Anna Reynolds

February 17, 2014 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer London head of arbitration Constantine Partasides will leave the firm to set up an independent arbitration practice with Paris-based disputes partner Georgios Petrochilos, who has also announced his departure from the magic circle firm. The pair will be joined by former Freshfields international arbitration head Jan Paulsson who left last year after spending 20 years at the firm.

By Anna Reynolds

2 minute read

February 16, 2014 | International Edition

Wragge & Co and Lawrence Graham have set up a new management board for the combined firm, which will be structured around five practice groups when the merger goes live on 1 May.

By Anna Reynolds

2 minute read

February 13, 2014 | International Edition

Thirty Nine Essex Street has launched an office in Kuala Lumpur, making it the first UK chambers to have a presence in Malaysia. The set has taken an office at the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration.

By Anna Reynolds

3 minute read

February 13, 2014 | International Edition

Wragge & Co and Lawrence Graham (LG) will seek a global merger once their own tie-up goes live on 1 May. In an exclusive interview with Legal Week, Wragges senior partner Quentin Poole said a merger with an international practice or practices was on the cards. The firms are thought to be interested in the model adopted by Norton Rose Fulbright and Dentons, both of which have expanded rapidly through a series of combinations. "Both firms will be more attractive now we have a bigger proposition in the UK and we are very open minded about a global merger," said Poole.

By Anna Reynolds

3 minute read

February 13, 2014 | International Edition

Baker & McKenzie has hired a team of 13 lawyers from collapsed Canadian firm Heenan Blaikie to join its Toronto office. The group, which is made up of at least six partners, is led by corporate & securities partners Kevin Rooney and Sonia Yung, and will be spread across Bakers' corporate & securities, tax, and banking & finance practices. The other partners include Peter Clark (tax), Ilia Danef (finance), Charles MacCready (public M&A), and Corey MacKinnon (corporate).

By Anna Reynolds

2 minute read

February 13, 2014 | International Edition

The first thing many people comment on when meeting Wragge & Co senior partner Quentin Poole is how happy he looks. And with the firm's merger with City firm Lawrence Graham set to go live in a matter of months, Poole has more reason than ever to smile, with the long-awaited London tie-up marking the completion of Wragges' journey from Birmingham firm to UK player. Since joining Wragges in 1979, 58-year-old Poole has watched the firm grow from a small Birmingham outfit with some 50 lawyers into one of the UK's largest national players, and will oversee its latest expansion as it prepares to merge with Lawrence Graham on 1 May. Even aside from the merger, Poole is proud of how far Wragges has come – the formerly Birmingham-centric firm has more than 200 employees in London in its own right, offices in continental Europe, mainland China and the United Arab Emirates, and last year generated turnover of £120m.

By Anna Reynolds

10 minute read

February 13, 2014 | International Edition

Expectations were high when DLA Piper brought in former Linklaters managing partner Tony Angel in late 2011. With a reputation as someone unafraid of making difficult and unpopular decisions, and tasked with reinventing DLA's UK practice and better integrating the US and international arms of the firm, Angel's hire sent a signal to the market: DLA meant business. But despite the fact Angel's costly hire – with the package rumoured to be worth some £2m a year – was always intended to be for a fixed term, some partners within the firm were surprised by the news that he was to step down as global co-chair in January 2015. "It had been on the cards," said one. "But it was a lot quicker than we expected." Now, as the firm prepares to hand over to a new leadership team – with Nigel Knowles set to take over from Angel as co-chair and UK intellectual property partner Simon Levine succeeding Knowles as co-CEO – attention is focusing on what Angel's legacy at DLA will be.

By Anna Reynolds

1 minute read

February 12, 2014 | International Edition

Gateley and Howard KennedyFsi have advised on West Ham United's sale of its Upton Park ground to Galliard Group.

By Anna Reynolds

2 minute read

February 10, 2014 | International Edition

DLA Piper has ended discussions to take on a group of lawyers from Heenan Blaikie, the Canadian firm set to be wound up. The firm had been in talks to take on a group of between 60 and 70 lawyers from Heenan Blaikie, after the Canadian firm - once one of the largest in the country - announced it was to shut down operation last week.

By Anna Reynolds

2 minute read

February 10, 2014 | International Edition

Berwin Leighton Paisner's head of restructuring & insolvency Ben Larkin has quit the firm to join Jones Day, marking the third BLP partner the US firm has hired in the last six months.

By Anna Reynolds

2 minute read