Suzi Ring

August 31, 2012 | International Edition

Addleshaw Goddard is set to miss out on a significant payout after the High Court ruled against the firm's client, Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, in his high-profile $6bn (£3.8bn) dispute with Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich. The judgment, which was handed down this morning (31 August) by Mrs Justice Gloster in the High Court, will be seen as a significant setback for Addleshaws, which had been working with Berezovsky on a conditional fee basis.

By Suzi Ring

6 minute read

August 29, 2012 | International Edition

Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson has been appointed as the next Master of the Rolls, succeeding Lord Neuberger, who will assume the role of Supreme Court president later this year. Dyson's much-touted appointment was announced today (29 August), with the new role set to take effect from 1 October this year.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

August 29, 2012 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Allen & Overy (A&O) and Simmons & Simmons have advised on the restructuring of UK public infrastructure group Mouchel, in a deal that has seen the company's shareholders left with nothing. Freshfields advised Mouchel led by finance partner Simon Johnson, corporate partner Farah Ispahani and restructuring partner Adam Gallagher.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

August 28, 2012 | International Edition

Herbert Smith is advising Virgin Rail Group on its legal action against the Government after the company lost control of the West Coast Main Line franchise to rival rail operator FirstGroup earlier this month. Virgin Rail has issued court proceedings today (28 August) to stop the Government signing the contract with FirstGroup, ahead of the deadline for action set at midnight tonight. London dispute resolution partner Nusrat Zar is leading the Herbert Smith team working on the matter.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

August 15, 2012 | International Edition

A number of big insurance companies are planning to ramp up their internal legal teams and set up their own law firms in moves that are likely to reshape the legal insurance market, according to new research from Espirito Santo Investment Bank. The research, referenced in The Times earlier this week (13 August), found that half of insurers consulted by the bank plan to build their own enlarged teams to handle disputes instead of handing work to external law firms in an attempt to cut costs.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read

August 13, 2012 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O)senior partner David Morley has been appointed to chair a new board set up to oversee social mobility initiative PRIME as the scheme nears its one-year anniversary. A raft of senior names from the UK's largest law firms have been appointed to the new six-person board, with Addleshaw Goddard senior partner Monica Burch, CMS Cameron McKenna senior partner Dick Tyler, DLA Piper board member Janet Legrand and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer corporate finance head Barry O'Brien all on the line-up alongside Morley. The final board member is educational charity The Sutton Trust's director of programmes and partnerships James Turner.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

August 13, 2012 | International Edition

A trio of Singaporean firms have lined up to advise as breweries Heineken and Kindest Place vie to buy a stake in Tiger beer owner Asia Pacific Breweries (APB). Duane Morris & Selvam, the local arm of US firm Duane Morris, is leading the advice for Heineken on its $5.1bn (£3.3bn) bid to buy the outstanding 58% stake in APB that it does not already own. The firm fielded a team led by local managing partner Arfat Selvam.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

August 13, 2012 | International Edition

Olswang has more than doubled the value of pro bono advice handed out by its lawyers in 2011-12 compared with the previous year to more than £1m. The firm's corporate social responsibility (CSR) report shows the UK top 30 firm carried out £1.3m of pro bono legal advice during the last financial year, compared with £518,692 during 2010-11.

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

August 07, 2012 | International Edition

Slaughter and May has secured a mandate advising Standard Chartered in relation to claims by the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) that the bank was involved in a $250bn (£160bn) money laundering scheme with the Iranian government. The magic circle firm is advising over allegations published by the DFS yesterday (6 August), which claim the bank violated US sanctions for almost 10 years, alleging it "schemed with the Government of Iran and hid from regulators roughly 60,000 secret transactions, involving at least $250bn (£160bn)."

By Suzi Ring

2 minute read

August 06, 2012 | International Edition

Third-party litigation funders hoping to avoid liability for adverse costs decisions under damage-based agreements (DBAs) by investing in law firms look unlikely to succeed, according to a new report from the Civil Justice Council (CJC). Final recommendations on DBAs, a form of contingency fee included in the Jackson reforms of civil litigation funding due to come into effect in April 2013, were published last week by the CJC's contingency fees working party, led by former Irwin Mitchell chairman Michael Napier QC.

By Suzi Ring

3 minute read