Suzi Ring

October 26, 2011 | International Edition

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is taking a first step towards a full in-house advocacy offering for clients after bringing in South Square's Stuart Isaacs QC to launch the venture. The hire, which will see Isaacs joining BLP's City office next month in the newly-created role of head of advocacy, makes the firm only the third in the UK top 50 to recruit a Queen's Counsel direct from the Bar in order to form an in-house 
advocacy service.

By Suzi Ring

4 minute read

October 26, 2011 | International Edition

DLA Piper is set to hire former Linklaters managing partner Tony Angel as co-global chairman and senior partner of its business outside of the US. Angel is set to join DLA on 7 November following a two-week partnership vote. If the move is approved, Angel will become co-chair of the entire firm alongside Frank Burch and senior partner of DLA Piper International, which covers DLA's operations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

October 26, 2011 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer co-founder and name partner Arved Deringer has died at the age of 98. Deringer, one of the pioneers of European competition law and a former member of the European Parliament, passed away yesterday (25 October) in Stuttgart. Born in what is now the Ukraine in 1913, Deringer passed the German Bar exam in 1942, and went on to serve in the German navy during the Second World War, spending time as a prisoner of war in France until 1947.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 25, 2011 | International Edition

The BBC has sought advice from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in the wake of comments made by Farrer & Co partner Julian Pike to the committee investigating phone-hacking at the News of the World. The broadcaster confirmed to Legal Week that it has written to the SRA for advice in relation to Pike's evidence to the select committee last Wednesday (19 October) and a letter he sent to the BBC prior to a Panorama programme, 'Tabloid Hacks Exposed', which was aired in March this year.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

October 24, 2011 | International Edition

Clyde & Co has expanded its international presence with two new alliances in Zimbabwe and Singapore. The firm set up a best friends relationship with Zimbabwe's Scanlen and Holderness in May this year, while at the same time establishing an association with Singapore law firm Clasis LLC.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 21, 2011 | International Edition

A claim of alleged slander brought by Solicitors from Hell owner Rick Kordowski against Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson has been struck out of court. Kordowski had claimed Hudson slandered him in comments he allegedly made to Professor John Flood of the University of Westminster in which, according to a blog published by Flood on 22 July this year, he called Kordowski a "criminal".

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

October 21, 2011 | International Edition

The UK's largest law firms are set to receive individually tailored monitoring from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), as the regulator continues its efforts to tighten its links with City firms. In a report issued today (21 October), the SRA has outlined plans to assign firms above a certain size their own relationship manager to identify, assesses and address risks under the new 'outcomes-focused' regulation regime.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

October 19, 2011 | International Edition

Slaughter and May has overhauled its associate development programme, bringing in a number of measures intended to improve feedback for junior lawyers and get them more involved in client development. Associates are being encouraged to build relationships with in-house lawyers of their own level of seniority and to think more about business development themselves, rather than seeing it as the reserve of partners.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

October 19, 2011 | International Edition

The beginning of the end of 170 years of legal history happened on 15 March 2011, the day Barlow Lyde & Gilbert's highly-rated aviation team handed in its notice to move to Holman Fenwick Willan. Until that point, Barlows had looked as if it was finally turning the corner after nearly a decade dominated by partner departures, poor financials and management inertia to regroup around its core insurance practice, a business the firm had hopes of rapidly taking international.

By Suzi Ring

26 minute read

October 18, 2011 | International Edition

The draft Defamation Bill does not go far enough to address the "unacceptably" high costs of libel cases, according to the committee charged with reviewing the bill. In a report issued today (19 October), the committee of six MPs and six peers has recommended that the proposal to promote early dispute resolution outside of court should be taken a step further and made enforceable, with "a presumption that mediation or neutral evaluation will be the norm."

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read