Suzi Ring

March 25, 2011 | International Edition

Charles Russell managing partner James Holder is set to step down from his post as part of a management overhaul that will see the firm have no managing partner from 1 May this year. The firm confirmed in a statement today (25 March) that Holder had agreed to step down as managing partner, and instead take up a strategic business generation role within the firm, rather than returning to full-time fee-earning.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

March 24, 2011 | International Edition

A raft of firms including Herbert Smith are lining up to advise in relation to a £65m recovery plan for embattled sports retailer JJB Sports. Herbert Smith is advising regular client JJB as it gears up for a £65m capital raising and a delisting from the main market of the London Stock Exchange onto the Alternative Investment Market.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

March 23, 2011 | International Edition

Olswang has rolled out an alternative pricing menu across its entire client base, as the firm continues to move away from traditional hourly billing rates. The firm has issued all clients with a menu of eight alternative billing options, with the intention of moving away from hourly rates where possible. The move comes after the firm devised the pricing menu in May last year, initially targeting its top 150 clients.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

March 23, 2011 | International Edition

Macfarlanes has upped its maternity leave by almost 70% in a bid to retain more female lawyers at the firm and increase the number of women in its partnership. The City firm will now offer all employees 23.5 weeks of maternity leave on full pay, up from just 14 weeks.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

March 23, 2011 | International Edition

The percentage of women at the bar has increased only marginally over the last five years according to new research compiled by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and Bar Council and issued yesterday (22 March).

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

March 22, 2011 | International Edition

Holman Fenwick Willan has bulked up its energy practice in Australia with the hire of local partner Robert Desmond and former Clifford Chance (CC) partner Christine Ferguson. Desmond joined Holman Fenwick earlier this month as a partner in Melbourne from the local office of Australian firm Middletons. Meanwhile, Ferguson has joined the firm in Sydney as special counsel from gold exploration and development company Chaarat Gold Holdings, where she worked as in-house counsel.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

March 22, 2011 | International Edition

Weightmans is set to merge with Mace & Jones, creating a UK top 50 firm with combined fee income of around £75m. The merger, which will go live on 1 May, follows national firm Weightmans' acquisition of the insurance division of Vizards Wyeth, which was confirmed earlier this month. The merged firm, which will retain the Weightmans name, will have total headcount in excess of 1,000.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

March 22, 2011 | International Edition

A heavyweight group of QCs has been pulled together by the Government to investigate the case for a UK Bill of Rights and look at reforming the European Court of Human Rights in the wake of a number of controversial European rulings. Seven QCs were appointed to the nine-member commission of human rights experts, launched last week (18 March) by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke.

By Suzi Ring

5 minute read

March 21, 2011 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has launched an intellectual property (IP) practice in the US with the relocation of City counsel Lindsey Canning. Canning joined the magic circle firm's New York office this month after eleven years in Freshfields' London HQ. She specialises in IP and technology matters in the context of M&A transactions and initial public offerings, across a variety of industry sectors. Her relocation has no fixed term.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

March 18, 2011 | International Edition

Court hearings may soon be televised, following recommendations made this week by the Master of the Rolls, Lord Neuberger. Speaking at the Judicial Studies Board annual lecture on Wednesday (16 April), Neuberger put forward the argument for some hearings from the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal to be televised, on an equivalent of the Parliament Channel or via BBC iPlayer.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read