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International Edition

Watson Farley to launch in Frankfurt with Salans hires

Watson Farley & Williams is launching a Frankfurt office in the New Year, with the hire of a regulatory team from Salans led by partner Ivana Mikesic. The new office will open in January 2013 and marks Watson Farley's third base in Germany, alongside existing bases in Hamburg and Munich.
2 minute read

International Edition

Olswang gears up for elections as firm reviews management team

Olswang has launched its second governance overhaul in three years, with the firm looking to streamline its oversight body ahead of management elections next year after a spate of international expansion. The UK top 30 firm kicked off the review six weeks ago with firm general counsel Simon Callander leading it alongside eight partners.
2 minute read

International Edition

Tell your own story – the profession should sell its success

As we put the full write-up of the British Legal Awards to bed for the final issue of 2012, it seems an apt moment to reflect on the achievements of the legal profession in what proved yet another challenging year. And they are considerable. Law is a startling success story for British business, contributing over £20bn to the domestic economy annually and in the region of £3bn in exports – a figure that has nearly tripled against a decade ago. And this a material underestimate, since such official figures focus on private practice and fail to capture the huge expansion of in-house legal departments over the past 20 years. Well over 250,000 are employed in the law and directly-related fields in the UK.
3 minute read

International Edition

Hogan Lovells eyes move into Mexico amid Latin America boom

Hogan Lovells is eyeing up a move into Mexico, as interest from global law firms in the Latin American markets continues to grow. The transatlantic firm confirmed it is considering opening in the country, with all options up for debate including an acquisition, an alliance and a joint venture.
2 minute read

International Edition

Top Australian law firms rethink cost bases amid deal drought as global downturn goes Down Under

A host of Australian law firms are cutting lawyers and support staff as market activity slows and firms gear up for a difficult 2013. Clayton Utz, Allens and DLA Piper are among those making lay-offs in recent months, with some partners expecting further cuts next year as firms attempt to slash costs.
4 minute read

International Edition

Weil billings on MF Global administration reach £15m with £2m for Norton Rose

Weil Gotshal & Manges has billed more than £15m for its work on the administration of MF Global in the past year, as total legal fees generated by the broker's high-profile collapse pass £18m. The second six-month progress report filed by administrator KPMG reveals that lead legal adviser Weil billed a total of £5.8m for the period from 1 May to 30 October this year.
3 minute read

International Edition

LG confirms layoffs of eight fee earners and eight support staff

LG has concluded the redundancy consultation it began last month, with 16 employees - including eight fee earners - asked to leave the firm. The news comes after the firm announced an 18-strong redundancy consultation in early November, with the cuts attributed to an attempt to align "resources with what remains a difficult market".
2 minute read

International Edition

Pinsents to cut 15 back office jobs in post-merger redundancy round

Pinsent Masons has made 15 back office job cuts as a result of its second redundancy consultation since its merger with Scots firm McGrigors went live in May. The national firm has confirmed that the consultation, which kicked off last month, has ended, with 13 voluntary and 2 compulsory departures in the finance and knowledge management teams. No fee earner roles have been affected
2 minute read

International Edition

Bond Pearce and Dickie Dees seal merger to create Bond Dickinson

Partners from Bond Pearce and Dickinson Dees have voted through a merger under the name Bond Dickinson, creating a £95m firm with offices in eight UK locations. The tie-up, which will go live on 1 May next year, will create a firm with 136 partners and a total of around 1,200 staff, with their combined revenues placing the new firm inside the UK top 40.
3 minute read

International Edition

Fixed-fee billing favoured by 50% of corporates, LW research finds

Half of all corporates prefer fixed fees when it comes to law firm billing, according to a Legal Week study of client satisfaction among in-house lawyers. Legal Week Intelligence's Client Satisfaction Report, which surveyed 1,204 companies, found 50% favouring fixed fees, with 11% of respondents preferring hourly billing to other methods, while a quarter said they prefer capped hourly rates.
2 minute read

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