NEXT
Sign in to follow

Legal Week

Reasons to be cheerful – is the LG merger a good move for Wragge & Co?

For a law firm leader, Wragge & Co senior partner Quentin Poole is very approachable. Neither colleagues nor rivals seem to have a bad word to say about him and, as the firm's long-awaited London merger draws closer, he has more reason than ever to be cheerful. Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co may not exactly roll off the tongue, but the tie-up goes some way towards giving Wragges the London traction it has been struggling to build organically for many years. Not to mention a shiny, relatively new office in More London – albeit, an office more synonymous with merger partner Lawrence Graham's financial difficulties than anything positive. The union, which goes live in May, takes Wragges from Birmingham firm to UK player and represents a shift in its approach to the UK legal market and beyond. It's a deal that makes sense for both firms even though it does not come near to delivering the finished article.
11 minute read

International Edition

Wragges, LG on lookout for global merger following domestic tie-up

Wragge & Co and Lawrence Graham (LG) will seek a global merger once their own tie-up goes live on 1 May. In an exclusive interview with Legal Week, Wragges senior partner Quentin Poole said a merger with an international practice or practices was on the cards. The firms are thought to be interested in the model adopted by Norton Rose Fulbright and Dentons, both of which have expanded rapidly through a series of combinations. "Both firms will be more attractive now we have a bigger proposition in the UK and we are very open minded about a global merger," said Poole.
3 minute read

International Edition

A job half done – has DLA's much-lauded hire of Tony Angel delivered on its promise?

Expectations were high when DLA Piper brought in former Linklaters managing partner Tony Angel in late 2011. With a reputation as someone unafraid of making difficult and unpopular decisions, and tasked with reinventing DLA's UK practice and better integrating the US and international arms of the firm, Angel's hire sent a signal to the market: DLA meant business. But despite the fact Angel's costly hire – with the package rumoured to be worth some £2m a year – was always intended to be for a fixed term, some partners within the firm were surprised by the news that he was to step down as global co-chair in January 2015. "It had been on the cards," said one. "But it was a lot quicker than we expected." Now, as the firm prepares to hand over to a new leadership team – with Nigel Knowles set to take over from Angel as co-chair and UK intellectual property partner Simon Levine succeeding Knowles as co-CEO – attention is focusing on what Angel's legacy at DLA will be.
1 minute read

International Edition

King & Spalding launches multi-practice global law firm alliance

King & Spalding (K&S) has entered into an alliance with 15 global law firms to refer work across a range of practice areas, including employee benefits, executive compensation, tax, employment and labour law.
2 minute read

International Edition

Cleary partner joins HSBC as litigation and regulatory co-head

HSBC has appointed two new general counsel to oversee its litigation and regulatory enforcement departments. The appointees include Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton white collar partner Shawn Chen.
2 minute read

International Edition

Addleshaw Goddard to apply for Beijing licence as international push gathers pace

Addleshaw Goddard is set to apply for a licence to practice in Beijing after making its debut in Hong Kong last August. The UK firm, which in the last 18 months has prioritised international expansion, wants to open in the Chinese capital to support its offering in Hong Kong and tap the PRC market for outbound and disputes work.
2 minute read

International Edition

DLA Piper calls off talks with collapsed Heenan Blaikie partners

DLA Piper has ended discussions to take on a group of lawyers from Heenan Blaikie, the Canadian firm set to be wound up. The firm had been in talks to take on a group of between 60 and 70 lawyers from Heenan Blaikie, after the Canadian firm - once one of the largest in the country - announced it was to shut down operation last week.
2 minute read

International Edition

Skadden and Chelsea's Bruce Buck steps down as London head

High-profile Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom partner Bruce Buck has stepped down as leader of the US firm's London office. The Chelsea Football Club chairman, who has led the London office since 1988, will continue as European head in a full-time fee-earning capacity.
2 minute read

International Edition

Norton Rose Fulbright set to pass global chair role to South African partner

Norton Rose Fulbright is set to name South Africa chairman Sbu Gule as the new global chairman of the firm. The agreement to name a South African partner as chair was part of the merger deal between Norton Rose and legacy Deneys Reitz when the firms combined in 2011.
2 minute read

International Edition

Reed Smith grows US legal processing team to support European offices

Reed Smith will expand its Pittsburgh-based legal and business process support team to offer greater assistance to lawyers in its European offices. The team will be restructured to provide additional document, pricing and administrative services to lawyers in the EMEA region, and is being led by the firm's head of client value Vince Cordo.
2 minute read

TRENDING STORIES

Law Pro Logo

Featured Firms

Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.

(470) 294-1674

Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone

(857) 444-6468

Smith & Hassler

(713) 739-1250

More from ALM

More from ALM

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

Resources

  • Aligning Client Needs with Lawyer Growth and Profitability

    Brought to you by BigHand

    Download Now

  • Technology to Make E-Discovery Smarter, Not Harder

    Brought to you by Nuix

    Download Now

  • Does Generative AI Have the Power to Transform Legal Services?

    Brought to you by HaystackID

    Download Now

  • International Export and Trade Assistance State Law Survey

    Brought to you by LexisNexis®

    Download Now