Suzi Ring

September 09, 2011 | International Edition

Pinsent Masons is set to close its Bristol base next year with all lawyers to be relocated to the firm's other offices. The move, first reported on RollOnFriday today (9 September), will see the firm close its southwest office by the end of February 2012, after taking the view that it can sufficiently service its clients in the region from its other bases.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

September 09, 2011 | International Edition

Macfarlanes has recruited a new head of real estate with the hire of a senior partner from US firm Shearman & Sterling. Ian Nisse will join Macfarlanes at the end of the month after seven years as a partner at Shearman, where he was international co-head of real estate, working in both the firm's London and Abu Dhabi offices. He will succeed Simon Hillson as head of real estate at Macfarlanes, with Hillson continuing as a partner in the group after five years as practice head.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

September 08, 2011 | International Edition

Referral fees are to be banned in personal injury cases as part of the Government's efforts to tackle the UK's so-called 'compensation culture', the Ministry of Justice has announced. The move, confirmed today (9 September), is part of the Government's efforts to drive down civil litigation costs in the UK. It comes alongside the civil litigation reforms put forward earlier this year by Lord Justice Jackson, which were included in the recent Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (LASPO).

By Suzi Ring

4 minute read

September 07, 2011 | International Edition

US law firm Vedder Price is launching in London with 
the hire of Clyde & Co's co-head of aviation finance, Gavin Hill, marking the firm's first presence outside of its home country. The City office will go live next month, with Hill and ex-Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer senior associate Derek Watson – who left the magic circle firm earlier this year to join Clydes – set to become the two resident partners.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

September 07, 2011 | International Edition

Aspiring Chancery High Court judges will be considered straight from private practice for the first time, as part of a bid to widen the pool of Chancery specialists making it to the senior judiciary. The decision, which will affect applications made through the Judicial Appointments Commission from next month onwards, was made by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on the basis that it is more important for applicants to be a specialist in Chancery law than to have a judicial background. The Chancery division covers disputes in areas including business, property, competition, insolvency and intellectual property.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

September 07, 2011 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's new London managing partner Mark Rawlinson has put clients and people at the centre of his plans for the office. Rawlinson, who replaced Tim Jones in the role on 1 July this year, set out his initial strategy to staff over the summer, identifying employee satisfaction and client relationship management (CRM) as two main areas of focus.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

September 07, 2011 | International Edition

Clyde & Co has added a London insurance partner from merger partner Barlow Lyde & Gilbert to the management board of its new Canadian arm. Roderic McLauchlan is set to join Clydes' Toronto office later this year when he will take up a position on a new seven-strong management board set up in the wake of Clydes' merger with local firm Nicholl Paskell-Mede.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

September 07, 2011 | International Edition

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has relocated two City partners to its new venture in Hong Kong, with the firm also planning to add local law capability to the office. Corporate partner David Robins moved to Hong Kong last month, with real estate partner Victoria Gardner set to join him in October.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

September 07, 2011 | International Edition

Lord Justice Jackson - the author of the current shake-up of civil litigation costs - has criticised controversial Government cuts to legal aid, warning the reforms are "contrary to [my] recommendations". In a speech to the Cambridge Law Faculty this week, Jackson discussed his views of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (LASPO), drawing attention to his 2010 report on civil costs reform which highlights "the vital necessity of making no further cutbacks in legal aid availability or eligibility".

By Suzi Ring

4 minute read

September 07, 2011 | International Edition

Mayer Brown and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have won roles on the planned $4.2bn (£2.6bn) merger of former BP chief executive Tony Hayward's investment vehicle Vallares with Turkish oil company Genel Energy International. Mayer Brown's London office is advising Genel, the largest oil producer in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, fielding a team led by global energy co-head Robert Hamill, working with partners including Kate Ball-Dodd and Richard Smith (corporate), James Hill (tax) and Mark Compton (financial services).

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read