Simon Petersen

August 23, 2011 | International Edition

German independent Graf von Westphalen is set to launch an office in Turkey. The firm will open the new office in Istanbul on 1 October through a joint venture with GSI Meridian, a local legal consultancy with five partners and more than 45 lawyers.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

August 22, 2011 | International Edition

Berrymans Lace Mawer's head of policy development, Alistair Kinley, has been appointed to chair a working party put together by the Civil Justice Council to look at the implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's reforms of civil litigation. Kinley will chair a line-up of 17 lawyers on the working group, which has been set up to help implement secondary legislation relating to Jackson's impending reform of litigation funding.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

August 22, 2011 | International Edition

Pinsent Masons and Wragge & Co have become the latest firms to confirm details of associate salaries for 2011-12, with both firms freezing rates for newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers in London. NQs in Wragges' City base will continue to receive £58,000, while salaries for Birmingham-based NQs will increase by £1,000 to £38,000.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

August 17, 2011 | International Edition

Squire Sanders & Dempsey's partnership has approved plans to acquire the majority of Minter Ellison's Perth office. The partnership voted in favour of the deal on Tuesday (16 August), with the acquisition set to gift the transatlantic firm around 80 lawyers in Australia - including 14 partners.

By Simon Petersen

3 minute read

August 17, 2011 | International Edition

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has strengthened its Beijing corporate team with the hire of a partner from Hogan Lovells. Thomas Man joined the US firm this week (15 August) alongside counsel Brad Herrold. The hire marks a return to Orrick for Man, who left the firm in 2008 to join legacy Lovells.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

August 16, 2011 | International Edition

BDO has secured a six-month extension to its term overseeing the administration of collapsed law firm Halliwells. News of the reappointment of BDO joint administrators Dermot Power and Shay Bannon comes as it emerges that unsecured creditors may have to share a maximum of £600,000, despite BDO receiving claims worth £191.5m.

By Simon Petersen

3 minute read

August 15, 2011 | International Edition

Irwin Mitchell has been instructed by a group of former Halliwells partners to fight claims that they are liable to repay drawings paid out in the months leading up to firm's collapse. The firm has been appointed by 14 former fixed-share partners at Halliwells to fight claims by Halliwells' administrator BDO that they should repay some drawings paid out in the months running up to the firm's collapse into insolvency on 20 July 2010.

By Simon Petersen

3 minute read

August 12, 2011 | International Edition

Ashurst energy partner Anthony Patten is leaving the firm to join the Perth office of Australia's Allens Arthur Robinson.The move means a return to Australia for Patten, who is a partner in Ashurst's City headquarters, having started his career in Allens' Melbourne office.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

August 10, 2011 | International Edition

Gateley has bolstered its banking and media teams in London with a pair of partner hires. Colin Mattis has joined the firm from Shoosmiths and will head up the firm's London banking and finance practice, while TV and entertainment lawyer Lisa Logan has also joined the firm as a partner from London boutique Candey.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

August 10, 2011 | International Edition

Hill Dickinson has bolstered its partnership with the hire of a DLA Piper partner in Sheffield and a Kennedys insurance litigator in Manchester. Tim Littler joined Hill Dicks' Sheffield banking and finance late last month from DLA, where he was a member of the firm's Leeds restructuring group.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read