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International Edition

Mayer Brown to open in Duesseldorf; Berlin and Cologne to close

Mayer Brown is set to launch an office in Duesseldorf as the firm moves to close its Berlin and Cologne operations. The new office will open at the start of 2012, at which point Mayer Brown's existing Cologne and Berlin offices will merge into the Duesseldorf outfit.
2 minute read

International Edition

Sheppard launches in Beijing with Squire Sanders partner

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton has opened in Beijing with the hire of a partner from Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, writes The Recorder.James Zimmerman, a chairman emeritus of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, joined the US firm last Thursday (11 August) as a partner after around eight years at Squire Sanders.
3 minute read

International Edition

Salans appoints new global COO with hire of ex-Ashurst man

Salans has turned to the London office of Ropes & Gray for its new global chief operating officer. Peter Griffith, who joined Salans' London office on 8 August, will be responsible for all the firm's global support services, including finance, IT, business development and marketing. He replaces Neil Woodcock, who retired earlier this year.
2 minute read

International Edition

On the record... with A&O senior partner David Morley: part 2

A&O senior partner David Morley about the outlook for law firms in the current economic climate, the biggest challenges facing A&OO over the next 5-10 years, and whether the changes ushered in by the Legal Services Act will be relevant for corporate legal advisers.
1 minute read

International Edition

Herbert Smith becomes latest UK firm to target Qatar launch

Herbert Smith has become the latest City law firm to target the Qatar market as the firm gears up for the launch of a new office in Doha. The firm began the licence application process last month, with a view to opening in Doha at the end of the year if the launch is approved.
2 minute read

International Edition

Travers Smith set to target five key sectors in strategy overhaul

Travers Smith is refocusing its business around a number of key sectors in a bid to deepen relationships with existing clients and attract new work. The firm has initially outlined five key sectors: financial services, leisure, healthcare, retail and infrastructure, which will operate alongside the firm's practice group structure.
2 minute read

International Edition

CC looks to expand African reach with further office launches

Clifford Chance (CC) is considering opening further offices in Africa after becoming one of three top 10 City law firms to announce plans to open in Morocco within the last month. The firm, which along with Norton Rose last week confirmed plans to follow Allen & Overy (A&O) into Casablanca later this year, said that the launch of its first African office could be followed by other openings on the continent.
3 minute read

International Edition

Lockstep 2.0: time to upgrade a trusty model

There seems to be something of a queue forming of firms looking to move away from a rigid lockstep partnership. This trend has been underway for years at mid-tier practices, but it goes further than that. Allen & Overy morphed into a managed lockstep years ago, while Clifford Chance deploys a salaried rank that it uses heavily for flexibility and a super-point pool that it doesn't. Now it seems that Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer – long standard-bearers of lockstep partnership – are exploring means to usher in more flexibility. It's surely a sensible development. The modern concept of lockstep is a curiously dogmatic thing, in many ways unsuited to the demands of the global law firm. For one, the gap between bottom and top earners is far too narrow to accommodate varying global markets. Lockstep is also out of, well, step with demographic changes, increasing the pressure for older partners to retire due to the punishing workloads that come with plateau earnings. Also problematic is its relationship with profits per equity partner (PEP). Combined slavishly, lockstep and PEP can lead firms to bend their business painfully to achieve arbitrary targets.
3 minute read

International Edition

Nabarro votes in corporate partner to succeed Paradise at helm of firm

Nabarro has appointed corporate partner Andrew Inkester as the firm's new managing partner, after current incumbent Nicole Paradise stepped down following 12 years in the role. Inkester, who joined the firm when legacy practice Turner Kenneth Brown merged with Nabarro Nathanson in 1995, was initially put forward for the role by senior partner and fellow corporate lawyer Simon Johnston.
2 minute read

International Edition

O'Melveny names litigation head as new chair

O'Melveny & Myers has named New York-based litigation head Bradley Butwin as its new chair, writes The Am Law Daily. The 51-year old Butwin will succeed current O'Melveny chair Arthur Culvahouse, who has held the position since 2000.
3 minute read

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