Pui Guan Man

September 26, 2013 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has kicked off a training scheme for African lawyers, allowing them to access magic circle-standards of legal training. The initiative, called the "Clifford Chance Africa Academy", aims to give junior and senior associates at CC's relationship firms access to a structured programme based on existing training courses developed by its global training arm, the Clifford Chance Academy, which provides technical and business skills training for its lawyers and business professionals.

By Pui-Guan Man

3 minute read

September 24, 2013 | International Edition

Simmons & Simmons, Baker & McKenzie and Bird & Bird have landed roles on the UK Government's £12bn programme to install 'smart' utility meters across Britain by the start of 2020. Simmons is advising Telefonica's UK arm which has been granted a £1.5bn contract by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to provide smart meters for central and southern UK. Bakers client, communications company Arqiva, won a £625m contract for the north and Scotland.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 23, 2013 | International Edition

Simmons & Simmons funds partner Steven Whittaker has left the firm to join New York hedge fund specialist Schulte Roth & Zabel. Whittaker was made up as partner at the firm thirteen years ago after he started at the firm in 1992. He will join a team of nearly 20 funds lawyers at the US firm's City practice, which includes 10 partners. His departure date has not yet been confirmed.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 20, 2013 | International Edition

Irwin Mitchell is in talks to transfer its Spanish offices to a local firm, forming a strategic alliance. The move would see the Spanish firm take over Irwin Mitchell's subsidiary in the country which operates out of Madrid and Malaga. The practice, known as Irwin Mitchell Abogados, is its only overseas on-the-ground presence.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 19, 2013 | International Edition

The number of newly qualified (NQ) lawyers accepting roles at the UK's top 20 law firms has fallen 6% year-on-year as the effects of the uncertain market continue to be felt at the lower end of the profession. In total 672 NQs took up roles at the top 20 firms this year, a drop of 6.3% on the autumn 2012 qualifying round, in which 717 lawyers were recruited, according to research by Legal Week. The trend reflects a broader dip in the number of qualifying lawyers this year, with cutbacks in firms' graduate recruitment during the worst of the downturn now playing out further down the line. There was a total of 825 qualifying lawyers across the group this autumn, down 7% from last year's figure of 887, with firms including Eversheds, Herbert Smith Freehills and Simmons & Simmons all seeing a decrease in the number of NQs coming through the ranks this year.

By Pui-Guan Man

4 minute read

September 18, 2013 | International Edition

Simmons & Simmons has rejigged its management board, with Germany head of disputes Peter Meyer and City ICT partner Alex Brown taking spots. Amsterdam partner Leo Verhoeff has meanwhile been reappointed to the board for another term. He has been a board member since 2010. The new roles came into effect at the beginning of the week (16 September).

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 18, 2013 | International Edition

Morrison & Foerster's (MoFo's) UK arm has successfully countered a £1.4m professional negligence claim brought against the firm by energy investment company Petrochemical Resources. The claim was dismissed earlier this month by Exchange Chambers' Mark Cawson QC, who sat as a deputy judge of the Chancery Division, after the hearing ended in late June.

By Pui-Guan Man

3 minute read

September 16, 2013 | International Edition

DLA Piper has secured the hire of former Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) corporate heavyweight Patrick Somers. The firm has also hired Debevoise & Plimpton associate James O'Donnell as a partner in its London funds team.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 15, 2013 | International Edition

Former Slaughter and May executive partner Graham White has been appointed to the board of diversity recruitment company Rare. White will take up a non-executive position on Rare's board alongside four other non-executive directors including former Financial Times chairman David Bell and former Unisys general counsel and board member Sandra Teichman.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

September 12, 2013 | International Edition

Norton Rose Fulbright and Watson Farley & Williams have taken roles on the first stage of a $1.5bn (£962m) deal that has seen French oil and gas group Bourbon sell nine boats to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). The first phase of the sale, worth $144m (£92m), comes after a deal was drawn up by Bourbon and ICBC Financial Leasing earlier this year, which will see 51 vessels sold to the Chinese company by mid-2014.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read