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International Edition

Betting on in-house – can corporate moves into legal services win credibility?

"At a time when in-house advisers are under growing pressure to demonstrate their worth to the wider business, why not try to leverage skills already housed within the department to make a profit from external clients or make new inroads where they know they have a ready made client base to serve?"
3 minute read

International Edition

BT calls on panel firms to work with new legal services business

BT is planning to use the launch of its new legal services venture BT Law to start partnering up with its roster of external law firm advisers on client work. The telecoms giant plans to start cross-selling work with panel firms – either pitching BT Law's services direct to firms' clients or discussing with firms whether some of their work could be run through the new legal arm...
3 minute read

International Edition

BLP holds fire on annual bonus payouts for top equity partners

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has delayed its annual bonus payments to senior equity partners because of unsettled market conditions. Senior equity partners, who see 25% of their pay linked to performance, receive around three bonus instalments between November and June each year. But with less than two months to go until year-end, none of these payments have yet been made.
2 minute read

International Edition

More mid-tier mergers predicted as top 100 growth stays low

The UK's largest 100 law firms have seen average year-on-year fee income growth of 3.5% during the third quarter of 2012-13, with mid-tier firms in particular continuing to struggle to grow revenues. Figures from Deloitte's quarterly law firm survey show that revenue across the top 100 rose year on year by 3.5% in the three months to 31 January. This comes after the equivalent Q2 figure of 3.4% marked the slowest rate of growth for seven quarters. Drivers for the modest upturn included a 1.8% rise in fee earner headcount and a 1.9% increase in average fees per fee earner.
2 minute read

International Edition

Solicitor advocates turn back on the silk road as applications for QC status dwindle

"Since 2006, just 13 solicitors have been named as QCs in the annual appointment rounds. Applications by solicitors are equally low, with two being made in each of the past two years – the lowest rate since solicitors were first permitted to apply..."
6 minute read

International Edition

The return of the native – Todd QC on returning to practise after an eventful year as Bar Council chair

"This last year, I have come to realise, even more clearly than before, that you cannot please all people all of the time and you cannot please some people any of the time." So wrote Erskine Chambers' Michael Todd QC at the conclusion of his year as chairman of the Bar Council. If there was a touch of asperity in the tone of writing, Todd could be forgiven.
10 minute read

International Edition

DLA and SJ Berwin lead on British Land's Ealing shopping centre purchase

DLA Piper and SJ Berwin have played lead roles on a deal that has seen British Land acquire a portfolio of London properties from Dutch property investment company Wereldhave for £177.5m. The sale included the £142.5m purchase of the 300,000 sq ft Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre, which houses high street retail brands such as Boots, Marks & Spencer and River Island.
2 minute read

International Edition

Scots firm Semple Fraser set for administration as rivals eye teams

Scots firm Semple Fraser is set to go into administration after being hit hard by the downturn and a drop-off in work in its key areas of corporate, property and construction. The firm today (6 March) confirmed it has filed notice of intention to appoint an administrator, with administration described as "the only option."
3 minute read

International Edition

DWF's Leaitherland: Cobbetts equity partners ring-fenced as firm beds in £200m merger

None of the Cobbetts' partners joining DWF as part of last month's pre-pack deal will hold equity in DWF for at least 12 months, Legal Week can reveal. Around 70 partners, including managing partner Nick Carr and senior partner Stephen Benson have made the move to DWF after the firm agreed to purchase Cobbetts' debts and work in progress (WIP) for a guaranteed £3.8m
4 minute read

International Edition

Single white female – despite the diversity talk, the Bar is still a man's world

In such established old boys' networks as the Bar and the judiciary, improving diversity – whether in terms of gender, race or class – was always going to be a challenge. Even so, the annual silk round and the Supreme Court judge appointments this week confirm just how much progress is still needed. At the Supreme Court, the promotion of three more white males to the bench means Lady Hale looks set to be the only female representative on the UK's highest court for another five years to come.
3 minute read

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