Legal Week

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

In a claim that could also be made of many of its national rivals, there has been a sense in recent years that Pinsent Masons has been struggling to strike the right tone in its international strategy as the firm shifts its practice towards a more cosmopolitan outlook. After all, its recently-announced tie-up with Salans is not the UK firm's first attempt to link with an international player. The question is whether this will deliver the solution the firm is looking for.

By Legal Week

5 minute read

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

Weil Gotshal & Manges looks set to earn more from the landmark bankruptcy of General Motors than it did from its mandate advising on the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

By Legal Week

5 minute read

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

Currently, in the legal world, I am a corporate partner at City law firm SJ Berwin. In the political world, I am a shadow minister for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), and also shadow Solicitor General.

By Legal Week

7 minute read

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

It has been a long time coming and it has now had its first reading: two volumes, 200-plus sections, 28 schedules and 1,000 (yes, really) explanatory paragraphs. We were wondering how the Government would approach this long-awaited piece of legislation and the answer is seismic. Everything changes, within the constraints of existing European Community law. The Equality Bill sets out to provide an equality blueprint for the 21st century. Whether it succeeds only time will tell.

By Legal Week

6 minute read

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

Twelve months ago I wrote an article in these pages attempting to predict how Northern Ireland's (NI) law firms would fare in the short and medium term. My conclusion was that initially there would be a levelling out of growth but mid-term well-balanced firms should continue to be able to grow. So, how have we done and how far off the mark was I?

By Legal Week

4 minute read

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

December 2004. It was a Christmas like no other when finance minister Ian Pearson announced a 10-year framework that could see up to £16bn of investment poured into Northern Ireland's ailing infrastructure after years of under-funding. The Government's newly-created Strategic Investment Board (SIB) for Northern Ireland had just reached financial close on its first public-private partnership (PPP) scheme (giving Invest NI its award-winning new headquarters) and had announced a pipeline of sizeable schemes in various sectors including health, education, transport and ICT.

By Legal Week

9 minute read

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

Energy has come to the forefront of economic and environmental attention globally, and Ireland north and south is no exception to this trend. The energy sector in Ireland has remained driven North by an all-island agenda and ern Ireland, in particular, has seen ongoing development in energy matters. Much emphasis has been on the development of renewables and achieving cost savings and efficiencies through the development of an all-island energy market.

By Legal Week

10 minute read

June 10, 2009 | Legal Week

In a claim that could also be made of many of its national rivals, there has been a sense in recent years that Pinsent Masons has been struggling to strike the right tone in its international strategy as the firm shifts its practice towards a more cosmopolitan outlook. After all, its recently-announced tie-up with Salans is not the UK firm's first attempt to link with an international player. The question is whether this will deliver the solution the firm is looking for.

By Legal Week

12 minute read

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

Whenever I sit in on debates involving private client lawyers I get fresh insights into how miserable life can be if you are seriously wealthy. Recently, a group of senior private client lawyers gathered at the London Stock Exchange for a panel debate hosted by Legal Week.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

June 10, 2009 | International Edition

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has hired two litigation partners from Clifford Chance's (CC's) New York office, including the magic circle firm's former global litigation head Mark Kirsch. The firm has recruited Kirsch and fellow partner Joel Cohen, with CC counsel Christopher Joralemon also joining as a partner.

By Legal Week

2 minute read