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International Edition

Herbert Smith Freehills launches management elections as co-CEOs retire

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has kicked off the process to appoint new leadership with current joint CEOs David Willis and Gavin Bell retiring from the firm. Willis and Bell, who have been in the roles since the legacy firms Herbert Smith and Freehills merged in October 2012, will step down in April 2014. The Herbert Smith Freehills Global Council - the firm's governance body - will decide whether the dual role will be replaced by a single CEO or whether the role will continue to be undertaken jointly, with the appointments process expected to be completed by the end of the year. Before merger talks between Herbert Smith and Freehills began, Willis' term as managing partner of Herbert Smith had been due to end in April 2013. He agreed to a 1-year extension because of the merger.
2 minute read

International Edition

Candidates emerge as Ashurst prepares for chairman elections

Ashurst's dispute resolution partner Ben Tidswell and legacy Blakes competition and consumer protection partner Peter Armitage will run against current senior partner Charlie Geffen for the role of chairman. Partners were informed this morning that Geffen, Tidswell and Armitage had come forward as contenders for the role, which will replace the senior partner position.
2 minute read

International Edition

In depth: Dentons

Formed by a rapid succession of cross-border mergers, Alex Newman asks whether Dentons will defy critics to become more than the sum of its parts
1 minute read

International Edition

In-depth: Switzerland

Switzerland's legal and financial markets are undergoing rapid change, but local practitioners are taking developments in their stride
1 minute read

International Edition

Dentons' former chief executive Morris resigns

Dentons' former chief executive Howard Morris has resigned from the firm after 22 years as a partner. Morris recently returned to London from New York, where he spent the past two years as the firm's global integration and client development partner. It is understood Dentons partners were informed of his decision to leave the firm last week. His future plans are not known.
2 minute read

International Edition

Will Dentons deliver? After a succession of mergers does Dentons add up to more than the sum of its parts?

If this year's three-way mega-deal between SNR Denton, Salans and Canada's Fraser Milner Casgrain (FMC) still generates a large dose of scepticism among rivals, it does not seem to have knocked the confidence of the merged firm's chairman. Indeed, in an interview with Legal Week, Joe Andrew, an approachable American corporate lawyer, says that far from being the 'merger of weakness' that critics portray, his new 'polycentric' firm should be a blueprint for the world's leading legal practices.
15 minute read

International Edition

Hong Kong Law Society urges Taiwan to open legal market to local firms

Hong Kong law firms could soon be permitted to open offices in Taiwan following a campaign by the city's law society to encourage fair treatment of foreign outfits in the country. Firms based in Hong Kong are not currently allowed to launch in Taiwan or advise on Taiwanese law, despite an absence of such restrictions on firms from the UK and US.
3 minute read

International Edition

Sitting comfortably – Swiss lawyers benefit as Gnomes of Zurich come under attack

It is no exaggeration to say that the Swiss financial market – including corporate lawyers – has had the jitters of late. The fall of the private bank Wegelin, coupled with the indictment by the US authorities of former Niederer Kraft & Frey partner Edgar Paltzer, has certainly caused a stir, especially in the banking sector. The once fabled image of private Swiss banks ready to cut favourable deals and hide the money of the rich and famous from prying eyes and international tax authorities is without doubt crumbling. So where does this leave Switzerland's legal powerhouses?
9 minute read

International Edition

Simmons rejigs board with two new partners elected

Simmons & Simmons has rejigged its management board, with Germany head of disputes Peter Meyer and City ICT partner Alex Brown taking spots. Amsterdam partner Leo Verhoeff has meanwhile been reappointed to the board for another term. He has been a board member since 2010. The new roles came into effect at the beginning of the week (16 September).
2 minute read

International Edition

Kirkland & Ellis opens third base in Asia with Beijing launch

Kirkland & Ellis has opened an office in Beijing, giving the firm its third base in Asia. The Chicago-based outfit, whose focus in Asia has been predominantly on M&A, private equity and capital markets work, has fielded corporate partner David Zhang, who has 20 years' experience in China, and Chuan Li, who is currently chief representative of its Shanghai office, to lead the base.
3 minute read

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