Sofia Lind

August 03, 2010 | International Edition

Simmons & Simmons has revealed its official financial results for 2009-10, posting an 11.3% drop in profits per equity partner (PEP). The UK top 15 law firm's PEP now stands at £461,000, down almost £60,000 from the figure of £520,000 recorded in the 2008-09 financial year. The firm has also confirmed 2009-10 turnover of £251m, a 13.8% decline on the previous year's total of £291.3m.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

August 03, 2010 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) is more than halfway towards its target set in 2008 to grow litigation revenues to 15% of its overall business. Litigation was identified as a key area for growth for A&O two years ago when revenues from the practice contributed 9% to total turnover, at which point the firm set out its intention to achieve the 15% goal within four to five years.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

August 03, 2010 | International Edition

Taylor Wessing has added to its London insurance and reinsurance practice with the hire of new partner. The Anglo-German law firm has hired insurance lawyer Susannah Wakefield from Bermuda-based law firm Attride-Stirling & Woloniecki, where she was a counsel. She joins the insurance and reinsurance team as a partner in the UK top 40 firm's London office.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

July 30, 2010 | International Edition

Nokia Siemens Networks has appointed in-house veteran Joyce Norcini as its new general counsel. Norcini joined the telecoms company earlier this week (2 August) from Hewlett-Packard (HP), where she was regional general counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). She is taking over the role from Sirpa-Helena Sormunen, who has been acting general counsel since the departure of Kirsi Komi earlier this year. Sormunen will continue in her role as head of legal and compliance in the customer operations division.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

July 29, 2010 | International Edition

Eversheds has appointed a new head of private equity, with City corporate partner Richard Moulton taking over the role. Moulton replaces Mark Spinner, the firm's head of corporate, who led the private equity group for eight years. Spinner, who was appointed corporate head two years ago, will continue to practise in the private equity group but will now shift his management focus to the corporate group.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

July 27, 2010 | International Edition

City law firms will now be able to make wider use of Chinese walls after the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) finalised a review of the rules governing conflicts. The rule changes, approved by the Legal Services Board earlier this month (13 July), lift the restrictions which formerly only allowed law firms to act for multiple clients with information barriers in place if the firm had already been instructed at the time the conflict arose. Rule four of the SRA Code of Conduct previously only permitted work involving Chinese walls to be completed after a conflict became apparent.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

July 26, 2010 | International Edition

Denton Wilde Sapte has added to its Middle East energy practice with the hire of a Simmons & Simmons partner. Stuart Cavet joined Dentons in Abu Dhabi earlier this month (18 July) from Simmons' Qatar office. Cavet joined Simmons as a partner in London in 2005 from Herbert Smith, where he was a senior associate. Before that, he worked in-house with oil and gas company BG Group in India between 1997 and 2001. He relocated to Doha in 2006.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

July 23, 2010 | International Edition

Slaughter and May and Clifford Chance (CC) have won lead roles on the €805m (£677m) sale of Unilever's Italian frozen food business. The deal, which was announced earlier this week (19 July), will see Birds Eye Iglo acquire the Findus Italy business from its current owner Unilever, with Slaughters acting for the seller and CC winning the buyer's instruction. Slaughters' Italian 'best friend' firm Bonelli Erede Pappalardo took the main local law role with the two firms advising the clients as an integrated team.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

July 21, 2010 | International Edition

DLA Piper has appointed a new UK head of tax with the hire of former magic circle partner Stephen Hoyle. Hoyle joined DLA Piper from Ernst & Young, where he was a partner in the international tax services group. He joined the accounting giant in 2009, having previously worked for more than 20 years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which he left in 2006 to join Deutsche Bank's in-house legal team.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

July 21, 2010 | International Edition

CMS Cameron McKenna and Norton Rose are the UK law firms which made the greatest use of flexible working as a cost-saving measure during the recession, according to Legal Week research. Camerons put around 700 members - including 364 lawyers - of its UK staff of slightly more than 1,000 on its year-long scheme that finished in May.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read