Pui Guan Man

October 03, 2013 | International Edition

Holland's Rutgers & Posch has sealed the hire of a five-lawyer team, including former Clifford Chance (CC) partner and Linklaters counsel Kees Westermann. The Amsterdam-based boutique has recruited insolvency and litigation partner Karen Harmsen from Benelux firm Stibbe, who brings one fee-earner with her, as well as Westermann, who brings two associates with him.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

October 03, 2013 | International Edition

Clifford Chance's global head of litigation and disputes Jeremy Sandelson has won a second four-year term following an uncontested vote. Sandelson (pictured) has held the position since 2009, having spent the previous four years as the firm's UK and Middle East managing partner.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

October 02, 2013 | International Edition

Field Fisher Waterhouse has taken on the first five recruits for a programme aimed at giving non-university students the opportunity to pursue a career in law. The Step2Success scheme, launched in May in conjunction with CILEx Law School, allows post A-level students to qualify as chartered legal executives at the firm within five years of starting the programme, and without having to earn a degree.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

October 02, 2013 | International Edition

Irwin Mitchell has sold off its operations in Madrid and Malaga to Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo, while simultaneously forming a strategic alliance with the Spanish firm. The firms signed an agreement this week that will result in Cremades taking on Irwin Mitchell's subsidiary in Spain, known as Irwin Mitchell Abogados and staffed by around 40 people.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

October 01, 2013 | International Edition

Eversheds has set out a strategy to open five bases across the African continent, which would see the firm reopen in South Africa. The firm confirmed it is in talks to set up bases in Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana and Kenya over coming months, as well as move back to South Africa after the firm split with its practice in the jurisdiction earlier this year over client conflicts.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

October 01, 2013 | International Edition

US firm White & Case has expanded its reach in Kazakhstan with the launch of an outpost in the capital, Astana. The base will operate alongside the firm's existing office in Almaty and will be led by Almaty office executive partner Maxim Telemtayev, who will split his time between the locations.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 30, 2013 | International Edition

CMS Cameron McKenna energy partner Fiona Woolf has been appointed Lord Mayor of the City of London. Woolf was elected today as the 686th Lord Mayor but only the second female holder of the post in its 800-year history.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 30, 2013 | International Edition

CMS Cameron McKenna (CMS) has awarded bursaries to four school-leavers in the second year of a competition designed to support aspiring lawyers from underprivileged backgrounds. The firm's annual bursary competition, which launched last year, provides bursaries worth £2,500 a year to Year 12 students to support their law degrees. Candidates are able to win bursaries if they in the first generation of their family to attend university, meet certain financial criteria and gain ABB grades or equivalent at A-level.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 26, 2013 | International Edition

Clifford Chance managing partner David Childs (pictured) is considering his options for the future as he prepares to hand over to his successor, with retirement from the firm among the likely routes. Partners expect Childs, whose second and final four-year term ends in May 2014, to take up a role outside the firm after he steps down, with one saying Childs is "definitely" retiring, and another partner at the magic circle firm adding: "As far as I know there are no plans to bring him back into practice, which is a shame." Another source close to him said he was currently "looking for a job".

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 26, 2013 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) has launched a new service to give its relationship firms access to magic circle level support functions, in a push to strengthen ties in jurisdictions including Libya and Scotland. The magic circle firm launched the initiative at its fifth annual global relationship conference earlier this month, with firms in its informal relationship network offered access to its services in areas including IT, training, marketing and finance. The event saw the firm host representatives from more than 140 relationship firms across 94 countries, with 11 new jurisdictions represented for the first time this year – Scotland, Libya, Paraguay, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guernsey, Kyrgyzstan, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Zambia.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read