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International Edition

Mystery patent blogger is Cisco in-houser

The author of an influential but controversial blog criticising companies for holding patents solely to sue for infringement has been unveiled as a senior in-house lawyer at IT giant Cisco Systems, writes The Recorder. Richard Frenkel, a director in Cisco's intellectual property (IP) group, unmasked himself on Saturday (23 February) as the author of Patent Troll Tracker following an anonymous threat via email to identify him.
3 minute read

International Edition

Sallie Mae names deputy Sheehan as new GC

US student loans company Sallie Mae has named deputy general counsel Michael Sheehan as its new legal chief, taking over from former incumbent Robert Lavet. Sheehan, who joined Sallie Mae in 1992, was named as interim general counsel when Lavet left the group on 31 January. He played a key role in the privatisation of the company, which included the refinancing of assets worth $100bn (£50.95bn), and now heads up Sallie Mae's stable of 29 in-house lawyers.
2 minute read

International Edition

E&Y global GC jumps to Boston Consulting

Bluechip management adviser Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has recruited Ernst & Young (E&Y) global general counsel Jeremy Barton as its new legal chief, with the consultancy preparing to expand its legal activities into Europe. Barton is set to join BCG on 1 May and will divide his time between Boston and London. He joined E&Y from legacy firm Andersen, where he was general counsel for Europe and then deputy global general counsel, responsible for winding up the company in the last year of his tenure.
2 minute read

International Edition

Deutsche, Morgan to cut legal positions

Lawyers at Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley are bowing to the pressure of the credit crunch with legal roles being cut in both banks' UK mortgage and property divisions. Deutsche has trimmed its commercial real estate division, confirming that at least one legal position in the team has been cut. Some in the market suggest that as many as five people could leave the team.
2 minute read

International Edition

Herbert Smith, Norton Rose and V&E win prized energy mandates

Vinson & Elkins, Herbert Smith and Norton Rose have won coveted places on private equity house HG Capital's energy fund panel. Six firms tendered for places in a review process launched last summer by HG Capital general counsel John Kitching. The new panel will advise purely in relation to HG's Capital's fund investing in renewable energy.
2 minute read

International Edition

Corporate Counsel: Size matters

Does size really matter? In other words, as a company grows, does legal spending grow at the same rate as the company? Or does more revenue mean more efficiency inside the law department and with its outside counsel? Most general counsel think, erroneously, that total legal spending as a percentage of revenue increases as a company grows larger. It makes sense, they would say, for their spending on inside lawyers, staff and other needs, plus on outside service providers N all of which is referred to as 'total legal spend' - to expand as companies grow.
8 minute read

International Edition

DLA Piper adds in Madrid with Ferrovial in-houser

DLA Piper has appointed a new head of its Spanish equity capital markets practice, with the hire of corporate partner Maria Segimon de Manzanos. De Manzanos joins the transatlantic firm's Madrid office as a partner after a spell in-house with infrastructure giant Grupo Ferrovial, where she headed up the corporate legal team.
2 minute read

International Edition

GLA appoints new legal chief ahead of 'ethical' LDA review

The Greater London Authority (GLA) has hired Sutton Borough's legal chief, Fiona Ledden, to take on its coveted head of law and procurement role. Ledden will replace high-profile legal chief Thelma Stober, who left last August after less than a year in the role. Interim legal head Charlie Aiden will stay in the post until Ledden joins the GLA at the end of March. Ledden has been with Sutton Borough for 17 years after joining as a childcare lawyer in 1991. She became executive head of legal and democratic services four years ago.
2 minute read

International Edition

Corporate Counsel: A slow revolution

No-one likes doing the mundane, process-driven bits of office life. But how would you feel if your team were asked to outsource or offshore those mundane tasks? Threatened? Undermined? Liberated? Or maybe even that it is just not worth the hassle? A select band of in-house teams are currently wrestling with those questions as the employed side of the profession begins to experiment with the kind of offshore projects pioneered by large law firms five years ago.
7 minute read

International Edition

Tech company sued over GC's $10m bonus

California tech company Transmeta Corporation is being sued by an activist hedge fund over the $10m (£5.14m) bonus it paid to its general counsel, writes The Recorder. Riley Investment Management, which owns around 7% of Transmeta and earlier this month made an offer to buy the company, filed the suit on 31 January after Transmeta agreed to give general counsel John O'Hara Horsley a cut of a $250m (£128.5m) settlement reached with IT giant Intel in October.
2 minute read

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