Legal Week

July 01, 2009 | International Edition

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has appointed 24 firms to its panel of intervention agents, which deals with firms where there is deemed to be a risk to client money. The panel, which was announced yesterday and will run for three years, was selected after a competitive tender process involving 59 firms. Initially, 166 firms expressed an interest in applying.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

July 01, 2009 | International Edition

DWF has been appointed as sole debt recovery adviser to construction company Portakabin Group, with the appointment coming at the expense of Cobbetts. The mandate will see DWF advising on all work such as debt collection, bankruptcy petitions and winding-up orders.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

July 01, 2009 | International Edition

HSBC general counsel Richard Bennett talks to CC managing partner David Childs, Freshfields chief executive Ted Burke and Linklaters managing partner Simon Davies about the impact of the recession and how their respective firms are utilising new technologies to help them adapt to the new business environment.

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1 minute read

July 01, 2009 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has seen its profits per equity partner (PEP) slashed by 37%, dropping from £1.156m to £733,000. The firm today (1 July) became the first from the magic circle to announce preliminary results, reporting a 5% dip in turnover against the plunge in PEP. Revenues for 2008-09 amounted to £1.262m, down from £1.329m in 2007-08, with the weaker pound softening the drop.

By Legal Week

3 minute read

July 01, 2009 | International Edition

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has picked up two partners from the magic circle, with the firm set to bolster its finance and litigation practices. Clifford Chance (CC) litigation partner Nic Fletcher will join BLP's international arbitration practice while, as legalweek.com reported last week (26 June), Allen & Overy (A&O) leveraged finance partner Andrew Bamber is also set to join the firm.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

July 01, 2009 | International Edition

I am grateful to Legal Week readers for their interest in my column so far, and especially to those who take their time to post comments - some of which, I note, appear to be a little distracted from the content of the writing by the accompanying picture of a woman's legs (as modest as it is). I would much prefer to hear your views on the substantive issues I focus on. Besides, I must confess that I cannot claim ownership of those legs and I did not choose the photo. Had I been given the choice, I would have picked one with much better shoes.

By Legal Week

4 minute read

June 30, 2009 | International Edition

Baker & McKenzie has appointed M&A partner Clive Cook as chair of its Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesian offices. Cook is relocating to the region to take up the newly-created role as of 1 July. He will be based in Singapore and will take overall responsibility for the firm's four branches in the region - Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore - with each office retaining a managing partner of its own.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

June 30, 2009 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) is shutting up shop in Budapest, with the firm's Hungarian partners set to spin off into Lakatos Koves & Partners. The move, which was announced today (30 June) will see the Budapest office become a standalone practice by the end of July after being bought out by existing office managing partner Peter Lakatos. All lawyers and staff in the region will transfer over to the new practice.

By Legal Week

3 minute read

June 30, 2009 | International Edition

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has recruited another Clifford Chance (CC) partner in New York, a move which means the US firm has now taken on 11 litigation lawyers from CC during the past month. CC litigation partner George Schieren, who resigned from the US practice earlier this month, has joined CC's global head of litigation Mark Kirsch, litigation partner Joel Cohen and counsel Christopher Joralemon at Gibson Dunn, with the US firm confirming that it has also recruited seven associates from CC.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

June 30, 2009 | International Edition

Spain's Gomez-Acebo & Pombo is to merge with Nabarro's Spanish ally Rodes & Sala. Four-partner Rodes & Sala will merge with into Gomez-Acebo with effect from tomorrow (1 July), with all four partners - including the boutique's founding partners Gonzalo Rodes and Rafael Sala - becoming Gomez-Acebo partners. In total, 22 lawyers will move across to Gomez-Acebo.

By Legal Week

2 minute read