Gerard Starkey

April 18, 2013 | International Edition

Pinsent Masons and Walker Morris have played key roles in pushing through an out-of-court settlement that has seen Portsmouth Football Club rescued from administration by a group of its supporters. An agreement has been reached between administrators BDO and creditors Portpin ahead of a High Court dispute over the valuation of the club's Fratton Park home ground. Portpin, led by former Portsmouth FC chairman Balram Chainrai, had claimed it was owed £12m by the club and held the stadium as security. The Pompey Supporters' Trust (PST) will now pay a reported £3m plus add-ons to take control of the club and gain ownership of Fratton Park, making it the biggest fan-owned club in the country. The deal is subject to Football League approval.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

April 18, 2013 | International Edition

Fixed-fee legal venture LawVest has posted a loss of £3.2m for its first 16 months of trading, as the DLA Piper-backed business gears up to convert a "multi-million pound sales pipeline". The accounts, which cover the period from the company's launch in February 2011 to 30 September 2012, show the firm took in revenues of £170,036 against costs of £431,986, with £1.2m spent on sales and marketing and £1.7m on administrative expenses.

By Gerard Starkey

3 minute read

April 18, 2013 | International Edition

Osborne Clarke (OC) has continued its growth in London after adding Bird & Bird IP litigation partner Lorna Brazell to its City ranks, making it the seventh partner to join the office in 2013. Brazell, who joins OC in early May, spent 19 years at Bird & Bird specialising in patent disputes, designs and software copyright matters for high technology clients around the world. She made partner in 2001.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

April 17, 2013 | International Edition

Baker & McKenzie is merging with respected United Arab Emirates leader Habib Al Mulla & Company. The merged firm, which will be known as Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla in the UAE, will go live on 1 July. The tie-up is significant as the first merger of a global law firm with a UAE independent.

By Gerard Starkey

3 minute read

April 16, 2013 | International Edition

Clyde and Co is launching in Madrid with the hire of a four-partner insurance team from DAC Beachcroft's local office, including former Madrid managing partner Ignacio Figuerol. Members of the nine-lawyer team, including partners Figuerol, Ricardo Garrido, Pablo Guillen and Miguel Relano, have handed in their resignations and are currently discussing their exits from the firm.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

April 16, 2013 | International Edition

Devereux Chambers has taken on the former head of Eversheds' in-house advocacy unit, barrister Tom Keith. Keith joins the commercial litigation practice at Devereux after seven years at Eversheds, which he joined in 2006 as a consultant from Fountain Court to launch the unit. His experience includes insurance, financial services, civil fraud and general international commercial litigation.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

April 16, 2013 | International Edition

Fixed-fee legal venture LawVest has posted a loss of £3.2m for its first 16 months of trading, as the DLA Piper-backed business gears up to convert a "multimillion-pound sales pipeline". The accounts, which cover the period from the company's launch in February 2011 to 30 September 2012, show LawVest took in revenues of £170,036 against costs of £431,986, with £1.2m spent on sales and marketing and £1.7m on administrative expenses.

By Gerard Starkey

3 minute read

April 16, 2013 | International Edition

Addleshaw Goddard real estate partner Paula Dillon is to join the newly created Bond Dickinson once the merger between Bond Pearce and Dickinson Dees goes live on 1 May. Dillon will join the newly-merged firm's Leeds office next month. Top rated by Chambers, she is a well-known figure in the Yorkshire real estate market and spent 14 years as partner at Addleshaws after joining in 1999 from Garretts.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

April 11, 2013 | International Edition

Mills & Reeve and Manchester law firm George Davies are set to vote on a potential merger later this month, paving the way for a combination that would create a firm worth £77m. After months of talks, management at both firms are putting together a formal business case for the union, which they plan to present to their partners at the end of April.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

April 11, 2013 | International Edition

City firms RPC and Bates Wells & Braithwaite have played roles on Betfair Group's takeover of online sports bookmaker Blue Square Bet from Rank Group. The acquisition, which has a value of £5m, has seen Blue Square's customer database transfer over to Betfair.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read