Friederike Heine

April 16, 2012 | International Edition

Dewey & LeBoeuf is set to lose its entire five-partner Dubai team to US rival Dechert alongside the exit of two high-profile City capital markets partners. The entire Dubai office, which is led by corporate partner duo Gavin Watson and Chris Sioufi and has a total of eight associates, is set to join Dechert alongside well-known London capital markets partner Camille Abousleiman.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

April 12, 2012 | International Edition

Ashurst has strengthened its Milan office with the hire of a corporate team lead by Alessandro Giovannelli from Italian independent Pavia & Ansaldo. Giovannelli, who will take over as head of Ashurst's Italian corporate practice, specialises in private equity and M&A with a particular focus on joint ventures and corporate reorganisations.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

April 12, 2012 | International Edition

Hogan Lovells has added a second partner to its Mongolia base with the transfer of City corporate partner Chris Melville to Ulaanbaatar. Melville, who will relocate from London later this month, advises on M&A, joint ventures and corporate finance across the energy and natural resources sectors.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

April 11, 2012 | International Edition

The Legal Education and Training Review (LETR) has issued a call for feedback on radical proposals for reform, including the replacement of the traditional training contract with a more flexible period of 'supervised practice'. The review, billed as the most fundamental examination of legal education and training since the Ormrod report of 1971, has published the first of three consultation papers to canvas views on potential reforms, which also include the abolition of the concept of a qualifying law degree and the introduction of national assessments at the point of entry to the profession.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

April 10, 2012 | International Edition

Dewey & LeBoeuf is set to lose another two partners in London, with commercial litigator Nicholas Rock leaving to join Reed Smith and junior corporate partner Prakash Paran moving to DLA Piper. Rock, who was co-head of the US firm's environmental litigation practice, has 20 years' experience in commercial litigation with a focus on climate change law.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

April 10, 2012 | International Edition

Hogan Lovells is set to vote on a new London representative for its board, following the appointment of real estate litigator and board member Nicholas Cheffings as the firm's first-ever sole chairman. In an internal memo to partners, the firm has put forward real estate partner Gill McGreevy, retail banking head Emily Reid, insolvency partner Joe Bannister and litigator Jeremy Cole as potential candidates for the role.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

April 05, 2012 | International Edition

Dewey & LeBoeuf is set to defer a portion of its partners' compensation for as long as 10 years, it has emerged, as the US law firm moves to stabilise its business. The firm's newly created five-member executive body is in the process of finalising what is internally referred to as a "financial incentives plan" for partners, that will see a portion of their pay deferred.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

April 04, 2012 | International Edition

Ashurst's Australia arm has spent A$1.5m (£971,000) on an advertising campaign to promote the recent combination between UK law firm Ashurst and legacy Blake Dawson. The two firms, which combined their Asian operations and came together under the Ashurst banner last month (1 March), instructed advertising agency Principals to create a multi-platform advertising campaign across Australian media outlets to increase brand awareness.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

April 04, 2012 | International Edition

More than 800 obsolete laws are set to be withdrawn from the statute book in a move by the English and Scottish law commissions to simplify the UK's legal system. A report published today (4 April) by the Law Commission for England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission calls for hundreds of outdated acts of Parliament to be swept from the statute book.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

April 03, 2012 | International Edition

Linklaters is planning to apply for a licence to practise local law in Singapore following the confirmation last month (13 March) that it has ended its joint venture with top-tier Singapore firm Allen & Gledhill (A&G). Instead of pursuing another formal alliance in the region, the magic circle firm now intends to engage in several informal referral relationships with local law firms, as well as growing its own practice by hiring lawyers with Singapore law expertise.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read