Suzi Ring

November 02, 2011 | International Edition

Newly-released correspondence in the investigation into phone-hacking has revealed that senior executives at the News of the World (NoW) were warned three years ago that there was "overwhelming evidence" that senior journalists were involved in hacking activities. The documents, which were published yesterday (1 November) by the Culture, Media & Sport select committee, include a legal opinion sent to NoW legal manager Tom Crone on 3 June 2008 by 11 South Square's Michael Silverleaf QC, group counsel for News Group Newspapers (NGN), which states that evidence obtained from the Metropolitan Police demonstrated that "at least three" of the newspaper's journalists "appear to have been intimately involved."

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

November 01, 2011 | International Edition

Former Herbert Smith senior partner Lord David Gold has been brought in to advise Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich on the multibillion-dollar lawsuit brought against him by Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky. Gold is understood to have been brought onto the case after Abramovich's second attempt to have the proceedings struck out was rejected in the Court of Appeal in February this year.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

November 01, 2011 | International Edition

Herbert Smith is set to lose a second US securities partner to Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) in Hong Kong, marking the fourth partner to leave the firm's US securities practice globally since the summer. Melody Chen resigned from the UK firm in recent weeks and is set to join MoFo's Hong Kong office as a partner after serving out a notice period.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 31, 2011 | International Edition

Outgoing Novartis general counsel Thomas Werlen is set to join litigation leader Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in the New Year. Werlen is to join the West Coast firm in Europe as a litigation partner in early 2012. He is expected to be based in one of the firm's existing European offices, which include London and Mannheim, with a launch in Moscow imminent.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 31, 2011 | International Edition

Slaughter and May has cut back the bonuses it pays to its trainees, with associate salaries held static in the firm's latest pay review. The magic circle firm, which last year paid its trainees a bonus of 8% of salary, has opted to cut this to 4% for first-year trainees and 6% for second-years. Associates will continue to receive a bonus of 8% of their salary - the same level that was paid out last year.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 28, 2011 | International Edition

Macfarlanes' highest-paid member earned a £2.2m share of the firm's profits during the last financial year - almost double the equivalent figure in 2009-10 of £1.15m. The figure, which includes payments made in relation to the partner's retirement, is contained within Macfarlanes' limited liability partnership (LLP) accounts, which were recently filed with Companies House.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 27, 2011 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has announced its second round of counsel promotions this year, with 13 new lawyers made up to the rank. The magic circle firm's London and Frankfurt offices have received the most promotions with two apiece. The round as a whole is more than twice the size of the May promotions this year when six lawyers were made up to of counsel.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 27, 2011 | International Edition

Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques has signed a legal process outsourcing (LPO) agreement with Integreon. The deal, announced today (27 October), will see Integreon becoming Mallesons' preferred supplier of legal process outsourcing. It will take on low-level legal work including document review for the firm.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 26, 2011 | International Edition

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) is set to launch its first-ever international office in Singapore with the hire of a partner from Barlow 
Lyde & Gilbert. The firm's new Singapore arm is set to go live on 
1 November this year, with Barlows' local insurance and reinsurance chief Mark Errington joining to head up the office. The move comes as the firm increasingly targets the insurance market in the region, with growing numbers of insurers setting up a presence in Singapore as an access point for the wider Asia market. RPC is planning to grow the office at both partner and associate level through a combination of hires and relocations over the coming months.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

October 26, 2011 | International Edition

Jones Day and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton have won lead roles on a $1bn (£626m) US notes offering by pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi. Jones Day advised Sanofi with a team headed by Paris capital markets partner Linda Hesse. Meanwhile, Cleary advised the underwriters – Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank Securities and Natixis – led by Paris capital markets partner Andrew Bernstein.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read