Sofia Lind

March 22, 2012 | International Edition

"Clearly the most essential part of the job is to listen to the partners. I will form a leadership team with Rob but we do not pretend to have a monopoly on wisdom" - Sofia Lind talks to new SJ Berwin senior partner Stephen Kon...

By Sofia Lind

7 minute read

March 22, 2012 | International Edition

The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is set to review the issue of outside ownership of law firms, but has confirmed that at present lawyers practising in New York cannot be part of a foreign firm in which non-lawyers hold a stake. The NYSBA has launched a taskforce, chaired by former State Bar president Stephen Younger, to reconsider its "historical opposition" to non-lawyer ownership of law firms. The 77,000-member association, founded in 1876, is the largest voluntary state Bar association in the US.

By Sofia Lind

4 minute read

March 22, 2012 | International Edition

Middle East real estate company Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company has appointed 13 law firms its first ever legal panel, with a raft of UK firms winning roles. The line-up, selected from 46 firms invited to tender, includes Norton Rose, Allen & Overy (A&O), Ashurst, Herbert Smith, Simmons & Simmons, Eversheds and Nabarro.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 21, 2012 | International Edition

SNR Denton has appointed Stuart Cavet as the new managing partner of its Kuwait base after the former office head's resignation last autumn. Cavet, who joined the firm as a partner in July 2010 in a lateral move from Simmons & Simmons, is currently based in Abu Dhabi but will relocate to Kuwait to lead the office.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 20, 2012 | International Edition

Axiom has become the latest legal sector player to launch in Belfast after securing local government funding of £1.6m to open a new base. The new office, which is set to employ 15 lawyers from launch, will be the fourth base for Axiom's managed services business, which provides legal advice on drafting, negotiating and the execution of all types of contracts.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

March 20, 2012 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) has advised the Treasury on a £20bn 'credit-easing' scheme that is set to provide cheaper borrowing for UK companies. The National Loan Guarantee Scheme (NLGS) is aimed at making cheaper lending available to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and has also handed roles to Clifford Chance (CC) and Linklaters.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

March 16, 2012 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) Asia head Peter Charlton has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving after being involved in a traffic accident in Hong Kong last week (9 March), it has emerged. No-one was hurt in last week's accident, which saw Charlton involved in a collision with one other car, and formal charges have yet to be made against Charlton, who is back at work at CC.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 15, 2012 | International Edition

Nabarro and Trowers & Hamlins have taken lead roles on a £500m City property deal which has seen One Exchange Square and Olswang's London offices at 90 High Holborn change hands. The transaction saw Malaysian state-owned asset management company Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) purchase the two office sites from German fund manager KanAm.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 15, 2012 | International Edition

Tesco, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Waitrose have all confirmed that they have no current plans to branch out into legal services, despite rival retail brand The Co-operative's high-profile move into the market. The Co-op's legal arm, Co-operative Legal Services (CLS), was among the first to apply for an alternative business structure (ABS) conversion, and it had been widely expected that the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury's would follow suit.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

March 15, 2012 | International Edition

"Definition of law firm merger - poorly managed; driven largely by overpaid incumbent management with little real support from grass roots; justifed rarely on good logic but instead on catch words like 'scale', 'footprint' and 'globalisation'...

By Sofia Lind

4 minute read