Legal Week

November 05, 2008 | International Edition

When Heller Ehrman partners gathered at Santa Barbara, California's Bacara Resort & Spa in March 2007, there was already reason to be concerned about the firm's future. Several practice areas were slow. The firm's national and global ambitions were in disarray. And partners were increasingly skeptical about management's ability to address the problems. But that weekend they were determined to laugh at this worrisome predicament. The final night of the retreat featured a $300,000 (£186,000) skit. Performers from the Los Angeles Opera, accompanied by a professional orchestra, portrayed chairman Matthew Larrabee (pictured) and other firm leaders frantically searching for a merger partner. "Some people were laughing, but I thought it was surreal," says one former partner.

By Legal Week

9 minute read

October 29, 2008 | International Edition

"I am approaching the stage in my four-year law degree where I am about to make my first round of applications for interviews for vac schemes and 2011 training contracts. However, after getting a 2:2 in my first year, I ended up repeating my second year after suffering from depression and eventually gaining a good 2:1 average from my top 10 UK university. "I am in a bit of a dilemma as how to approach this in applications to City firms. Whilst not actually lying about results, should I just cover up my repeated year and hope that HR do not pick up on this through checks on my application or through my academic reference? Or is an open and honest approach best by talking directly to graduate recruitment and explaining my particular situation before applying? I am pretty worried about the stigma of having suffered depression and my unsatisfactory first-year results when law firms are inundated with candidates with consistent 2:1s and 1sts - will my application simply be thrown on the 'reject' pile?"

By Legal Week

1 minute read

October 16, 2008 | International Edition

Halliwells' equity partners received a six-figure payout after agreeing a deal with developers on their new flagship Manchester office, it has emerged. Equity partners are thought to have shared a multi-million pound payout, which was made on completion of the building in March 2007. Separately, the firm itself is also thought to have received a lump sum payment, although Halliwells refused to comment on how much was paid either to partners or to the firm as a whole.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

October 16, 2008 | International Edition

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has boosted its regulatory department with the hire of a new partner from the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Stephen Francis is set to join the City firm at the end of the month as a partner. He was previously a manager of one of the FSA's wholesale enforcement teams dealing with cases of criminal insider dealing and market abuse, and investigating the control environments within large banks and investment insurance firms.Prior to joining the FSA, Francis was a partner in DLA Piper's regulatory group and focused on criminal and regulatory investigations brought by state bodies including the Financial Services Authority, the Serious Fraud Office, the police and the Health & Safety Executive.

By Legal Week

2 minute read

October 16, 2008 | Legal Week

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has boosted its regulatory department with the hire of a new partner from the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Stephen Francis is set to join the City firm at the end of the month as a partner. He was previously a manager of one of the FSA's wholesale enforcement teams dealing with cases of criminal insider dealing and market abuse, and investigating the control environments within large banks and investment insurance firms.Prior to joining the FSA, Francis was a partner in DLA Piper's regulatory group and focused on criminal and regulatory investigations brought by state bodies including the Financial Services Authority, the Serious Fraud Office, the police and the Health & Safety Executive.

By Legal Week

7 minute read

October 15, 2008 | International Edition

The proposed merger of Lloyds TSB and HBOS has put the UK's merger control enforcement regime firmly in the spotlight, with the Government's willingness to put competition law on hold grabbing many of the headlines. But when the Government says it will not allow competition rules to stand in the way of the transaction, it does not mean it will be immune to regulatory scrutiny. The new secretary of state for business enterprise and regulatory reform, Peter Mandelson, may yet face a delicate balancing act when it comes to justifying his final decision. UK merger control is governed by the Enterprise Act 2002, which introduced several major changes to the previous legislative regime. Chief among them was the conferring of decision-making power previously exercised by the Secretary of State onto independent competition authorities, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Commission.

By Legal Week

4 minute read

October 08, 2008 | International Edition

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge has gained its first presence in China after sealing an association with local law firm Lister Swartz as of 1 October. The launch represents the firm's second presence outside the US and its first new office since its merger with UK law firm Kendall Freeman in October last year. Walter Reed, managing partner of Edwards Angell, said: "Hong Kong is the right place for us to be and is in direct response to the needs of our increasingly global client base."

By Legal Week

1 minute read

September 22, 2008 | International Edition

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has recruited a four-lawyer team from Field Fisher Waterhouse, including a new head for its real estate practice. RPC has taken on Field Fisher partner Martin Barrett to head its real estate team, along with assistant Sarah Cassidy, who will join as a partner.Barrett previously headed up Field Fisher's projects, infrastructure, commercial and industrial group, spending five years at Rosling King and five years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer before joining Field Fisher as a partner in 1992. His practice centres on energy and transport and he also advises on property-related matters for chemical, pharmaceutical, oil, gas and railway operating companies.

By Legal Week

3 minute read

September 22, 2008 | Legal Week

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has recruited a four-lawyer team from Field Fisher Waterhouse, including a new head for its real estate practice. RPC has taken on Field Fisher partner Martin Barrett to head its real estate team, along with assistant Sarah Cassidy, who will join as a partner.Barrett previously headed up Field Fisher's projects, infrastructure, commercial and industrial group, spending five years at Rosling King and five years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer before joining Field Fisher as a partner in 1992. His practice centres on energy and transport and he also advises on property-related matters for chemical, pharmaceutical, oil, gas and railway operating companies.

By Legal Week

8 minute read

September 18, 2008 | International Edition

Bird & Bird is set to merge with City boutique Lane & Partners from next month. Lane & Partners which has more than 30 lawyers, has a particular focus on aviation work with clients operating in this sector as well as the travel, art, construction, engineering and utilities sectors. The firm will be incorporated under the Bird & Bird banner from 1 October, with the tie-up taking Bird & Bird's contentious team to more than 100 lawyers in London.The merger is the latest in a string of moves the expansive firm has made, after significantly boosting its presence earlier this month in Central and Eastern Europe with the launch of four offices - opening simultaneously in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Meanwhile in May, it scored a tie up with Finnish firm Fennica.

By Legal Week

2 minute read