Suzanna Ring

December 06, 2012 | International Edition

Herbert Smith Freehills is overhauling its notice period in the wake of the merger between the two firms which went live in October, with the new six-month term halving the notice period previously in place at legacy Herbert Smith. Partners at both firms approved the change, which is in the process of being implemented, as part of the merger terms. The six-month term, which will be imposed at the discretion of the firm, effectively doubles the notice for legacy Freehills partners exiting, as they were previously subject to just three months.

By Suzanna Ring

4 minute read

December 06, 2012 | International Edition

After eight months, 300 witnesses and 2,000 pages, Lord Justice Leveson finally published his long-awaited report into the culture, practice and ethics of the press last week, calling for the biggest shake-up of media law in years. At the centre of the report is his recommendation for a new, tougher system of media self-regulation supported by legislative backing, with a statutory body such as Ofcom handed responsibility to monitor the press.

By Suzanna Ring

6 minute read

December 06, 2012 | International Edition

Former Clyde & Co chief operating officer David Jabbari has joined Pannone to head up its UK referral network, Connect2Law.

By Suzanna Ring

2 minute read

December 06, 2012 | International Edition

RPC has sealed the hire of a team of corporate partners from Wragge & Co, including former managing partner Richard Haywood and current practice chief Maurice Dwyer, as the firm continues to ramp up its corporate focus. The duo will join RPC in the New Year alongside fellow partner David Marshall.

By Suzanna Ring

3 minute read

December 04, 2012 | International Edition

A judge who described burglary as requiring ''a huge amount of courage'' has been reprimanded for damaging public confidence in the judicial process. Judge Peter Bowers has been issued with a reprimand by the Office for Judicial Complaints (OJC) after complaints were made about his remarks in Teesside Crown Court in September this year, when handing down a sentence to a 26-year-old man for burglary.

By Suzanna Ring

2 minute read

November 30, 2012 | International Edition

Social diversity initiative PRIME has exceeded its target for the number of work experience placements offered, with 10% more opportunities offered at law firms than was aimed for.

By Suzanna Ring

3 minute read

November 29, 2012 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has seen fee income from its top 30 UK clients increase by 16% over the last year, on the back of a client relationship management (CRM) programme introduced by London managing partner Mark Rawlinson in October 2011. The CRM programme, one of a number of initiatives introduced by Rawlinson since he took up the post in July last year, has seen the firm increase the number of partners assigned to each key client to two or three. Freshfields previously assigned one prime partner to each client relationship.

By Suzanna Ring

2 minute read

November 29, 2012 | International Edition

Clyde & Co's longstanding senior partner Michael Payton is set to step down after nearly 30 years at the helm, with the firm opening the election process to find his successor. Clydes officially kicked off the election process today (30 November) with partners given until early in the New Year to put themselves forward.

By Suzanna Ring

2 minute read

November 29, 2012 | International Edition

"Who we are hasn't changed at all in some ways over the years. At a partners' meeting recently someone showed me a letter written by Paul Cravath in 1920 and it was almost the same format that we use today," reflects Cravath Swaine & Moore incoming presiding partner Allen Parker. "Really, it was almost identical." Welcome to Manhattan, the most singular, individualistic, contradictory and competitive legal market in the world. As the rest of the global legal profession changes to reflect the impact of the post-Lehman Brothers world and the rise of finance hubs and economies in the east, it seems that many lawyers in Manhattan's hermetically sealed environment carry on as if little has changed.

By Suzanna Ring

15 minute read

November 29, 2012 | International Edition

Lord Justice Leveson has put forward proposals for tougher media self-regulation and a new press law that could hand a statutory body such as OFCOM responsibility to monitor the press, in his much-awaited report published today (29 November). The 2,000-page report, which calls for the biggest shakeup of media law in years, follows last year's hacking scandal and the subsequent Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press.

By Suzanna Ring

10 minute read