Sofia Lind

January 24, 2011 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) reduced staff costs by £41m during 2009-10, after cutting its total headcount by 12% during the extensive firmwide restructuring carried out in the previous financial year. Figures within the firm's 2009-10 limited liability partnership (LLP) accounts, recently filed with Companies House, show that total staff and related costs at the magic circle firm dropped from £576m in 2008-09 to £535m in 2009-10 - a reduction of 7.6%.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

January 24, 2011 | International Edition

Taylor Wessing has made a double management hire with the addition of a chief operating officer and a human resources director. The firm has hired Linklaters' London HR director Caroline Rawes and Deloitte chief of staff Clare Singleton as HR director and COO respectively. Singleton will join next week (31 January), with Rawes set to move in May. The two roles, which will cover both the UK as well as international projects, were previously covered by COO Jonathan Croucher, who left the firm at the end of last year to become a full-time vicar.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

January 21, 2011 | International Edition

Bird & Bird has added a partner to its City base with the hire of Eversheds' London head of commercial. Phil Sherrell, who has led the Eversheds team for one year, is joining Bird & Bird's intellectual property (IP) team in London.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

January 18, 2011 | International Edition

Simmons & Simmons' corporate practice has long been viewed as the struggling child in a family of high performers in finance and litigation. Ask City rivals about its corporate performance and you often you get the same answer: Simmons is a great firm full of really good lawyers, but it is inexplicably failing to translate its strengths into a more substantial corporate practice.

By Sofia Lind

4 minute read

January 18, 2011 | International Edition

SNR Denton has advised London's main water distributor Thames Water on a £300m deal that will see it outsource all of its metering services. The 10-year contract will see Vennsys - a consortium led by Veolia Water UK - handle all of the meter readings and meter installation for Thames Water.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

January 14, 2011 | International Edition

Norton Rose is to change the cycle of its trainee intake from January to May, as the City firm announces its latest retention figures for qualifying trainees. This year the top 10 City law firm has had a January intake, but will also have intakes in both May and September. This will be followed in 2012 by a permanent change to intakes in May and September.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

January 12, 2011 | International Edition

"Lawyers don't make natural entrepreneurs, with law firm training geared towards risk management and cautiousness." This sentiment from one former lawyer sums up the general feeling about lawyers as businessmen. While a number of lawyers have successfully cashed in their chips to start afresh with their own businesses, it seems that many of the City's finest believe these ex-lawyer entrepreneurs to be the exception rather than the rule.

By Sofia Lind

7 minute read

January 12, 2011 | International Edition

EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has instructed Travers Smith to defend him with regards to a lawsuit brought against him by Bird & Bird for a six-digit sum of unpaid fees. The dispute between Sir Stelios and Bird & Bird arose after the law firm was instructed by easyGroup IP Licensing in 2008 to advise on Sir Stelios's brand dispute with the airline over the use of the easyJet name.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

January 11, 2011 | International Edition

Winston & Strawn has launched a City intellectual property (IP) capacity with lateral partner hires from Taylor Wessing and DLA Piper. The US firm has recruited Taylor Wessing's longstanding City partner Richard Price to spearhead the practice alongside DLA Piper partner Gareth Morgan.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

January 11, 2011 | International Edition

SJ Berwin has completed the line-up of its new partnership board as the firm moves towards finalising details of its new governance structure within the next few weeks. The City law firm has elected six partners to the 10-member board, which has replaced the firm's strategy committee and will be responsible for decisions on issues such as budgets, remuneration and partner promotions.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read