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International Edition

In the back of the mind

Family and private client law are usually treated as separate disciplines. At a recent Legal Week panel debate, however, a strong case was made for bringing family and private client teams together when it comes to advising wealthy clients.
3 minute read

International Edition

The same, only different

E-discovery (as it is referred to in the US) or, more accurately, e-disclosure (as it is referred to here, post the Woolf reforms), has received a very negative press, mainly due to the huge costs associated with it. But, when all is said and done, is it really that bad?
9 minute read

International Edition

Tony Allen: Commercial mediation US-style is another country

Returning from the American Bar Association dispute resolution conference I was struck by how simple life seems here by comparison. It came as a shock to hear a mediator in her forties confide that she had done 3,200 mediations. I calculate that this means most days she mediates around eight disputes. That is not commercial mediation as we know it in the UK.
4 minute read

International Edition

Cobbetts records 16% decrease in fee income for financial year

National firm Cobbetts has posted a 16% drop in fee income for the last financial year. The firm saw fee income fall to £48.5m for 2008-09 from £58m the previous year, a dip of 16.3%.
2 minute read

International Edition

Hammonds partners complete sale of debt litigation spin-off Drydens

Hammonds' partnership has completed the multimillion-pound sell-off of debt litigation practice Drydens. Drydens, which was set up in 1984 as a unit within Hammonds and spun off in 2003 as a separate law firm headed up by former Hammonds assistant Rachael Charmbury, has been sold to insolvency practitioner Philip Holden for several millions of pounds. The sale was completed last week (12 June) after the business - which turns over approximately £7m a year - was put up for sale in February.
2 minute read

International Edition

Kennedys set to break into UK top 50 with 30% revenue rise

Commercial litigation specialist firm Kennedys looks set to have propelled itself into the UK's top 50 law firms, posting a 30% increase in revenue for 2008-09. The firm's revenue reached £67.3m during the last financial year compared to the previous year's total of £51.5m. Meanwhile, profits per equity partner increased by almost 17% to £350,000, from a mark of £300,000 in 2007-08. The vast chunk of the firm's revenue came from the firm's litigation practice, which accounted for £58.3m of total revenue. London made up £53.2m of turnover, while Asia contributed £13.4m.
2 minute read

International Edition

Stephenson Harwood records flat turnover and PEP for 2008-09

Stephenson Harwood has held firm against the recession, posting flat turnover of £85.1m for the 2008-09 financial year. Profits per equity partner (PEP) dipped marginally by 1.6% to £610,000 from £620,000. Over the last five years the firm's PEP has grown from £280,000 to £610,000, representing a 54% increase over the period.
2 minute read

International Edition

Appleby secures Isle of Man launch with local merger deal

Appleby has become the first global offshore firm to launch an office on the Isle of Man with a merger with local firm Dickinson Cruickshank. The tie-up, set to go live on 1 October, will gift Appleby an additional 38 lawyers, including 11 partners, taking its total partnership to 73 across its nine offices.
2 minute read

International Edition

Sumption replaces Grabiner as Rock dispute nears conclusion

The Northern Rock shareholders dispute has entered its final day of appeal, with Jonathan Sumption QC replacing Lord Grabiner QC for the Government throughout the appeal process. The three-day trial, which kicked off earlier this week (10 June) in the Court of Appeal, sees more than 150,000 private shareholders appealing a February decision which scuppered the shareholders' attempts to secure improved compensation following the nationalisation of the lender.
2 minute read

International Edition

Eversheds secures Tyco-style mandate from Smiths Group

Eversheds has been appointed as the preferred legal adviser for technology company Smiths Group in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The law firm will provide commercial, litigation, employment, real estate and company secretarial advice across the region, with London-based head of international litigation and dispute management John Heaps acting as the relationship partner to Smiths. Eversheds will use its global account management system - first developed for its relationship with Tyco - with the London Stock Exchange-listed Smiths.
2 minute read

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

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