Alex Aldridge

October 20, 2010 | International Edition

Philip Wood QC ambles into one of the meeting rooms of Allen & Overy's (A&O's) Bishops Square offices and launches into a series of surreal asides, including but not limited to 1930s Yorkshire, his love of colouring in and how there are too many laws in the world. The face of - and brains behind - A&O's new Global Law Intelligence Unit, who holds visiting professor posts at universities including Oxford, Cambridge and London School of Economics, plays the eccentric academic role well. But spend a bit longer in his company and it is clear that he also possesses the commercial nous you'd expect from someone who has spent 40 years in corporate law, including a high-profile stint as A&O's head of banking in the 1990s.

By Alex Aldridge

12 minute read

October 20, 2010 | International Edition

Having reached the profession late, law blogging has emerged in recent years to secure real influence. Alex Aldridge assesses how the format has introduced a new range of voices to the legal community

By Alex Aldridge

20 minute read

October 13, 2010 | International Edition

The decision to split the Financial Services Authority (FSA) between the Bank of England and a new Consumer Protection and Markets Authority (CPMA) was greeted unenthusiastically by lawyers, many of whom questioned the need for such upheaval given the FSA's improved performance over the last couple of years. Now a further plan to extract the UK Listing Authority (UKLA) from the FSA and relocate it within the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is generating another wave of discontent.

By Alex Aldridge

6 minute read

September 24, 2010 | International Edition

International law firms with Brazilian alliances look set to come under renewed regulatory pressure after the Sao Paulo Bar Association this month concluded that formal tie-ups breach local practice rules. The recent opinion from the Sao Paulo Bar (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil - Secao de Sao Paulo) illustrates the mounting tension over the recent influx of foreign law firms into Brazil's fast-growing market. Though the decision by the ethical and disciplinary tribunal of the Sao Paulo Bar is only advisory, it is regarded as giving an indication as to which way a ruling would go if a case were to be pursued against one of the foreign firms operating in Brazil in alliance with a local firm.

By Alex Aldridge

3 minute read

September 17, 2010 | International Edition

When Orange and T-Mobile announced in July that they would review their line-up of legal advisers in the wake of their merger to become Everything Everywhere, the newly-formed company's general counsel James Blendis (formerly head of legal at T-Mobile) was keen to stress that the new panel would include barristers chambers as well as law firms. Blendis told Legal Week at the time: "We have had success instructing directly to the Bar in the past and would be keen to continue working in this way with the larger group of internal lawyers."

By Alex Aldridge

2 minute read

September 08, 2010 | International Edition

Leah Cooper's decision in February to quit her job as Rio Tinto managing attorney and EMEA general counsel to take a business development role at legal outsourcing provider CPA Global caused quite a stir. At the time, the outsourcing deal she struck with CPA on behalf of Rio - which since last May has seen the mining giant send out low-level legal tasks to a team of CPA lawyers in India - was less than a year old. And few expected the brains behind - and recognisable face of - the headline-grabbing initiative to jump ship so soon.

By Alex Aldridge

5 minute read

September 01, 2010 | International Edition

Most in-house counsel have spent the recession attempting to maintain standards in the face of reduced resources. But Jerry Temko, general counsel and chief compliance officer of the European arm of Japanese pharmaceutical giant Astellas, has been very much in proactive mode. The credit crunch and subsequent economic crisis didn't change Temko's robust pursuit of breaches of patents and licensing contracts - in fact, if anything, it has strengthened resolve to police the company's intellectual property (IP). The strategy has paid off: during the last five years Astellas has recovered over ‚Ǩ10m (£8.2m) in patent damages from generic pharma companies and in excess of ‚Ǩ6m (£4.9m) from change of control licensing events. "Generating these recoveries changes the role and perception of the legal team; it means we're not simply a cost centre," says Temko.

By Alex Aldridge

6 minute read

July 29, 2010 | International Edition

Life at Telecom Italia (TI) is rarely dull. Italy's largest telecoms company is currently embroiled in two major scandals, each containing enough intrigue and drama to fulfil the war story quota of TI general counsel and company secretary Antonino Cusimano for a good few years. Not that he can share such tales publicly, of course. The first involves illegal gathering of personal information. Between 2001 and 2006 the phones of more than 5,000 Italians - among them journalists, politicians and other prominent individuals - were allegedly tapped. Since the scandal was uncovered four years ago there have been a host of arrests, including that of TI's former head of security, Giuliano Tavaroli.

By Alex Aldridge

6 minute read

July 29, 2010 | International Edition

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is aiming to attract more secondees from law firms to assist in its dismantling following last month's announcement that the UK's system of financial regulation is to be overhauled. The secondees will assist the FSA's general counsel division in dividing up the City watchdog to form the separate regulators - the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Consumer Protection and Markets Authority (CPMA) - at the heart of the new regulatory framework.

By Alex Aldridge

2 minute read

July 26, 2010 | International Edition

BPP College of Professional Studies has been granted 'university college' status, creating the first private sector university college for more than 30 years. The new arrangement means BPP Law School is now part of BPP University College. However, the law school's name will remain the same and no changes will be made to the way it operates. This is the first time a private institution has been awarded the university college title since Buckingham University College - now the University of Buckingham - was created in 1976.

By Alex Aldridge

2 minute read