Legal Week

September 02, 2009 | International Edition

Lovells has boosted its Paris insolvency capacity with a tie-up with top-rated French insolvency boutique Kuntz & Associes. The top 10 UK firm has formalised its relationship with the boutique, establishing an exclusive referral arrangement for business restructuring and insolvency work.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

September 02, 2009 | International Edition

Italian firm NCTM has completed its tie-up with real estate boutique DS&P with the arrival of administrative law partner Marco Antonio Monaco. The merger, originally announced in May (12 May), saw DS&P managing partner Riccardo Delli Santi and Valentina Delli Santi both join NCTM as partners along with 25 further fee earners.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

September 02, 2009 | International Edition

A former in-house lawyer at Toyota has brought a lawsuit alleging that the company repeatedly ignored his warnings that important litigation evidence was being concealed and destroyed, reports Corporate Counsel. Dimitrious Biller has accused Toyota Motor Sales USA of obstructing justice and violating civil racketeering laws and asked that the company be enjoined from enforcing the confidentiality clause that was part of his 2007 severance agreement.

By Legal Week

3 minute read

September 02, 2009 | International Edition

Scottish arch-rivals Dundas & Wilson and McGrigors have met to discuss market conditions in a move that has been interpreted by some partners as the pair considering radical options for their respective futures. The two firms' leadership - McGrigors managing and senior partners Richard Masters and Kirk Murdoch and Dundas & Wilson joint managing partners Donald Shaw and Alan Campbell - met in July.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

September 02, 2009 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) is gearing up for a series of senior leadership elections with David Childs expected to stand for re-election as the City giant's managing partner. Childs is viewed as likely to stand for a second four-year term at the firm's helm, with elections due to take place this autumn. If Childs were to stand successfully, he would start his second term in May 2010.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

September 02, 2009 | International Edition

Herbert Smith has abandoned its 'make a difference' initiative for partner appraisals, to focus on partner performance through more formal assessments. The top 10 City firm rolled out a new system over the summer, with partners assessed annually against four distinct areas: client skills, technical skills, people skills and how their performance fits with the firm's strategy.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

September 02, 2009 | International Edition

Mars has handed its high-profile trademark work to Lovells as previous adviser Clifford Chance moves to restructure its intellectual property (IP) practice. Lovells will now advise Mars on trademark, copyright, design and brand protection matters across a portfolio of products ranging from chocolate brands Galaxy and Snickers to pet food brands Pedigree and Whiskas and food product brands like Uncle Ben's.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

September 02, 2009 | International Edition

Dewey & LeBoeuf has secured a new role as eBay's go-to M&A counsel after hiring the online auction site's long-term advisers from Cooley Godward Kronish last month. Three M&A lawyers Dewey hired from Cooley last month led the firm's team representing eBay on its $1.9bn (£1.15bn) deal to unload a controlling interest in Skype to a consortium of investors.

By Legal Week

3 minute read

September 02, 2009 | Legal Week

They were the appointments that promised so much yet delivered so little - but what, if anything, do the swift departures of Maurice Allen and Mike Goetz from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer say about the City firm's wider finance practice? The message from Freshfields is that it just didn't work out as either party had hoped. There's plenty of truth to that, but it's hardly the full story. For a start, it is striking the level of naivety both parties seem to have brought to the deal - arguably the most eye-catching lateral appointment Freshfields had ever made in the City. Certainly there appeared to be a lack of communication on both sides as to how it would work, which contributed to later frustrations.

By Legal Week

9 minute read

September 02, 2009 | Legal Week

You could be forgiven for wondering whether legal secretaries are just suckers for punishment. Serving as the right hand of many a dealmaker, often working unsociable hours to be at the desk before their boss and balancing demanding clients and egos, nonetheless their role within the modern law firm is often overlooked. But most partners will tell you a good PA is worth their weight in gold, with several not just taking responsibility for the traditional diary management, but also attending partner meetings and even becoming involved in partner hires.

By Legal Week

32 minute read