Suzi Ring

November 18, 2011 | International Edition

A former magistrates' court clerk has become the first person to be sentenced under the UK Bribery Act, after he admitted accepting a £500 bribe to "get rid" of a speeding charge. Munir Patel has been sentenced to six years in prison at Southwark Crown Court today (18 November) after last month pleading guilty to bribery and misconduct in public office during his employment as an administrative clerk at London's Redbridge Magistrates' Court.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

November 17, 2011 | International Edition

Investec has become the first bank in the UK to offer commercial litigation funding to help companies pursue civil claims in court. The bank has launched a litigation financing package for law firms to offer clients seeking to take claims to court. The minimum funding package is £250,000 and there is no upper limit.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

November 16, 2011 | International Edition

Solicitors from Hell owner Rick Kordowski has been ordered to remove his site from the internet. A decision in the High Court yesterday (15 November) saw Mr Justice Tugendhat order Kordowski to "cease, forthwith, to publish the website solicitorsfromhell.co.uk".The ruling follows a Law Society court action to secure an injunction against the 'Solicitors from Hell' website to protect its members and the public, on the grounds the site was not a credible source of reliable information about solicitors.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

November 16, 2011 | International Edition

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr is set to launch a City investigations and criminal litigation practice with the hire of Kingsley Napley heavyweight Stephen Pollard. Pollard is to join the top 20 US law firm's London arm in the New Year to found and head the practice along with a team of two associates. The move is the latest in a string of similar appointments by corporate law firms moving to build white collar crime practices in Europe.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

November 16, 2011 | International Edition

Norton Rose has posted a 7% increase in revenues for the first half of the 2011-12 year. The growth has been attributed to a strong six months for the firm's litigation and banking practices. The figures also include Norton Rose's South Africa and Canada arms for the first time, which joined the business on 1 June this year.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

November 10, 2011 | International Edition

Slaughter and May and Macfarlanes have lined up to advise on the sale of struggling UK electrical retailer Comet Group to private equity house OpCapita for just £2. Slaughters is advising Comet parent company Kesa Electricals on the sale of Comet's stores as well as subsidiaries, fielding a team including corporate partner Simon Robinson, finance partner Andrew McClean, tax partner Graham Iversen and pension and employment partner Eddie Codrington.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

November 09, 2011 | International Edition

Travers Smith and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy have taken lead positions on Sahara Group's $100m (£62.5m) acquisition of a 42.5% stake in the Force India Formula 1 team, the first Indian team to enter the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Travers advised Force India and its co-founder Vijay Mallya on the sale, with a team led by corporate partner 
Andrew Gillen.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

November 09, 2011 | International Edition

Herbert Smith is set to lose another Hong Kong capital markets partner with the resignation of Carolyn Sng for Fried Frank Harris 
Shriver & Jacobson. Sng, who is UK-qualified, will join the US firm's local office in the coming months, with a start date yet to be announced. Her move comes on the heels of the exits of four other capital markets partners from the firm's global practice, all US-qualified, which has taken partner count in the US securities team from nine partners to five 
since July.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

November 09, 2011 | International Edition

"The worst thing you can do is believe your own hype," says Holman Fenwick Willan senior partner Richard Crump (pictured). In Holman's case, that danger has been manageable, given that the firm's progress until recently has so often travelled under the radar. Yet the firm's recent run of form speaks for itself – in three years, it has risen 12 places up the top 50 rankings to currently sit as the UK's 26th largest law firm.

By Suzi Ring

7 minute read

November 09, 2011 | International Edition

Legacy Barlow Lyde & Gilbert's highest paid member took home an estimated £623,030 last year, marking a 46.6% increase on the highest profit share in 2009-10, which stood at £425,043.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read