Mark Goddard

December 13, 2009 | International Edition

A recent merger with the firm's London namesake could give the plucky Scousers a lift - but insurance remains a challenging market.

By Mark Goddard

5 minute read

December 13, 2009 | International Edition

With Neville Eisenberg at the helm, BLP has been one of the more noticeably upwardly-mobile firms in the UK's mid tier. But what about a bonus scheme that one contributor calls "a masterful display of smoke and mirrors"?

By Mark Goddard

9 minute read

December 13, 2009 | International Edition

The transatlantic giant has become an increasingly omnipresent force of late - with or without post-merger financial integration.

By Mark Goddard

12 minute read

December 13, 2009 | International Edition

A great US practice and renowned as a decent place to work. However, the London office still looks uneven, so approach very much on the basis of your practice area.

By Mark Goddard

11 minute read

June 11, 2009 | International Edition

Watson Farley & Williams has defied the downturn to post a 25% increase in turnover. The firm saw fee income climb from £59m last year to £73.5m for 2008-09. Meanwhile, profits per equity partner have grown by 7%, increasing from £424,000 to £430,000.

By Mark Goddard

2 minute read

June 09, 2009 | International Edition

Davis Polk & Wardwell has opted to close its Frankfurt office when resident partner Patrick Kenadjian retires at the end of August, reports The Am Law Daily. Kenadjian informed the firm earlier this spring that he intended to retire at the end of this year. In the meantime, the office's designated successor, London-based partner Harald Halbhuber, decided to leave the firm for personal reasons, according to managing partner John Ettinger. The Frankfurt office, which was launched in 1991, has long focused on cross-border securities and M&A work. In January, Kenadjian headed a team advising Oesterreichische Kontrollbank on its offering of $1.25bn (£770m) in global notes.

By Mark Goddard

2 minute read

June 09, 2009 | International Edition

Lord Woolf and Cherie Booth QC are heading up a scheme in association with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) which will see accountants and lawyers mediating alongside each other. The ICAEW has put together a group of senior lawyers and accountants who will work together to advise on high-value business disputes for FTSE 250-level companies.

By Mark Goddard

2 minute read

June 09, 2009 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) is set to see another two litigation partners leave in New York, Legal Week has learnt. Securities litigators Joel Cohen and George Schieren are both preparing to exit the firm's US arm, with the departures leaving the firm with four litigators in New York.

By Mark Goddard

2 minute read

June 09, 2009 | International Edition

JPMorgan Chase has boosted its profile in lending to the legal industry with the hire of the former head of Citi's law firm group. Lester Pataki, who led the legal industry speciality group in Citi's private bank arm, is joining JPMorgan as the national practice leader and chairman of its law firm group, the bank announced on Monday (9 June).

By Mark Goddard

3 minute read

June 08, 2009 | International Edition

The parent company of top UK law school BPP has accepted a £303.5m takeover offer from a US education provider in a move that will be closely watched by the legal profession. BPP Holdings today (8 June) made an announcement on the London Stock Exchange that the all-cash offer by Apollo Global worth 620p per share - a premium on Friday's closing price of 567p - had been agreed by the board of BPP, subject to a shareholder vote.

By Mark Goddard

3 minute read