Friederike Heine

August 10, 2012 | International Edition

Weil Gotshal & Manges and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan have secured wins for their respective clients in a High Court action against the billionaire Barclay brothers over control of London-based hotels the Berkeley, the Connaught and Claridge's.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

August 10, 2012 | International Edition

The Financial Authority (FSA) has appointed senior litigator Tracey McDermott as the permanent replacement for Margaret Cole as director of enforcement and financial crime. Confirmation of the appointment comes after McDermott took on the role on an interim basis this April after Cole left to join accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers as UK general counsel.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

August 09, 2012 | International Edition

Linklaters is in advanced talks with South African law firm Webber Wentzel about an exclusive alliance, with both partnerships expected to ratify the deal through a vote later this year. The deal is set to follow the same formula as the magic circle firm's tie-up with Australia's Allens Arthur Robinson, which subsequently rebranded as Allens, and is expected to consist of a formal referral agreement and one or more joint ventures.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

August 08, 2012 | International Edition

Howard Kennedy and Finers Stephens Innocent have agreed to merge in a deal that is set to create a UK law firm with revenues of around £43m. The combination, which will go live on 1 November, will create a firm with 88 partners and 125 fee-earners under the brand Howard Kennedy FSI.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

August 07, 2012 | International Edition

The American Bar Association (ABA) has voted not to get involved in accrediting foreign law schools, ending nearly two years of speculation regarding the matter in the international legal education market.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

August 05, 2012 | International Edition

Hogan Lovells' staff carried out 15% fewer pro bono hours in 2011 than the previous calendar year, according to the firm's most recent Citizenship Report, an annual briefing detailing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The report shows that during 2011, the firm, which employed 5,069 full-time equivalent staff in 2011, recorded a total of 104,047 pro bono hours across 40 of its 43 offices wordwide, compared with 122,935 hours across the same amount of offices in 2010.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

August 02, 2012 | International Edition

Hogan Lovells is set to overhaul the international management committee put together in May 2010 when the transatlantic merger between legacy Lovells and Hogan & Hartson went live. Co-chief executives Warren Gorrell and David Harris are consulting partners about the scale of changes to the body, which is responsible for setting and managing the firm's strategy, with partners suggesting single practice group heads could be introduced when the current terms end on 30 April 2013.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

August 01, 2012 | International Edition

The Court of Appeal has handed down a judgment which will lead to a 10% increase in general damages in most civil litigation cases from 1 April next year. The changes, which form part of the measures recommended by Lord Justice Jackson in 2010, are intended to create a balanced package of measures in conjunction with the Government's Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

August 01, 2012 | International Edition

More than a third of all solicitors referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) in 2011 were black and minority ethnic (BME) individuals, according to the Solicitors Regulation Authority's (SRA's) annual equality and diversity report. Of the 390 individuals referred to the SDT during 2011, 35% were BME individuals, a notable increase on last year's equivalent figure of 31% from a smaller number of 311 referrals.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

August 01, 2012 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed a new global head of finance, with London banking head David Trott succeeding longstanding practice chief Alan Newton. Trott, who will begin his four-year term later this year (1 September), has a client list that includes Debenhams, Heineken, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund, Apollo, as well as Barclays, Lloyds and HSBC.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read