NEXT
Sign in to follow

International Edition

'Living in interesting times': CC's Sweeting on lockstep, law firm culture and the emerging markets

Clifford Chance (CC) senior partner Malcolm Sweeting is certainly no Stuart Popham. Popham, a born public speaker, who many suggest would have made a brilliant politician, ended his eight years as senior partner with a strong profile in industry that reflected the figurehead style he brought to the role. In contrast, Sweeting's electoral platform was a very different one. As a self-proclaimed "guardian of the partnership culture", Sweeting's take on the role is much more internal-facing. Indeed, one of the City finance partner's key objectives during his first nine months in office has been to ensure he is constantly visible to the partners and that they know what he is up to.
6 minute read

International Edition

White & Case hands key management roles to global partner trio

White & Case has appointed a new executive committee following its re-election of firmwide chair Hugh Verrier. Verrier will begin his second term as firm chair when his current four-year term elapses in March 2012. Brussels executive partner Jacquelyn MacLennan, Americas banking chief David Koschik and London managing partner Oliver Brettle (pictured) will join him at the helm of the firm, with all three also retaining their client-facing responsibilities.
2 minute read

International Edition

BLP signs up Linklaters partners for double Germany office launch

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is set to launch two offices in Germany with the hire of a four-strong team from Linklaters, marking the firm's first venture into the country. The firm announced today (19 September) that it will open in Berlin and Frankfurt by the end of the year, with a focus on high-end real estate work.
2 minute read

International Edition

Slaughters ups secondments to referral firms in Asia

Slaughter and May is set to tighten its relationships with local firms in Asia, with the firm planning to increase secondments to the region and send lawyers to Korea for the first time. The elite law firm is aiming to increase its lawyer secondments across Asia in general but particularly in Japan – where it works with firms including Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu – and South Korea, where despite links with Kim & Chang and Shin & Kim the firm has not carried out secondments to date.
2 minute read

International Edition

Norton Rose on agenda as US leader Fulbright reviews global strategy

Fulbright & Jaworski has kicked off a review of its international strategy that could see the top 50 US firm pursuing a much-touted merger with Norton Rose. The Texan firm's global chairman Steven Pfeiffer launched the review two months ago, with a prospective UK merger forming a central plank of the consultation. A merger with Norton Rose is not thought to be the only option under consideration; however, the firm is the preferred target for a number of partners within Fulbright, which has not yet engaged Norton Rose in any discussions.
3 minute read

International Edition

McDermott unveils London growth agenda in wake of restructuring and departures

McDermott Will & Emery is planning to double its lawyer headcount in London in the wake of a restructuring that will see the firm refocus its City practice around six key practice areas. The US firm wants to build its London operation up to more than 100 lawyers over the next three years, compared with a current team of 53 lawyers. The office will focus on corporate, energy and commodities, tax, employment, intellectual property and private client work, with London managing partner and European chair Hugh Nineham also planning to rebuild an arbitration practice and launch a white-collar defence team within the next year.
2 minute read

International Edition

CC procurement chief appointed as UAE law firm's first-ever CEO

Middle East law firm Habib Al Mulla & Company has recruited a senior business manager from Clifford Chance (CC) as its new chief executive officer. The UAE firm has hired CC's Italy general manager Rob Morris, who is also the magic circle firm's global head of procurement. He will join Habib Al Mulla next week (19 September), relocating from CC's Milan arm to the Middle East. The hire marks the first chief executive appointment for the 50-lawyer firm, which said the move had come as part of an effort to instate a more formal law firm structure after significant expansion and the addition of a number of new clients.
2 minute read

International Edition

The globe trotters - what international institutions taught an Aussie banking giant

"The idea first came about from the relationship the bank has with IBM, which provides significant IT and system support to us. In the course of setting up things with them we had a discussion with their general counsel about trying to get a better understanding of how their legal function operates and it went from there," Justin Moses explains. Moses, corporate counsel and general manager of the legal product and distribution department at the Australian banking group Westpac, is referring to an innovative series of what the company calls "benchmarking study tours" it has carried out in recent years. The bank's legal team has been visiting international companies in the US and UK to learn from other in-house counsel how they conduct their legal counsel functions and what ideas and structures the banking group can replicate back in Australia and New Zealand.
5 minute read

International Edition

Vinson elects new managing partner and first-ever chairman

US energy leader Vinson & Elkins has elected a new managing partner and the first chairman in its history, writes the AmLaw Daily. Scott Wulfe, a corporate partner in Vinson's Houston office, will begin a two-year term as managing partner in January, while Mark Kelly, a capital markets partner also based in Houston, will start his own two-year term as the top 50 US law firm's first chairman at the same time.
3 minute read

International Edition

US firm seals London launch with Clydes partner hire

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.
2 minute read

More from ALM

More from ALM

Legal Speak is a weekly podcast that makes sense of what’s happening in the legal industry.

Resources

  • Why Embracing Change Is Essential for Your Legal Department

    Brought to you by DiliTrust

    Download Now

  • International Export and Trade Assistance State Law Survey

    Brought to you by LexisNexis®

    Download Now

  • How This Personal Injury Firm Reduced Client Intake Time by 80%

    Brought to you by PracticePanther

    Download Now

  • The Hidden Cost of Bad Reviews: Why Law Firms & Attorneys Can't Afford a Damaged Online Reputation

    Brought to you by Erase.com

    Download Now