Suzi Ring

April 16, 2012 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has won key roles on two high-profile disputes involving US tech giant Apple, as the company goes head-to-head with both Samsung and the US Department of Justice (DoJ). The magic circle firm is advising Apple on its design infringement claim against Samsung, as it attempts prevent its tech rival from selling its Galaxy tablet across Europe in light of alleged similarities to its iPad.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

April 13, 2012 | International Edition

Berrymans Lace Mawer has hired a 33-strong personal injury team for its Southampton office from local firm Lamport Bassitt Solicitors. The team, which joined Berrymans earlier this month, is made up of 25 fee earners and eight support staff and is led by partners Nick Rogers and Richard Williams.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

April 13, 2012 | International Edition

Kennedys saw staff wages and salaries rise 18% during 2010-11 after substantial expansion which saw the firm add 15 equity partners and boost staff count by almost 100. The figures, included in accounts recently filed on Companies House, show the number of equity partners at the firm increased 30% from 50 to 65 in 2010-11, with the payout for the highest earner subsequently falling 22% to £541,739 from the previous year's top figure of £696,981.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

April 13, 2012 | International Edition

The Law Society has branded the recent trainee minimum salary review by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as "unfortunate" and "premature", as trainees face seeing their pay fall to as little as £2.60 per hour. The society's response comes after the SRA launched a consultation on the minimum salary for trainees in January this year, after claiming there was no clear evidence that setting a minimum salary fulfils any of the regulatory objectives of the Legal Services Act, which came into force last year.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

April 13, 2012 | International Edition

Davis Polk & Wardwell has recruited another Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner for its English law practice in the City, following the hire of corporate veteran Simon Witty for its launch this month. Tax partner Jonathan Cooklin is set to join the Wall Street leader's London base after 19 years at the magic circle firm, where he has been a partner since 2001 and head of the insurance tax group. His start date is yet to be confirmed.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

April 12, 2012 | International Edition

Phone-hacking lawyer Mark Lewis is poised to take legal action against News Corporation in the US, as the long-running scandal moves beyond the UK courts. Taylor Hampton's Lewis is set to arrive in the US this weekend to begin discussions with New York civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel over legal action for three alleged victims of phone-hacking described as a "well-known sports person", a sports person not in the public eye and a US citizen.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

April 12, 2012 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has bulked up its Asia arm with two energy partner hires from Allens Arthur Robinson (AAR) and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, as the firm prepares to launch in Singapore later this year.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

April 11, 2012 | International Edition

Herbert Smith is set to pilot unconscious bias training for its partners next month, as the firm aims to boost gender diversity within its senior ranks. The firm will enrol 20 of its London partners in the training pilot on 30 May this year, before rolling it out to partners firmwide. The training is intended to draw attention to unconscious behaviour that could hinder the number of women making it into the partnership.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

April 11, 2012 | International Edition

TV cameras will be allowed to film the sentencing in a criminal trial for the first time next week, after Scottish broadcaster STV was granted permission to record the conclusion to a murder case. STV will film the sentencing of David Gilroy for the murder of his former mistress Suzanne Pilley next Wednesday (18 April) in the High Court in Edinburgh, with the Judiciary of Scotland confirming that it is "the first time that permission has been granted to film during a sentencing diet in the High Court".

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

April 05, 2012 | International Edition

"Mini-pupillages are essential for getting a pupillage in the end and most sets would not look at a candidate without them," says Brick Court Chambers co-head Jonathan Hirst QC. Following last year's creation of PRIME by a group of leading law firms the Bar in March announced its own bid to increase socio-economic diversity with the 'Pegasus Access Scheme'. The initiative is not a direct counter-point to PRIME as it is focused on forging a direct path to pupillage for under-graduates rather than raising aspiration by introducing relatively under-privileged school children to the legal profession.

By Suzi Ring

6 minute read