Law Firm Management Legal News Coverage

International Edition

DWF cuts 38 fee-earner roles following redundancy consultation

By Gerard Starkey | July 30, 2013

DWF has made 38 fee-earner roles redundant following the completion of a consultation which kicked-off in May. The consultation, which placed around 80 jobs at risk across its Manchester, Coventry, Teesside and London offices, forms part of a wider restructuring which also saw 38 roles axed in its central services team earlier in the year. The firm declined to give a breakdown of where the reductions in headcount were made.

2 minute read

International Edition

Twenty-two DLA Glasgow staff take redundancy after Edinburgh trial

By Gerard Starkey | July 29, 2013

A team of 22 DLA Piper staff have turned down the opportunity to relocate permanently to Edinburgh from Glasgow following the end of a three-month trail. The test period, which came to an end on 1 July, was introduced after the firm decided to close its 85-strong Glasgow base in April following a review of its UK operations. After initially making 45 staff redundant, the firm offered 30 staff the chance to switch to Edinburgh along with the office's 10 partners.

2 minute read

International Edition

Hill Dickinson offloads four-partner Chester office to Knights

By Gerard Starkey | July 29, 2013

Hill Dickinson has sold its Chester office to Knights Solicitors for an undisclosed fee following a review of its UK-wide business. The move, which will see the transfer of four partners and 20 staff, is the first acquisition by the Knights since the James Caan-led private equity house Hamilton Bradshaw bought a stake in the firm in June 2012.

2 minute read

International Edition

Indian outfit set for four international launches in NY, London and Asia

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong | July 29, 2013

Indian law firm Singh & Associates is to launch four international offices in New York, Singapore, London and Hong Kong by the end of 2014 to tap an anticipated surge in inbound investment deals into the subcontinent. The New Delhi headquartered outfit, whose international footprint is currently limited to an alliance with China's Guangda Law Firm in Beijing and a small satellite office in New York, wants to have a fully functional base in each of the jurisdictions by the end of next year, with a minimum of two lawyers located at each.

3 minute read

International Edition

Taylor Wessing cuts 22 secretary jobs in support team overhaul

By Pui-Guan Man | July 29, 2013

Taylor Wessing has confirmed the result of its secretarial redundancy consultation, as the firm introduces a new secretarial support model. The firm has laid off 22 City support roles after placing 96 secretarial jobs in London under consultation, in which 26 were originally expected to be made redundant.

2 minute read

International Edition

Eversheds advises on Citibank move into Iraq

By Gerard Starkey | July 25, 2013

Eversheds has taken a central role for Citibank on its move to become the first US bank to expand into Iraq. Citibank opened a base in Baghdad at the end of June after being granted approval by the Central Bank of Iraq, and now plans to open further offices in Erbil and Basra. An Eversheds team led by Iraq managing partner Tawfiq Tabbaa advised Citibank on all aspects of project, while the Central Bank of Iraq used in-house counsel.

2 minute read

International Edition

What's in a name – could Messrs King and Wood trump Stanley Berwin?

By Charlotte Edmond | July 25, 2013

To date, UK law firms have been somewhat more restrained than their US counterparts when it comes to the question of names. Getting your name on the letterhead is of course a nice benefit of establishing your own partnership, and eponymous partnerships are a legal requirement for the most part in the US, but the resulting firm names hardly trip off the tongue – Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, to name but a few. In the UK at least, law firms have not been required to use the names of founding partners for many years, and the main reason law firm naming convention has continued in this fashion appears to be tradition, as well as a degree of inertia. This said, the advent of the Legal Services Act and related regulatory changes have allowed a little outside influence to filter through, with distinctly less traditional brands such as Brilliant Law, Thinking Legal and QualitySolicitors emerging. If some of the new law firm names lack the gravitas of their more longstanding peers, you can at least argue their line of business is obvious.

3 minute read

International Edition

Law firm fashion for 'one-stop shops' is not a true reflection of what clients want

By Legal Week | July 25, 2013

Many UK law firms were early adopters of international expansion strategies and have often been among the strongest advocates of a robust global presence. US firms – which have a much bigger home market than their UK counterparts – have been traditionally more cautious about international growth, although there are some significant exceptions to this. However, in the past 10 years most US firms have decided to expand their network of European offices. This has been driven in part by clients, who see greater business opportunities for themselves outside the US, but it's also been encouraged by an increasing perception – or conventional wisdom – that all consumers of services now prefer 'one-stop shopping'. But where exactly is this expansionist trend among our US colleagues being played out? And is it always the best informed, or most appropriate, strategic move for a big law firm?

5 minute read

International Edition

HSF litigation leaders remain bullish as attention turns to post-merger strategy

By Anna Reynolds | July 25, 2013

Herbert Smith Freehills' (HSF) prized litigation practice has been the subject of much attention in recent months, with a steady stream of senior departures providing an unwelcome narrative in the wake of last year's transformative Anglo-Australian merger. The departures – which have seen senior names such as Ted Greeno, Martyn Hopper and Kevin Lloyd head to magic circle rivals and ambitious US competitors in the City – come amid falling partner profits and much talk of post-merger tension following last October's Freehills tie-up. But as global dispute resolution head Sonya Leydecker draws up a new three-year strategy, she believes the practice remains at the top of its game, with the merger providing an opportunity to build the practice globally.

5 minute read

Legal Week

What's in a name – could Messrs King and Wood trump Stanley Berwin?

By Charlotte Edmond | July 25, 2013

To date, UK law firms have been somewhat more restrained than their US counterparts when it comes to the question of names. Getting your name on the letterhead is of course a nice benefit of establishing your own partnership, and eponymous partnerships are a legal requirement for the most part in the US, but the resulting firm names hardly trip off the tongue – Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, to name but a few. In the UK at least, law firms have not been required to use the names of founding partners for many years, and the main reason law firm naming convention has continued in this fashion appears to be tradition, as well as a degree of inertia. This said, the advent of the Legal Services Act and related regulatory changes have allowed a little outside influence to filter through, with distinctly less traditional brands such as Brilliant Law, Thinking Legal and QualitySolicitors emerging. If some of the new law firm names lack the gravitas of their more longstanding peers, you can at least argue their line of business is obvious.

24 minute read

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