NEXT
Sign in to follow

International Edition

McDermott faces pregnancy discrimination claims from former associate

A former senior associate at McDermott Will & Emery has alleged she was unfairly dismissed after pregnancy-related medical problems forced her to take time off, an employment tribunal has heard. Cheng Tan worked as an intellectual property lawyer at the US firm's London office until she was made redundant in November last year, according to press reports. She is suing the firm for unfair dismissal, on the grounds of maternity discrimination and indirect age discrimination.
2 minute read

International Edition

Eversheds in advanced tie-up talks with Russian alliance partner

Eversheds is in the advanced stages of discussions over a tie-up with one of its Russian alliance firms in a deal that could see it further expand its international network of offices. The firm has been in talks with alliance partner Capital Legal Services (CLS) since the start of the year over an agreement that could see it join the Eversheds International network. CLS, a six-partner firm that has bases in Moscow and St Petersburg, formed an alliance with Eversheds in February last year. Eversheds also has an alliance with Russian firm Monastyrsky Zyuba Stepanov & Partners.
2 minute read

International Edition

Ashurst sets out details of top team ahead of Australia integration

Ashurst has set out further details of its new management line-up ahead of its full financial integration with its Australia arm, with managing partner James Collis taking the role of global managing partner and the senior partner role set to be phased out. Legacy Blake Dawson managing partner John Carrington has been appointed as managing partner Australia, while an agreement has also been reached over the composition of the new 14-member global board, which will comprise partners from both legacy firms.
3 minute read

International Edition

Hogan Lovells secures Sao Paulo licence alongside Rio launch

Hogan Lovells has obtained a licence to practise in Sao Paulo, alongside the formal launch of its long-awaited office in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian Bar Association gave the firm the green light to operate in both cities as a Foreign Legal Consultancy yesterday (10 July).
2 minute read

International Edition

Singapore leader Rajah & Tann seals alliance with triple merger of Malaysia firms

Rajah & Tann has made its formal debut into Malaysia this month after signing a strategic alliance with local Malaysian outfit Christopher & Lee Ong. The Singapore firm, which also did tie up with Indonesian firm Assegaf Hamzah & Partners in May, is among a number of outfits from the city-state looking to grow its footprint in South East Asia and tap the steady flow of deals from the region.
2 minute read

International Edition

Field Fisher secures Asia presence with Shanghai tie-up

Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) has made its debut into Asia through a tie up with Shanghai outfit Ryer & Associates. The City firm, which is eyeing corporate and IP work in China, has set up a Swiss Verein with the three-partner firm, which goes live today and will operate as Field Fisher Ryser (FFR).
3 minute read

International Edition

BLP confirms 102 legal and secretary layoffs as 84% take voluntary offer

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has cut all of the 102 jobs which it placed under review back in May, with 58 legal staff and 44 secretarial staff laid off. The redundancy programme, which was announced on 14 May, lasted for 45 days, and saw 84% of those laid off take voluntary redundancy.
2 minute read

International Edition

Storm warning: how to spot the tell-tale signs of a law firm in financial trouble

When a business enters a formal insolvency procedure, creditors and employees lose out, as well as the owners of the business who lose their equity investment. When a law firm enters an insolvency process, however, there is another class of stakeholder with plenty to lose: junior partners, who fall between the stones of employee and owner. New partners can be some of the most vulnerable stakeholders in law firms suffering financial difficulties. As a result, it is not surprising when new partners at insolvent law firms are the first to criticise their management, nor that they are the most frustrated when an insolvency practitioner approaches them for repayment of drawings. This may be broadly equivalent to salary without any sizeable participation in distributions before insolvency. New partners will have invested some of their hardest working years to be accepted into the partnership, and perhaps have also taken out a large loan to make a capital contribution. As they build their business, their reputations are always on the line, and their judgement is constantly scrutinised by clients and peers. All of this makes it even more difficult, and painful, for new partners to move on after insolvency.
5 minute read

International Edition

SJB hires McKinsey consultant as first COO

Baumgartner will join on 9 September after more than a decade with McKinsey, where he worked on support function integration, globalising strategy and financial risk management controls, as well as cost and budget management. He began his career as an accountant with legacy Touche Ross, specialising in audit, taxation and financial services, before joining Ernst & Young and later the Australian Stock Exchange.
2 minute read

International Edition

Stewarts lifts PEP above £1m amid US U-turn one year after launch

Stewarts Law has posted a 29% revenue rise as the litigation boutique moves to scale back its US operations barely a year after launching in the country. The closure of the firm's Delaware office and slimming down of its New York operation, in favour of seeking local alliances, will mean four lawyers will lose their jobs.
2 minute read

More from ALM

More from ALM

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

Resources

  • 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

  • How This Personal Injury Firm Reduced Client Intake Time by 80%

    Brought to you by PracticePanther

    Download Now