Sofia Lind

November 16, 2010 | International Edition

SNR Denton's UK limited liability partnership (LLP) has expanded its executive board to 10 members. The newly-merged law firm has added its new UK managing partner Brandon Ransley to the line-up, having already added Middle East chief Neil Cuthbert when Denton Wilde Sapte agreed its union with US firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in September.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

November 16, 2010 | International Edition

SJ Berwin is set to overhaul its governance structure to bring it in line with the firm's size and geographic spread. Managing partner Rob Day kicked off a consultation with partners last week - as the firm's protracted merger talks with US firm Proskauer Rose came to an end after months of unsettling discussions. Day said the overhaul, which formed part of his election campaign for the managing partner post, was necessary because the management structure had not evolved in line with the growth of the firm. It comes after partners criticised communication between management and the partnership throughout the long-running merger talks with Proskauer and the previous year when the firm withheld a number of profit distributions from partners.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

November 12, 2010 | International Edition

SJ Berwin and Proskauer Rose have called off their transatlantic merger talks after nine months of protracted discussions. The two firms issued a statement earlier this afternoon confirming that the talks had ended yesterday (11 November). In a joint statement, the firms said: "At this stage in our discussions we recognised that the timetable necessary to reach the agreements that would ensure the successful integration of our firms is not workable at this time. "Accordingly, and with considerable regret, we have mutually determined to halt our talks. We look forward to continued cooperation between our firms for the benefit of our clients."

By Sofia Lind

4 minute read

November 12, 2010 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has pledged to provide pro bono support worth £1m to legal aid practice Law For All (LFA) over the next five years. The magic circle firm has signed a five-year agreement with longstanding pro bono partner LFA, which sees CC commit to supply up to five full time-equivalent trainees each year to the organisation - an investment CC estimates at worth more than £1m over the period.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

November 10, 2010 | International Edition

SJ Berwin's partners are putting pressure on management to draw transatlantic merger discussions with Proskauer Rose to a close, as the protracted discussions unsettle the partnership. Partners at the UK top 20 law firm have expressed concern that no agreement has been reached despite the talks having been public for nine months.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

November 10, 2010 | International Edition

SNR Denton has appointed a UK managing partner with the promotion of Milton Keynes head Brandon Ransley to the newly-created role. Following the appointment, which will go live at the end of the month, Ransley will relocate to London but spend one day a week in Milton Keynes, overseeing both offices.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

November 09, 2010 | International Edition

Norton Rose has announced a 9% increase in revenues for the first half of the 2010-11 financial year. Fee income for the first six months of the year stood at just above £155m, although the firm declined to provide an exact number. The turnover figure covers only Norton Rose LLP rather than the whole of the Norton Rose Group, as the firm's Australian arm follows a different financial year.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

November 09, 2010 | International Edition

Twelve SJ Berwin associates are set to follow Jon Vivian's four-partner real estate team to Irwin Mitchell, with three of the lawyers joining the partnership at the national firm. The three associates joining Irwin Mitchell as partners are real estate lawyer Rupert Dowdell, construction specialist David Parton and finance lawyer Simon Tweedle.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

November 09, 2010 | International Edition

Herbert Smith and SJ Berwin have won lead roles as Norway's Norges Bank Investment Management agrees to buy a 25% stake in the Queen's Regent Street property portfolio for almost half a billion pounds. The deal is expected to see Norges, which manages the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, pay £448m to buy the 150-year lease on the property portfolio from The Crown Estate. It marks the fund's first investment in real estate since the Norwegian Government gave permission to invest in the class on 1 March.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

November 09, 2010 | International Edition

SNR Denton is set to lose former financial markets and regulation head Robert Finney to the City arm of Dewey & LeBoeuf. Finney will take on a similar position when he joins the US law firm's London office later this month. He will head up the financial markets regulatory practice in the office, where he will be the first City partner with a specialist practice in the field.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read