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  • March 10, 2010 |

    Diversity dips at US firms as recession hits ethnic minority lawyer headcounts

    The number of ethnic minority lawyers in US firms has fallen for the first time in nine years, with large firms losing 9% of minority lawyers, according to research by Legal Week sister title The American Lawyer. The findings, based on statistics from 202 participating firms including Baker & McKenzie and Latham & Watkins, suggest that minority lawyers were disproportionately affected by job cuts at US firms over the last year.

    1 minute read

  • February 18, 2010 |

    Sidley sees revenues drop by 9% for 2009

    Sidley Austin's gross revenue fell by almost 9% in 2009 to $1.49bn (£957m), reports The Am Law Daily. However, a decline in equity partner numbers, from 332 in 2008 to 304, boosted profits per equity partner (PEP) by just over 2% to $1.46m (£938,000).

    1 minute read

  • February 17, 2010 |

    Russia and Ukraine: Standing their ground

    The ongoing turf war between Russia's independent and foreign law firms moved up a gear in 2009. Local lawyers, long resigned to sharing their market with the crowd of international firms that began arriving in droves at the end of the Soviet era, regained a little of that lost ground thanks to the economic downturn.

    1 minute read

  • February 4, 2010 |

    Bingham posts 31% increase in City revenues

    Bingham McCutchen's City arm saw revenues increase by almost a third in 2009. The London office has posted turnover of $40.8m (£25.7m) for the last calendar year, compared with $31m (£19.6m) in 2008. The 31% increase comes against marginal growth in profits per equity partner (PEP) to $1.91m (£1.2m) from last year's figure of $1.88m (£1.19m).

    1 minute read

  • January 21, 2010 |

    No more baby steps

    Nothing was ordinary about the first civil trial stemming from Pfizer's controversial epilepsy treatment, Neurontin. Both sides loudly complained about witness intimidation. Colourful plaintiffs lawyer Mark Lanier opened to the jury one day, then settled the next after an anonymous donor deposited $50,000 (£31,000) into an account for the alleged victim's daughter. And at the defence table, high-powered product liability specialists from three separate firms worked as though they were partners - and all on a flat fee basis. "It was," says Pfizer general counsel Amy Schulman, "an extraordinary victory."

    1 minute read

  • January 21, 2010 |

    BLP launches dedicated derivatives team with Linklaters hire

    Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is set to launch a standalone derivatives team with the hire of James Duncan from Linklaters. Duncan will join the City law firm as a partner in March to launch the new group after 13 years as a lawyer with Linklaters, where he is a counsel.

    1 minute read

  • January 19, 2010 |

    Bingham to launch London antitrust practice with McDermott partner hire

    Bingham McCutchen is set to launch a London antitrust practice with the hire of a McDermott Will & Emery partner in the City. Davina Garrod, who heads up McDermott's London hedge fund practice, will join Bingham in the next two months as the first European-based partner in the firm's antitrust and trade regulation practice group.

    1 minute read

  • December 13, 2009 |

    Mayer Brown

    A mid-market London firm hooked up several years ago with a decent Chicago player to create a firm with a strong focus on both sides of the Atlantic...

    1 minute read

  • December 11, 2009 |

    Sidley makes up one new City partner in 15-strong promotions round

    Sidley Austin has handed 15 lawyers partnership in its annual promotion round, with one partner made up in the top 10 US law firm's City arm. Commercial litigator Steven Pitt is the only partner Sidley has promoted outside of the US, becoming the 41st partner in its UK office. The firm's UK practice was also recently expanded by the arrival of securities partner Bart Capeci from Allen & Overy.

    1 minute read

  • December 8, 2009 |

    Young in-house lawyer of the year

    Within three years of joining BASF's legal department Helen Koerner was appointed company secretary and de facto head of legal for its northern European operations. Koerner qualified in 2001 and started out her career as a property specialist. She joined BASF's legal department in 2004 to manage its property portfolio but was soon taking on a much broader role within the company.

    1 minute read