Simon Petersen

November 14, 2011 | International Edition

Taylor Wessing has boosted its City tax practice with the hire of former Slaughter and May partner Richard Carson. Carson retired from the magic circle firm in April after 30 years, including 20 years as a partner. He is set to join Taylor Wessing in the New Year.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

November 14, 2011 | International Edition

Eversheds has posted a 6.7% increase in revenues for the first half of the 2011-12 financial year. Turnover at the top 10 firm increased to £184.2m over the six month period, against an equivalent figure of £172.6m last year. Last year's H1 figure was marginally down on the first six months of 2009-10.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

November 10, 2011 | International Edition

Linklaters and legal and wealth services firm Maitland have taken lead roles on a $5.1bn (£3.2bn) deal that will see the Oppenheimer family sell its stake in diamond company De Beers. The deal, announced last week (4 November), will see London-based Anglo American buy the Oppenheimer family's 40% stake in De Beers - increasing its interest in the world's leading diamond company to up to 85%.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

November 09, 2011 | International Edition

Many of the UK's leading law firms are overhauling their IT strategies as the rapid rise of mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad and increased demand for mobile working pushes firms to rethink the way their lawyers use technology. The proliferation of mobile technology has blurred the distinction between professional and personal for many lawyers, prompting firms to look at ways to boost their mobile working capacity as increasing numbers of lawyers use their own devices for work purposes.

By Simon Petersen

3 minute read

November 09, 2011 | International Edition

Two Squire Sanders Hammonds pensions partners have left to join Eversheds and Stephenson Harwood. Squire Sanders' Birmingham-based global practice group head Francois Barker will join Eversheds in the New Year as head of its local pensions team, succeeding Ingrid Everson, who will continue as a fee earner at the firm.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

November 09, 2011 | International Edition

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has proposed a new series of measures for the regulation of UK law firms' international activities. The SRA launched a consultation process yesterday (8 November) to gauge the profession's views on how to regulate international practice under the new outcomes-focused regulatory regime.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

November 08, 2011 | International Edition

Italian firm Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners is to change its name as it brings in an 11-lawyer team from Grimaldi & Associati led by partner Roberto Cappelli. Cappelli will join the Italian leader on 1 December as a name partner, bringing with him a team of four senior associates and six associates.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

November 07, 2011 | International Edition

Salans is to lose a seven-partner team from its London office to Locke Lord, as the Texan firm moves to launch its first permanently staffed base in Europe. Salans global banking chief and former global chair Stephen Finch, who stepped down as chairman in January 2010 after five years in the role, is among a raft of partners to resign from Salans' London office last week.

By Simon Petersen

3 minute read

November 04, 2011 | International Edition

Kingsley Napley is among a raft of law firms to have taken advisory roles relating to cricket's 'spot-fixing' scandal, which has seen three Pakistani internationals handed jail terms. Former captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were jailed on Thursday (4 November) after being convicted of conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls in a test match against England.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read

November 04, 2011 | International Edition

DWF has confirmed that it has held informal merger talks with a number of firms including Cobbetts, after news emerged today (4 November) that the website dwfcobbetts.co.uk had been registered for business. Managing partner Andrew Leaitherland said that DWF was in informal merger discussions with "three or four firms", but stressed that any agreement was not imminent, and that the dwfcobbetts.co.uk domain name had been registered by an "over-zealous" member of the firm's IT team.

By Simon Petersen

2 minute read