18 months’ notice commuted to eight – Field Fisher’s Eduardo Ustaran joins Hogan Lovells

Field Fisher’s high profile former head of privacy Eduardo Ustaran joins Hogan Lovells today (4 June), almost a year before the expiry of the exceptional 18-month notice period announced at the time of his resignation last October. Continue reading “18 months’ notice commuted to eight – Field Fisher’s Eduardo Ustaran joins Hogan Lovells”

Revolving Doors: Capsticks hires BBC’s head of competition as Field Fisher, Kennedys and TLT bring in laterals

After a week that saw Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW), Kennedys and TLT all make significant hires into their City bases, one of more unusual hires of the past few days was leading healthcare firm Capsticks’ recruitment of the BBC legal department’s head of competition and regulatory team, Noel Watson-Doig. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Capsticks hires BBC’s head of competition as Field Fisher, Kennedys and TLT bring in laterals”

Cost cutting and near-shoring – Field Fisher Waterhouse ties up with Manchester’s Heatons

Following last year’s announcement from Field Fisher Waterhouse that it was looking to move a number of its London support functions to Manchester in a bid to cut costs, the top 40 LB100 has merged with local boutique Heatons.

Field Fisher’s partnership voted last week to merge with Heatons, which specialises in real estate, corporate and intellectual property. In 2006 the now single-site Manchester firm lost its Birmingham office to Clarke Willmott, leaving it with just 12 fee earners at the time including three partners, which has subsequently dropped to eight fee earners, led by managing partner Matthew Fleetwood. Continue reading “Cost cutting and near-shoring – Field Fisher Waterhouse ties up with Manchester’s Heatons”

Mid-market feeding frenzy: Addleshaw, Bristows, Field Fisher and Irwin Mitchell unveil lateral hires

The New Year lateral hiring spree has gathered momentum, with Addleshaw Goddard, Irwin Mitchell, Bristows and Field Fisher Waterhouse all announcing new acquisitions today (7 January).

Leeds-based Bill Gilliam will join Addleshaw’s commercial litigation team as a partner after 20 years at Eversheds, where he was head of healthcare and life sciences. His experience includes a secondment as acting head of legal in the commercial directorate of the Department of Health, and cases include procurement disputes for Covent Garden Market Authority and Roche Diagnostics, as well as assisting with the Mid-Staffordshire Inquiry. Continue reading “Mid-market feeding frenzy: Addleshaw, Bristows, Field Fisher and Irwin Mitchell unveil lateral hires”

Revolving Doors: Strategic growth for A&O, Eversheds, Wiggin, Dentons, Field Fisher and Olswang

In the last major round of hires before 2013 draws to a close, Allen & Overy (A&O) has boosted its international competition capability while Eversheds has expanded its City tax team and firms including Wiggin, Dentons, Field Fisher Waterhouse and Olswang have this month made strategic lateral hires across the media, energy, real estate and insolvency space.

At the start of December, A&O hired Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) competition partner Peter McDonald to head its Australian antitrust and competition practice. Previously a senior officer at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), at HSF McDonald advised clients in the energy, mining, industrial, retail and financial services sectors. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Strategic growth for A&O, Eversheds, Wiggin, Dentons, Field Fisher and Olswang”

H1 2013/14: Field Fisher reveals 7% spike in turnover

The first half (H1) of the 2013/14 year is proving to be more benign than last as Field Fisher Waterhouse joins a number of top 40 firms to post a revenue increase, seeing turnover up by 7% to £49.9m compared to £46.8m at the same time last year.

These results are set against the 358-lawyer firm’s overall drop of 3% in revenue in 2012-13 to £95m and an 8% decrease in profit per equity partner to £398,000. Continue reading “H1 2013/14: Field Fisher reveals 7% spike in turnover”

Field Fisher loses construction head to Fladgate weeks after loss of privacy head to Hogan Lovells

Just weeks after Field Fisher Waterhouse lost its head of privacy Eduardo Ustaran to Hogan Lovells, the 350-lawyer UK top 40 firm has seen head of construction Alan Woolston move to West End firm Fladgate.

Woolston, who specialises in construction and engineering law, takes associate Chris Farrell with him and his arrival brings the number of partners in Fladgate’s construction and projects team to eight. Continue reading “Field Fisher loses construction head to Fladgate weeks after loss of privacy head to Hogan Lovells”

Strategic hires: Field Fisher head of privacy to join Hogan Lovells but held to 19 month notice period

Hogan Lovells has moved to significantly boost its European privacy capability with the hire of Field Fisher Waterhouse group head Eduardo Ustaran as the departing lawyer is held to a 19 month notice period by his firm.

Having built and led Field Fisher’s first-tier privacy and information law group, heavyweight Ustaran will join 2527-lawyer Hogan Lovells’ global privacy and information practice to manage its European capability. Continue reading “Strategic hires: Field Fisher head of privacy to join Hogan Lovells but held to 19 month notice period”

NQ retention and pay: Good news for NRF and Bird & Bird but FFW puts 5 trainees on extended contract

If you see a rabble of trainees at the pub this lunchtime they may well be from Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF), which today (13 August) announced it has increased its newly-qualified (NQ) salary by £1,500 and offered in excess of 90% of its trainees a permanent position.

The newly merged, 3,800-lawyer firm has announced a trainee retention rate of 92% after offering 24 of its 26 trainees a NQ role, up from 89% in its last round in May. It has also increased its NQ salary from £61,500 to £63,000, effective 1 July (and backdated to 1 May this year). First and second year trainees will remain constant at £38,000 and £43,000 respectively. Continue reading “NQ retention and pay: Good news for NRF and Bird & Bird but FFW puts 5 trainees on extended contract”