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International Edition

Quadrant names Gerrard as new chief exec

Quadrant Chambers has appointed Tim Gerrard to the newly-created role of chief executive. Gerrard, who joined the set in March from Jersey-based trust manager Hawksford International, where he was chief operating officer, fills the new position 18 months after the early retirement of chambers director Gordon Armstrong.Armstrong served as senior clerk and chambers director since 1984. During his time in office the set expanded from a small operation at 2 Essex Court, where it specialised in admiralty law, to a commercial chambers comprising 44 barristers at Quadrant.
2 minute read

International Edition

Website charges aspiring barristers for job applications

A website charging prospective barristers to apply for entry-level jobs has come to the attention of Legal Week. The site, 3rdsix.co.uk, charges pupils in return for access to vacancies for so-called 'third six' pupillages, which are undertaken by candidates unable to find a tenancy after the compulsory 12-month pupillage. The site, which claims to have 366 pupillage seekers and 35 barristers' chambers registered, charges pupils £14.99 per year in membership, while chambers pay £149.99 per posted vacancy.
2 minute read

International Edition

Jackson to review complex commercial disputes

Large-scale commercial disputes will come under the remit of Lord Justice Rupert Jackson's review into the high cost of civil litigation, Jackson said today. Jackson's 650-page preliminary report issued earlier today warns that the commercial courts are not a 'sacred territory' and that his findings will still apply to complex commercial cases.The news comes despite earlier concerns about whether potential procedural changes to litigation should apply to complex, multi-party disputes in the higher courts as well as to commoditised cases in the lower courts.
3 minute read

International Edition

Litigation support and e-discovery

KPMG Forensic, Kroll Ontrack and Ernst & Young on the key issues in litigation support.
1 minute read

International Edition

Barristers try conditional fees amid client pressure

Leading commercial sets are stepping up their use of conditional fee arrangements (CFAs) as law firms and clients increase pressure to cut counsel costs. Some of the profession's top silks and chambers are taking on cases at reduced rates in return for an uplift if the case is successful - a practice that was until recently unheard of at the commercial Bar. Addleshaw Goddard, a strong proponent of third-party litigation funding and after-the-event insurance, is also separately in talks with top sets including Brick Court, Fountain Court and Essex Court Chambers to encourage them to use CFAs. Sign-up from barristers is likely to make Addleshaws' cost-free litigation scheme more attractive to clients.
3 minute read

International Edition

Doughty Street recuits Matrix media specialist

Doughty Street Chambers has recruited media heavyweight Heather Rogers QC from rival set Matrix Chambers. Rogers, who specialises in defamation, privacy and data protection, will move to Doughty Street on 1 May - a move which will allow her to diversify her practice.Rogers will become the third silk in the team, which is led by head of chambers Geoffrey Robertson QC, following the elevation of Andrew Nicol QC to the High Court earlier this year (4 February).
2 minute read

International Edition

Controlling commercial litigation costs: the funding alternatives - Simon Twigden

Companies concerned about the restrictive costs associated with big-ticket litigation in the UK must ensure they are fully aware of all available funding alternatives, says Addleshaw Goddard litigation head Simon Twigden.
1 minute read

International Edition

Former TTP GC found guilty of insider trading

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has closed its first criminal case for insider trading, with former TTP Communications general counsel Christopher McQuoid and his father-in-law James William Melbourne found guilty. The duo had been accused of insider trading ahead of an £103m offer made by communications company TTP for Motorola in 2006. The case, heard at Southwark Crown Court, found that McQuoid had passed the information on to Melbourne, who then traded and made a profit of £48,919. The court heard that Melbourne had split the profits with McQuoid three months later.
2 minute read

International Edition

Jackson review triggers debate over costs in top-end litigation

Concerns have been raised about whether Lord Justice Rupert Jackson's review into the high cost of civil litigation should apply to large-scale commercial disputes. The Commercial Court Users Committee (CCUC), is questioning whether a one-size-fits-all approach to costs should be applied across the board in civil litigation.
2 minute read

International Edition

US litigation newcomer set for Lords debut

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges is set to appear before the House of Lords, less than a year after the US firm's launch in the City. The US litigation leader is due to appear in the House of Lords for two days at the beginning of July representing a group of investment funds seeking to retrieve money following the collapse of the $27bn (£17.9bn) structured investment vehicle Sigma Finance.Quinn Emanuel partner Sue Prevezer QC, who joined the firm last May from Bingham McCutchen, is leading the case. She was previously a barrister with top commercial set Essex Court Chambers before spending a year with Bingham.
2 minute read

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