Freshfields claims victory for DB in defending $8bn claim as global institutions continue to fight fires

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A week ago Deutsche Bank announced it was setting aside a €1.2bn provision to cover its legal costs but in better news today (8 November), the German banking giant and advisers Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer claimed victory in fighting off an $8bn claim.

The claim was brought by Sebastian Holdings Inc. (SHI) – the Monaco-based investment firm wholly owned and controlled by Norwegian billionaire Alexander Vik – which alleged that Deutsche Bank put through unauthorised trades on its behalf. Continue reading “Freshfields claims victory for DB in defending $8bn claim as global institutions continue to fight fires”

A ‘landmark’ baby step towards filming the courts welcomed by all

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The long campaign for domestic courts to be opened up to filming today (30 October) secured an (actually pretty minor) victory with the Court of Appeal letting in television cameras. With the Court of Appeal (Recording and Broadcasting) Order 2013 coming into force, the ban on cameras in courts in England and Wales that has been in place since 1925 has been somewhat eased.

After years of lobbying by the BBC, ITN, Press Association and Sky News, who are funding the scheme, cameras have been placed in five courts in the Court of Appeal. ‘I salute those in our organisations who have worked tirelessly over many years to overturn the ban,’ said John Hardie, chief executive of ITN. Continue reading “A ‘landmark’ baby step towards filming the courts welcomed by all”

Flamboyant or offensive? Race pundit McCririck’s age claim sees Reed Smith and Cavendish Legal in court

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Reed Smith and Cavendish Legal Group have been facing each other in the Central London Employment Tribunal this past week as eccentric race pundit John McCririck (pictured) sues his former employers Channel 4 and IMG Media for age discrimination.

Seventy-three year-old McCririck was axed from Channel 4’s coverage last year, when Clare Balding and a new-look team took over. Continue reading “Flamboyant or offensive? Race pundit McCririck’s age claim sees Reed Smith and Cavendish Legal in court”

SJ Berwin to collect on unpaid legal fees from Qatari sheikh

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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”

Close to the wire: Freshfields and Herbert Smith settle £142m London Underground negligence claim

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Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Herbert Smith Freehills have reached an eleventh hour settlement of the £142m professional negligence claim brought against them by London Underground (LUL).

Due to be heard over a four week period in October, the case is arguably the largest ever filed against a City firm. Continue reading “Close to the wire: Freshfields and Herbert Smith settle £142m London Underground negligence claim”

More claims but fewer settlements – McDermott becomes the latest major law firm to face an employment dispute

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McDermott Will & Emery yesterday became the latest law firm to stand accused of unfair dismissal and discrimination in the Central London Employment Tribunal (CLET) as experts say the days of settling claims simply to avoid potentially negative publicity are coming to an end.

Former City lawyer Cheng Tan has alleged that she was made redundant after asking to extend her maternity leave, having suffered complications during child birth. Continue reading “More claims but fewer settlements – McDermott becomes the latest major law firm to face an employment dispute”

Litigation heads from Lloyds Banking and Pinsent Masons leave for US and South African LPO providers

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US legal process outsourcing (LPO) provider Clutch has signalled its intentions to expand its UK presence with the hire of Lloyds Banking Group retail and wealth dispute resolution head Aamir Khan as its general counsel and senior director for the UK and Europe.

The move comes as South African LPO rival Exigent today announced it has hired Pinsent Masons head of litigation Nigel Kissack to join its board as global strategy consultant. Continue reading “Litigation heads from Lloyds Banking and Pinsent Masons leave for US and South African LPO providers”

Litigation watch: Weil and Quinn Emanuel successful in high profile Barclay brothers Court of Appeal case

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A high profile Court of Appeal decision has today (3 July) seen Weil Gotshal & Manges and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan see off a challenge against the Barclay brothers and their associated companies over the ownership of three iconic London hotels.

Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay, represented by Weil Gotshal’s head of litigation Matthew Shankland, successfully defended an appeal by Irish developer Patrick McKillen in a long running dispute over the ownership and control of Claridges, the Berkeley and the Connaught. Continue reading “Litigation watch: Weil and Quinn Emanuel successful in high profile Barclay brothers Court of Appeal case”

Litigation watch: SJ Berwin wins IP battle for Sky against Microsoft

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SJ Berwin has scored a significant victory in the important tech area of intellectual property rights in cloud data storage, successfully representing broadcaster Sky on its successful trade mark infringement claim against US software giant Microsoft.

In a dispute dating back to 2011, the High Court ruled last week that the IT giant’s ‘SkyDrive’ cloud service infringed Sky’s brand in the UK and Europe. Sky had filed a claim over a breach of UK and Community trade marks following Microsoft’s use of ‘SkyDrive’ for cloud storage solution. Continue reading “Litigation watch: SJ Berwin wins IP battle for Sky against Microsoft”

All or nothing: Only a handful of DBAs entered into as confusion reigns over hybrid model

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‘It’s an extraordinary thing – hundreds of lawyers should have entered into damages-based agreements (DBAs) by now.’

So says Leslie Perrin, former managing partner and senior partner of Osborne Clarke, who is now chairman of litigation funding group Calunius Capital, with around £40m of capital to invest in disputes.

Instead, DBAs, which came into force under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and entitle a lawyer to claim a percentage of their client’s damages by way of fees, have failed to take off at all. Perrin adds: ‘The confusion around the regulations has been such that I don’t think more than a handful of DBAs have been entered into all across the country. There’s so much ambiguity and grief for the first people going down that road and disputes lawyers are unanimous in holding this position.’

Continue reading “All or nothing: Only a handful of DBAs entered into as confusion reigns over hybrid model”