Alex Aldridge

February 10, 2010 | International Edition

Aerospace and defence giant BAE Systems has completed the first major review of its external legal advisers in the UK for more than a decade, with law firms including Allen & Overy (A&O) and Linklaters among those making the grade. The review, which kicked off last summer under the leadership of chief UK counsel Roger Wiltshire, has seen the company formalise its relationship with 16 law firms as well as three sets of barristers chambers.

By Alex Aldridge

2 minute read

February 03, 2010 | International Edition

ACC president Fred Krebs tells Alex Aldridge how the body is moving to force real change onto the agenda of corporate counsel - and reluctant law firms

By Alex Aldridge

7 minute read

January 27, 2010 | International Edition

Barclays has emerged from the credit crunch with its empire much extended. Alex Aldridge meets the senior legal team of one of Europe's most coveted clients

By Alex Aldridge

9 minute read

January 13, 2010 | International Edition

Mark Richards, international operations chief counsel at US engineering firm CH2M Hill, is pleased to be back in the office. He recently returned from Abu Dhabi, where he spent much of last year leading the primary contractor selection on United Arab Emirates' nuclear power programme, which CH2M Hill is project managing - a baptism of fire to a job that Richards began in September 2008. It has been an interesting project, he says, but has not left much time to get to grips with the other elements of his newly-created London-based role.

By Alex Aldridge

6 minute read

January 12, 2010 | International Edition

The Commerce and Industry Group (C&I), the UK industry body for in-house lawyers, has appointed a new chair. John Bleasdale, legal director of TNT UK, is to replace outgoing chair Sapna Bedi Fitzgerald, company secretary and head of legal at LSL Property Services. Fitzgerald has held the role - which is undertaken on a pro bono basis alongside professional commitments - since September 2008.

By Alex Aldridge

2 minute read

April 30, 2009 | International Edition

Terra Firma managing director Peter Cornell has warned that he does not see any "meaningful recovery" in the private equity sector until 2013.Speaking at a Legal Week private equity forum earlier this month, the former Clifford Chance managing partner, now managing director of stakeholder relations at the buyout house, told delegates that the first stage of any upturn will not come until late 2011 at the earliest.

By Alex Aldridge

2 minute read

April 01, 2010 | Corporate Counsel

Times may be hard, but Barclays' legal team is in the pink.

By Alex Aldridge

1 minute read

August 10, 2009 | Law.com

Several top commercial barristers' chambers in London are set to increase their pupillage salaries dramatically. Leading the way is One Essex Court, which will pay each of its four new recruits commencing pupillage in October 2010 a salary of 60,000 pounds ($100,000) -- a 33 percent increase compared to the 45,000 pounds ($75,000) award that the set's pupils currently receive.

By Alex Aldridge

2 minute read

June 10, 2009 | Corporate Counsel

Several major investment banks have raised in-house legal salaries to offset falls in the amounts of bonuses being paid out. Research by recruitment agency Sheffield Haworth reveals that UBS, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have all increased wages for their internal legal personnel, with the bulk of the rises occurring at more senior levels, with lawyers receiving pay hikes of up to 20 percent.

By Alex Aldridge

2 minute read

February 19, 2010 | Law.com

Microsoft has entered into an agreement with legal outsourcing provider CPA Global to offshore legal work to lawyers in India. The company began a pilot scheme with CPA in October and formally rolled it out at the end of 2009. A team of lawyers at CPA are handling multi-jurisdictional legal support work for Microsoft, including legal research. Microsoft has been sending basic IP work to CPA for five years, using a team of about 70 CPA staff, but the new deal for general legal work operates separately.

By Alex Aldridge

3 minute read