIM) float.

As the government moves to instal smart meters in all homes and small businesses by 2020 in a programme worth £12bn, Simmons advised long standing client Telefónica UK on a £1.5bn contract awarded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to act as smart meter provider for central and southern UK. Continue reading “Deal round-up: Bakers, Bird & Bird and Simmons advise on multi-billion energy programme as BLP takes on PFI bond issue”

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Skadden and Shearman take lead roles as struggling BlackBerry agrees $4.7bn sale

Following dashed hopes that BlackBerry’s new handset would reverse its falling fortunes, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Shearman & Sterling have been assigned as lead advisors as the struggling smartphone maker sells its business to its largest investor, Fairfax Financial, for $4.7bn.

Skadden, which was instructed last month by BlackBerry as it reviewed its strategic options, is being led by New York corporate partners Stephen Arcano, Neil Stronski and Richard Grossman. Canadian firm Torys is also advising BlackBerry, led by corporate finance partner David Chaikof.

Continue reading “Skadden and Shearman take lead roles as struggling BlackBerry agrees $4.7bn sale”

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Consolidation in the second 50 – Manches and Penningtons confirm talks

From within the over-crowded space that is the lower of half of the LB100, beleaguered 139-lawyer Manches has emerged as being engaged in advanced merger talks with private client firm Penningtons to create a £60m firm with over 300 lawyers.

Manches was earmarked as a firm in need of a merger in this year’s LB100 analysis, after turning out one of the worst performances of the group – in notable contrast with other firms focussed on the burgeoning private client sector – with revenues down by 13% to £26.3m, shifting the firm down 11 places to 93, its lowest rank ever in the table.

Continue reading “Consolidation in the second 50 – Manches and Penningtons confirm talks”

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Virtual law: Mercedes-Benz UK GC sets up Radius Law

The virtual law space has a new entrant after former Mercedes-Benz UK group general counsel and head of compliance Iain Larkins this month left his role at the luxury vehicle company to found virtual commercial firm Radius Law.

Speaking to Legal Business, Larkins, who has worked in-house for 14 years, says the fundamental premise of Radius Law is to provide good commercial advice in areas including contract, disputes and competition at a ‘highly competitive’ rate, something he says is still difficult to achieve at many traditional law firms. Continue reading “Virtual law: Mercedes-Benz UK GC sets up Radius Law”

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Tension and infighting as barristers resign from BSB panel over quality assurance scheme

Tensions surrounding the regulation of the various limbs of the legal profession are at an all-time high as this week saw a number of barristers resign from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) disciplinary prosecution panel in protest at the imminent launch of a new quality assurance scheme.

The resignations come in a month that have revealed in more detail than ever the infighting between the various regulatory and representative bodies after the Ministry of Justice called for evidence on how best to regulate the profession going forward. Continue reading “Tension and infighting as barristers resign from BSB panel over quality assurance scheme”

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Trial begins in the SFO’s first prosecution under the UK Bribery Act

The Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO’s) long-awaited first prosecution under the UK Bribery Act began yesterday (23 September), as four men from biofuel investment promoter Sustainable AgroEnergy went on trial in Westminster Magistrates Court.

Four of the men, all former employees of AgroEnergy, which parent company Sustainable Growth is now in administration, are charged with conspiring to conduct a £23m fraud operation in relation to the promotion and selling of bio fuel investment products to UK investors between April 2011 and February 2012, while three of them are also charged with making and accepting a financial advantage contrary to section 1(1) and 2(1) of the act. Continue reading “Trial begins in the SFO’s first prosecution under the UK Bribery Act”

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Herbert Smith Freehills to have a new CEO next year as Bell and Willis step down

David Willis and Gavin Bell, joint chief executive officers at Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), have announced today (24 September) that they will step down from their roles next Spring.

Willis’ term as managing partner was expected to end in April this year but he agreed to a one-year extension following the merger of Herbert Smith and Freehills last autumn. Bell has been managing partner of Freehills since 1995 but due to serious health issues earlier this year, from which he has fully recovered, he has decided to step down and spend more time with his family.

Continue reading “Herbert Smith Freehills to have a new CEO next year as Bell and Willis step down”

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Surprise and strong words as a nine-partner Hogan Lovells team quits for MoFo’s German launch

While Hogan Lovells has had its integration challenges since the three-year Anglo/American union that created it, the firm’s well-regarded German practice had seemed one part of the empire enjoying prosperous tranquillity.

As such there was some surprise – not least at Hogan Lovells – with the announcement today (24 September), that a nine-partner team is to leave the firm’s Berlin arm to launch a German law practice for top 50 US practice Morrison & Foerster. The team constitutes Hogan Lovells’ entire partnership ranks in Berlin.

Morrison carried out a partner vote to ratify the addition of the team of nine partners, who are currently working with more than 20 associates and counsel. A statement from the firm subsequently confirmed that the US firm had taken on a 30-lawyer team from Hogan Lovells in Berlin.

Continue reading “Surprise and strong words as a nine-partner Hogan Lovells team quits for MoFo’s German launch”

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Texan draw: Dentons opens in Houston as shale gas draws players in

Partly thanks to the shale gas energy phenomenon Texas has become one of the most attractive markets in the US and it is little surprise that Dentons yesterday (24 September) announced it is to open in Houston.

Home to energy giants Baker Botts, Vinson & Elkins and Jones Day, the widening draw of Houston was affirmed in 2010 when Latham & Watkins opened an office with the hire of lawyers from Baker Botts and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, including former energy head Michael Dillard. In 2011 Norton Rose was reportedly looking at the region: that ambition was achieved this year with its merger with Houston-founded leading energy firm Fulbright & Jaworski. Continue reading “Texan draw: Dentons opens in Houston as shale gas draws players in”

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The Bar: Littleton Chambers QC heads to Kobre & Kim as Ince & Co partner joins Stone Chambers

The increased fluidity between the various limbs of the legal profession has been in evidence over the past few days as offshore litigation boutique Kobre & Kim hires Littleton Chambers’ Andrew Stafford QC as a partner and high profile Ince & Co partner Jonathan Lux joins Stone Chambers, while Devereux Chambers has also announced the arrival of tax specialist Jolyon Maugham from 11 New Square. Stafford QC, who becomes Kobre’s third QC appointment, specialises in commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on financial services, pensions and employment related disputes. Continue reading “The Bar: Littleton Chambers QC heads to Kobre & Kim as Ince & Co partner joins Stone Chambers”

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SJ Berwin to collect on unpaid legal fees from Qatari sheikh

Middle-Eastern high-net-worth individuals are probably the last clients you would expect to be forced to chase for money but SJ Berwin is set to receive over £260,000 in unpaid fees from a Qatari sheikh client in a judgment revealed last week.

Reported on Bloomberg Businessweek on Friday (20 September), the decision was handed down by the High Court in April after Sheikh Saud Bin Ali Al-Thani failed to respond to a lawsuit brought by the City firm. SJ Berwin, which will merge with King & Wood Mallesons on 1 November, is owed $419,000 for its advice when Al-Thani’s assets were frozen last year after he failed to pay auction houses for bids that he won. Continue reading “SJ Berwin to collect on unpaid legal fees from Qatari sheikh”

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Ashurst gears up for new chairman election as Oz merger vote is brought forward

As Ashurst nears a crucial vote on full integration with Australian partner Blake Dawson – now known as Ashurst Australia – the firm’s partners are also poised to elect the firm’s next chairman.

Partners were informed this morning (23 September) that Ashurst dispute resolution partner Ben Tidswell and Ashurst Australia competition and consumer protection partner Peter Armitage will be running for the role alongside current senior partner Charlie Geffen, whose role will be replaced by the new chairman position.

Continue reading “Ashurst gears up for new chairman election as Oz merger vote is brought forward”

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Legal aid cuts blamed by Tooks Chambers as set announces its dissolution

Leading civil liberties and human rights set Tooks Chambers has announced today (23 Sept) that it is to wind up its operations as a ‘direct result of government policies on legal aid’, following months of speculation surrounding its future.

In a statement published on its website this afternoon, the 30-year old set, which has been involved in tackling many high profile miscarriages of justice, including currently advising on the Hillsborough inquest, was scathing about the government’s legal aid cuts, saying: ‘The public service we provide is dependent on public funding. 90% of our work is publicly funded. The government policies led by Justice Secretary Chris Grayling are cumulatively devastating the provision of legal services and threatening the rule of law.’ Continue reading “Legal aid cuts blamed by Tooks Chambers as set announces its dissolution”