Gerard Starkey

August 23, 2012 | Law.com

Parabis Group has received its alternative business structure license from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, making it the first private equity-backed organization to take up the business model. Parabis is in talks with several law firms about possible acquisitions, with at least one deal expected to close this year.

By Gerard Starkey

3 minute read

September 13, 2012 | Law.com

Dickinson Dees and Bond Pearce have revealed they are in talks over a potential merger that would create a combined firm with revenues of more than £90 million and put the merged firm in the U.K. top 40 ranks. Dickinson Dees, which is based in the northeast, views Bond Pearce's network of southern offices as a complementary fit.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

September 04, 2012 | Law.com

Pinsent Masons is opening a new office in Paris after recruiting a nine-partner team from Marccus Partners, the legal arm of accounting firm Mazars. The new office, which will offer a full range of legal services, comes just two months after Pinsents set up shop in Munich and is "central to our global sector approach," the firm said.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

August 21, 2012 | Law.com

Irwin Mitchell has become the largest U.K. law firm to date to receive its alternative business structure license from the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The top 20 U.K. firm has also become the first to have multiple licenses approved, with five different entities within the Irwin Mitchell Group gaining ABS licenses.

By Gerard Starkey

3 minute read

October 03, 2012 | Law.com

Jones Day is set to expand its European footprint with the launch of an Amsterdam office in early 2013. The new base, which will initially concentrate on corporate and M&A, private equity, capital markets, litigation and antitrust, will be led by Luc Houben, formerly partner-in-charge at the firm's Brussels office.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

October 08, 2012 | Law.com

Baker & McKenzie has overhauled its pay structure for London associates in a move away from the traditional post qualification experience model to a three-tier, merit-based system intended to encourage its associates to develop at a faster rate. The firm is also appointing partner "coaches" who will help associates develop within their department.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

August 28, 2012 | Law.com

Alternative legal services provider Axiom is set to launch new bases in India and Singapore. The base in Gurgaon will follow a "managed services" model, staffed by a mix of lawyers, negotiators and paralegals who will work directly with the firm's clients. The new Singapore base will support firm clients with an Asia-Pacific presence.

By Gerard Starkey

3 minute read

August 31, 2012 | Law.com

Former News International legal chief Tom Crone has been arrested as part of the Metropolitan Police's investigation into the phone-hacking scandal. Crone, who spent more than 20 years with News International, quit the company in July 2011, following the closure of the News of the World in the wake of the hacking controversy.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

September 21, 2012 | Law.com

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has confirmed it will investigate the actions of lawyers involved in the legal proceedings following the 1989 Hillsborough football disaster. The news comes after an independent report revealed that former Hammond Suddards partner Peter Metcalf had recommended the "review and alteration" of police statements.

By Gerard Starkey

3 minute read