Chris Johnson

October 01, 2010 | Law.com

The long wait for the onset of Alternative Business Structures is almost over. Just 12 months remain until the third and final stage of the Legal Services Act comes into force, permitting U.K. law firms to accept outside equity investment for the first time. Firms are already preparing themselves for a change that many experts believe will fundamentally reshape the profession.

By Chris Johnson

9 minute read

April 01, 2011 | The American Lawyer

While most securities lawyers tiptoed through turbulent markets during much of 2010, Cleary partner Nicolas Grabar made like it was 2006 and personally worked on transactions worth an astonishing $120 billion, including the record-breaking $70 billion equity offering by Brazil's Petrobras.

By By Chris Johnson

4 minute read

October 01, 2011 | The American Lawyer

After losing business to U.S. firms, Clyde planted its own flag in the States.

By Chris Johnson

4 minute read

March 29, 2011 | Law.com

White & Case has bolstered its London project finance practice with the hire of infrastructure and renewable energy partner Caroline Miller Smith from Linklaters. Miller Smith's practice has an emphasis on the Middle East; while at Linklaters, she acted on the first PP11 rail project in Egypt.

By Chris Johnson

3 minute read

July 01, 2011 | Law.com

After a delay of almost a year, the U.K. Bribery Act finally takes effect today. Although mainly designed to tighten the U.K.'s regulatory framework, the act's broad jurisdictional reach means the majority of U.S. public companies are likely to be affected by what some experts have called the world's most draconian anti-corruption legislation.

By Chris Johnson

5 minute read

February 14, 2011 | The Legal Intelligencer

DLA Piper's U.S. arm has reported an increase in revenue for 2010, eking out a 1 percent rise in top-line earnings to $1.03 billion, according to the figures provided by the firm.

By Chris Johnson

4 minute read

November 18, 2010 | The Legal Intelligencer

Leading French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel has launched a London funds practice as it attempts to diversify a finance-focused practice that left the office brutally exposed to the rigors of the downturn.

By Chris Johnson

4 minute read

January 19, 2011 | Law.com

White & Case and Covington & Burling have hired senior officials from the U.K. government's Serious Fraud Office as firms continue to bolster their white-collar practices ahead of the introduction of a controversial new Bribery Act this April.

By Chris Johnson

5 minute read

July 01, 2011 | The American Lawyer

They say that charity begins at home--and that's probably a good thing, since it is in shorter than usual supply at many Am Law 200 firms. Average pro bono hours for lawyers at Am Law 200 firms plummeted 8 percent in 2010 to their lowest level in three years, reversing a decade of steady growth.

By By Chris Johnson

7 minute read

May 11, 2011 | Law.com

King & Spalding plans to launch a Moscow office in late May with hires from White & Case and Hogan Lovells. White & Case partner Jennifer Josefson is joining the firm in Russia alongside Hogan Lovells partners Sergey Komolov, Olga Kozyr and Alla Naglis. The team will initially focus on the energy, life sciences and TMT industries.

By Chris Johnson

4 minute read