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  • March 2, 2011 |

    HSBC adds quartet of US law firms to knowledge-sharing venture

    Banking giant HSBC has added four US firms to its knowledge-sharing venture in a bid to improve its understanding of the US legal market. White & Case, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Wilmer Hale and New York State law firm Phillips Lytle have been added to the bank's in-house SmartSearch database - taking the roster of firms sharing their know-how with the bank to 17.

    1 minute read

  • March 1, 2011 |

    SNR Denton leads on UK company's deal to develop airships for US military

    SNR Denton has taken a lead role advising on a $517m (£319m) contract that will see a UK company develop zeppelin-style airships for the US military. The transatlantic firm advised UK-based specialist air technology company Hybrid Air Vehicles on a contract with the US military to develop the state-of-the-art hybrid airships, which are the size of football fields.

    1 minute read

  • March 1, 2011 |

    US invaders back on the offensive

    The number of partner promotions in the City offices of US law firms is on track to exceed last year's tally, with 33 new partners made up in London in 2011 so far out of a global promotions total of 382. Legal Week's annual survey of US firms' lateral partner hiring and internal appointments found there have been only five fewer partner promotions in London so far this year than in the whole of 2010.

    1 minute read

  • February 28, 2011 |

    SNR Denton's Morris steps down as co-chief exec to take integration role

    SNR Denton co-chief executive Howard Morris has stepped down from his leadership role to focus on integration at the newly-merged transatlantic firm. His decision, which takes effect immediately, will see the Washington DC-based Elliott Portnoy become the firm's sole chief executive. The pair have co-managed the firm since the merger between legacy US firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal and legacy Denton Wilde Sapte went live on 30 September last year.

    1 minute read

  • February 25, 2011 |

    SNR Denton adds 10 firms to Africa network

    SNR Denton has almost doubled the size of its network in Africa by signing up 10 new associate firms, increasing its presence on the continent to 21 countries. The firm announced on Wednesday (23 February) that it had formalised new associations in Angola, Botswana, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia and Sao Tome and Principe.

    1 minute read

  • February 22, 2011 |

    Gide and Salans - the French empires

    Gide Loyrette Nouel is the pinot noir of law firms. The most exquisite of wine grapes, pinot grows in small quantities in many regions around the world and sometimes fails to flourish - but always thrives best in its native France. With 19 offices, Gide is one of only two firms with French roots and international ambitions. About half of its approximately 650 lawyers are based in France and half abroad, mostly practising civil law for French clients. As Samantha Campbell, the firm's Vietnam practice leader, notes: "If you want a French cultural connection and an international experience, then Gide is the only choice."

    1 minute read

  • February 11, 2011 |

    Dentons accounts show partnership shrank 15% in year before US tie-up

    Denton Wilde Sapte saw partner headcount fall by 15% in the last full financial year before its US merger, the firm's limited liability partnership (LLP) filings have revealed. The accounts show that Dentons' partnership shrank by 21 during 2009-10, from 159 to 138, alongside an 11% decrease in total staff numbers. SNR Denton co-chairman Howard Morris said that some of the departures had come in light of partnership restructuring, but that natural attrition had also been a factor behind the decrease.

    1 minute read

  • February 11, 2011 |

    DLA and the minimum spend: an investigation (sort of)

    So this is an interesting one for any client. Legal Week reports that DLA Piper is going to introduce minimum billing requirements which new clients must agree to before DLA will agree to act for them. On the face of it, extraordinary, and a bit of a client care own goal. And if that's the approach DLA is taking with new clients, how long before a similar rule is introduced for existing clients? There's a touch of the supermodel "won't get out of bed for less than" mentality about it.

    1 minute read

  • February 9, 2011 |

    Norton Rose seals hire of Nabarro City real estate finance partner

    Norton Rose is set to make a lateral hire in London with the addition of a real estate finance partner from Nabarro. Duncan Hubbard will join Norton Rose's banking practice later this month (21 February). Formerly a lawyer at Ashurst, Hubbard has been a partner in the banking, finance and restructuring team at Nabarro since 2005.

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2011 |

    A&O Belfast 'near shoring' deal shakes up template for reforming back-office functions

    Allen & Overy (A&O) hopes to set a precedent for law firm offshoring with its plans to launch a 300-strong support centre in Belfast. While the firm is not the first to relocate support staff to lower-cost locations, it has taken a different tack to its rivals. A&O's decision means it avoids going as far as Clifford Chance, which has a service centre in India, or CMS Cameron McKenna, which is to outsource virtually its entire back office, but goes further than the likes of Linklaters, which has a small support office in Colchester.

    1 minute read