Page 89 | Features | Law.com International

The buys from Brazil - global M&A boom sparks demand for new legal services

By Legal Week | April 21, 2011

A global M&A boom in South America's largest economy has sparked demand for new legal services. Claudia Farkouh Prado reports
Surviving the shipwreck – what Howrey's out-of-work associates can learn from other disbanded law firms

By Legal Week | April 14, 2011

What can Howrey's out-of-work associates learn from their counterparts from other previously disbanded law firms? Victor Li reports
Labour pains - the onslaught of litigation on US employers

By Legal Week | April 14, 2011

Staff are suing their employers like never before in the US. Companies are hoping the Supreme Court can intervene. Sue Reisinger reports
Guiding principles – regulating document retention in 22 key global jurisdictions

By Legal Week | April 14, 2011

With frequently contrasting regulation, Herbert Smith's James Farrell reviews document retention practices across 22 key global jurisdictions
The bankruptcy dodgers - the laws causing Irish companies in danger to head for the UK

By Legal Week | April 5, 2011

Ireland's strict bankruptcy laws have seen companies in danger head for kinder jurisdictions in the EU, most notably the UK. William Fry's Barry Cahir reports
Capturing investment - why foreign direct investment is key in boosting Ireland's economy

By Legal Week | April 5, 2011

Despite hard economic times, Matheson Ormsby Prentice's Robert O'Shea and Pat English say foreign direct investment in Ireland has remained high and will be key in boosting the economy
Ireland's green financial services hub - the emerald isle goes greener

By Legal Week | April 5, 2011

Ireland has pledged its commitment to environmentally-friendly business with the establishment of a green financial services hub. Eleanor MacDonagh and Mark White describe the hopes for the country's economy
Learn-as-you-go - a law firm trainee on the SRA's work-based learning pilot

By Legal Week | March 22, 2011

The final six months of qualifying as a solicitor on the new work-based learning experiment by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) was one of the most challenging aspects of my legal education. It marked the last stage of a two-year period of externally assessed study and work and was a pivotal moment in my career. I was among 40 individuals who agreed to take part in an experiment by the SRA to improve the vocational training stage of solicitor's qualification. Over two years, I amassed a portfolio of work to demonstrate work-based learning that covered a total of 32 topic areas, from professional ethics to time and file management.
Cultivating counsel - the new mentoring scheme offering valuable experience for would-be lawyers

By Legal Week | March 22, 2011

It is unsurprising at a time when most organisations are tightening their belts that many law firms and in-house legal teams are taking a close look at their training commitments and conducting a cost-benefit analysis to decide whether such initiatives are sustainable. According to Legal Week research in October last year, the overall availability of training contracts in the market has shrunk by 11% over the last three years, with the top 30 firms receiving an average of 35 applications for every place. At Co-operative Financial Services (CFS), our cautious approach during the downturn has enabled us to continue focusing on important strategic social and community goals, including our legal team's support for would-be lawyers, particularly at a time when they most need it. We continue to commit to initiatives including BPP Law School's Access to Practice Scheme (APS) and offer two training contracts every two years, most recently in September 2010.
Toil erosion - US law firms shift their holiday policies

By Legal Week | March 16, 2011

Last December, when Dewey & LeBoeuf announced a shift in vacation policy for its associates and counsel, the move was greeted with some scepticism online. The firm had decided to scuttle its traditional three to four weeks of paid vacation, earned on an accrual basis, in favour of a policy in which associates and counsel would - in the words of an internal memo - "be entitled to take a reasonable amount of paid time off... subject to client demands and your other professional obligations and responsibilities".

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