Georgina Stanley

March 02, 2012 | Legal Week

The magic circle may have yet to find their dream partners in New York, but the more flexible model used by some London rivals - notably Hogan Lovells and DLA Piper - has allowed them to make considerable progress in the US...

By Georgina Stanley

32 minute read

March 01, 2012 | International Edition

As attention turns to emerging economies, London's top firms continue to press on in the US. Georgina Stanley asks whether a breakthrough is finally in sight

By Georgina Stanley

23 minute read

March 01, 2012 | Legal Week

As attention turns to emerging economies, London's top firms continue to press on in the US. Georgina Stanley asks whether a breakthrough is finally in sight

By Georgina Stanley

95 minute read

February 23, 2012 | Legal Week

Linklaters chief Simon Davies failed to achieve the 75% majority vote required to secure his reappointment as managing partner due to a protest by partners unhappy with management decisions and the way they were communicated, it has emerged. Davies, who was the only candidate standing for the managing partner role, now faces a physical vote on his reappointment at the firm's partnership meeting in Montreux in April after achieving a 60% majority during an electronic vote that had been expected to conclude earlier this month.

By Georgina Stanley

5 minute read

February 23, 2012 | International Edition

Linklaters chief Simon Davies failed to achieve the 75% majority vote required to secure his reappointment as managing partner due to a protest by partners unhappy with management decisions and the way they were communicated, it has emerged. Davies, who was the only candidate standing for the managing partner role, now faces a physical vote on his reappointment at the firm's partnership meeting in Montreux in April after achieving a 60% majority during an electronic vote that had been expected to conclude earlier this month.

By Georgina Stanley

3 minute read

February 16, 2012 | International Edition

After five years of investigation it took a jury just five hours to last week (8 February) acquit Harry Redknapp (pictured) of tax evasion. For Redknapp, clearing his name after the 13-day trial at Southwark Crown Court could leave the path clear to the England manager role recently vacated by Fabio Capello. For HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), which pursued the high-profile case against the Tottenham Hotspur manager and his co-defendant, former Portsmouth owner Milan Mandaric, the outcome has led to claims that the case should never have gone to trial at all.

By Georgina Stanley

5 minute read

January 26, 2012 | International Edition

Georgina Stanley and Rose Orlik ask if the looming McGrigors merger can help Pinsents achieve its larger goals...

By Georgina Stanley

5 minute read

January 19, 2012 | International Edition

With budget fashion retailers Peacocks and Barratts this week looking set to join a growing list of high street casualties in the latest round of economic turmoil, 2012 should – in theory – shape up to be a busy year for City restructuring and insolvency partners. To date, January has already seen the likes of Addleshaw Goddard, Travers Smith, Linklaters and SJ Berwin win roles on the administrations of Blacks Leisure and lingerie chain La Senza and, with many predicting a surge of additional collapses, the tally of firms winning work from turbulence on the high street is obviously set to increase. Still, a quick glance behind the more high-profile headlines shows that restructuring – and in particular, insolvency – work has so far failed to see the sustained upsurge predicted in the wake of Lehman Brothers' collapse and the onset of the last recession. While there was a run of deals in the wake of the banking crisis through 2009 and early 2010, by consensus pickings have been slimmer than restructuring teams expected.

By Georgina Stanley

7 minute read

January 12, 2012 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) has emerged as the top-ranked UK M&A adviser in 2011 in the strategically key Asia-Pacific market, securing an apparent vindication for its sustained push in the region. Figures from Legal Week's exclusive data provider Mergermarket show A&O leading the Asia-Pacific rankings (which exclude Japan) in value terms after advising on 53 deals with a combined value of $50.5bn (£32.7bn) in 2011, well ahead of international rivals. The firm was also the highest ranked City practice according to number of Asia deals, in sixth place overall.

By Georgina Stanley

6 minute read

December 08, 2011 | International Edition

If you were a company in need of a tough litigator in the 1980s there would have been one name at the top of your list: Herbert Smith. The firm was acknowledged to be streaks ahead of its rivals, with star names including Lawrence Collins, Charles Plant, David Higgins, David Natali and David Gold helping to cement its reputation as the go-to firm for litigation. After all, Herbert Smith pretty much wrote the book for the modern City litigator having, after World War II, pioneered a partner-led style of running disputes under legendary practitioners like John Barker and Francis Mann. Previously, litigation was run by clerks and outside counsel - but Herbert Smith developed a style of proactive litigation with parallels to the US tradition of trial lawyering.

By Georgina Stanley

9 minute read