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International Edition

Eversheds to cut back on number of chambers used

Eversheds is set to cut the number of chambers it uses from 90 to 15 in a bid to build deeper relationships with the Bar. Eversheds litigation head Ian Gray is conducting a review, which started earlier this month, in a bid to narrow the firm's use of the external Bar. The move will see the national giant select approximately 15 sets to work with, including a mixture of niche chambers and commercial sets.
2 minute read

International Edition

Herbert Smith seals Buncefield win for Chevron

Herbert Smith has scored a victory advising Chevron in one of the largest pieces of commercial litigation ever seen in the UK, as its joint venture partner Total is found liable for the 2005 Buncefield disaster. In a judgment handed down in the High Court this morning (20 March), Mr Justice David Steel ruled that Total - which has a 60% stake in Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd (HOSL), the joint venture that runs the Buncefield depot - was responsible for the explosion and liable for the financial consequences.The aftermath of the explosion - which has been described as the largest incident of its kind in peacetime Europe - has seen approximately £750m of claims from around 4,000 local businesses, residents and other oil companies with facilities at Buncefield, such as Shell.
3 minute read

International Edition

Cherie Booth advises on RBS pension funds suit

Two British pension funds have lined up Cherie Booth QC and US class action specialist Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins to sue the Royal Bank of Scotland for hundreds of millions of pounds. The North Yorkshire and Merseyside council pension funds - which, between them, have a combined value of around £4bn - have instructed Booth (pictured) of Matrix Chambers to seek compensation for them through the US courts.The claim, which implicates the entire RBS board, states that both funds were reassured that the bank was in good health and their investments were safe, when in fact the bank was struggling as a result of of bad loans.
2 minute read

International Edition

Brick Court quartet among 104 to take silk

Barristers at a number of leading chambers have received silk status in the latest round of QC appointments announced today (19 February). Brick Court Chambers saw four of its members - Alan Maclean, Fergus Randolph, Aidan Robertson and Mark Hoskins - receive the accolade, while One Essex Court's David Wolfson, Daniel Toledano and Alain Choo-Choy all claimed the elite kitemark.Fountain Court, Blackstone Chambers and Four Pump Court each saw two barristers gain QC status.However, top set Essex Court only saw one member - Christopher Smith - take silk, as did a number of other top sets including 3 Verulam Buildings, 11 Stone Buildings and 7 King's Bench Walk.
2 minute read

International Edition

New QC appointments round sees 104 take silk

The latest round of QC appointments has been announced today (19 February), with more than a hundred barristers claiming the elite kitemark. One hundred and four out of a total of 247 applicants have been awarded QC status, a success rate of 42% - a significant increase on the 2007-08 figure of 29%.However, the total of 247 applications received by the QC selection panel was a sharp drop from last year's total of 333 and a further drop from the 443 applicants in 2006-07.
3 minute read

International Edition

Commercial and Chancery Bar: Benchmarking the bench

It is now 18 months since the idea of judicial appraisals for senior commercial judges first hit the headlines. By the end of 2009, initial findings from the first round of appraisals should be complete. The process is likely to cover all High Court judges in the Commercial Court and Chancery Division, plus masters. Based on the ratings and opinions of court users - litigants, solicitors and barristers - individual appraisals will be distributed exclusively to each judge with a copy sent to the head of the relevant division. It seems possible that judges' league tables will also be made publicly available. A Legal Week survey conducted in 2007 of more than 100 senior litigators showed strong support for the idea: 43% of respondents said they would definitely endorse the introduction of upward appraisals for judges, with a further 41% indicating they might do so.
9 minute read

International Edition

Commercial and Chancery Bar: Together as one

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has given the question of how the Legal Services Act (LSA) will affect it in the future extensive consideration and consultation. The reality is that the consequences of this significant statute simply cannot yet be known, although it is clear it facilitates a potentially fundamental change in the way in which legal services will be provided to consumers in England and Wales. The Act represents both uncertainty and opportunity for all those it affects. The BSB has recently issued a consultation paper seeking views on the implications of the LSA, in order that future regulation is informed, as far as is possible, by the realities of practice and in the interests of the consumer, as well as clarifying the uncertainty and permitting the potential to be realised.
8 minute read

International Edition

Commercial and Chancery Bar: Frosty reception

Late last year, the Ministry of Justice announced figures which surprised and worried litigators.The numbers of claim forms filed over the previous year indicated that disputes started had stayed largely static despite the deteriorating economic climate.All lawyers should be concerned by this development because traditionally in the good times transactional work drives law firm profits. As the deal flow dries up, contentious practitioners had previously come into their own and picked up the profits per equity partner (PEP) slack.
6 minute read

International Edition

Easy as one QC?

Last June the de Grazia report slammed the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for its low conviction rates and unfocused investigations, recommending, among other things, the appointment of a general counsel to oversee its team of 60 lawyers.Cue a period of soul-searching, the departure of former director Robert Wardle - replaced by Richard Alderman - and a recruitment process for the SFO's first ever GC, culminating in the arrival of leading criminal silk Vivian Robinson QC from QEB Hollis Whiteman chambers. Robinson, who will not formally take up his role until 14 April due to outstanding commitments, is making regular trips to the SFO's Holborn headquarters - conveniently located around the corner from QEB's building in the Temple - to familiarise himself with the challenges that lie ahead.
6 minute read

International Edition

BSB issues warning after student advertises to secure pupillage

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has been forced to issue a warning after a student placed an advertisement in specialist Bar magazine Counsel in a bid to obtain a pupillage.The organisation has issued a statement in the February issue of Counsel warning students against placing advertisements after Bar Vocational Course (BVC) graduate Maney Ullah paid for an ad seeking a pupillage in the January issue of the magazine. Ullah - who completed his BVC with BPP Law School in 2006 - placed a full-page Wild West style ad headed "wanted-pupillage" in the January issue of Counsel. The advert featured a black and white image of Ullah above the words: "Reward - experience, dedication, loyalty, commitment, tenacity" along with Ullah's mobile number and email address.
2 minute read

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