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  • December 21, 2009 |

    Training and education: All tied up

    The last few years have seen the College of Law, BPP Law School and, to a lesser extent, Kaplan Law School jostle with each other to secure tie-ups with the top law firms. In the main, firms have been receptive to their advances, with the result being that the vast majority of UK top 20 law firms - and many top 50 firms and US firms with London offices - now have arrangements in place to send their future trainees to study the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC) exclusively with a certain course provider.

    1 minute read

  • December 21, 2009 |

    Mayer Brown and Latham lead on $8.5m Ernst & Young settlement

    Mayer Brown and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have taken roles advising Ernst & Young (E&Y) in settlement talks with regulators over the accounting firm's failure to report fraudulent activity at one of its clients, reports The Am Law Daily. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had accused E&Y of issuing unqualified audit opinions that said that Chicago-based company Bally Total Fitness's 2001 and 2003 financial statements conformed with US accounting rules.

    1 minute read

  • December 17, 2009 |

    Mayer Brown leads on GM sale of Saab assets to Chinese company

    Mayer Brown has taken the lead role for Beijing Automotive Industry Holding (BAIC) on the purchase of Saab assets and intellectual property rights from General Motors. The deal, valued at SEK1.4bn (£119m), could stave off bankruptcy for Swedish car maker Saab while GM continues to search for a buyer, following the failed takeover attempt by Swedish car maker Koenigsegg in the autumn.

    1 minute read

  • December 17, 2009 |

    Mayer Brown to cut City jobs with associates and partners set to leave

    Mayer Brown has launched a redundancy consultation which is set to affect up to eight associates in London, while four partners are also departing the firm's City office. The consultation, which began last week, will affect associates from a variety of practice areas, while the partner departures come in the firm's corporate department.

    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 13, 2009 |

    Beachcroft

    Less boring than it used to be, the national not-just-insurance firm got stuck in with a bit of restructuring last year that saw its private client team leave the building.

    1 minute read

  • December 8, 2009 |

    Greenberg expands City securities team with SJ Berwin partner hire

    Greenberg Traurig Maher (GTM) has bolstered its City headcount to 15 partners with the hire of a corporate and securities partner from SJ Berwin. Laura O'Neill will join the US firm in the New Year after four years as a partner with SJ Berwin, which she joined from Clifford Chance in 2005.

    1 minute read

  • December 8, 2009 |

    RBS solidifies legal panel with 18 firms given three-year terms

    Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has finalised a review of its legal panel, with at least 18 law firms making the grade. The bank, which kicked off a review of its external advisers in the spring, is in the process of formalising the appointments, with firms waiting for written confirmation.

    1 minute read

  • December 1, 2009 | International Edition

    Independent Law Firms in Europe: Numbers crunched

    Europe's independent firms have put expansion plans on hold, with the recession prompting fears among many managing partners that the risks of a tie-up with a like-minded firm could outweigh potential the benefits. Despite the opportunistic merger openings presented by the recession, the number of independent firms that would consider tying the knot over the coming 18 months has fallen from almost a quarter (23%) in 2008, to just 15% in 2009.

    1 minute read

  • December 1, 2009 |

    Independent Law Firms in Europe: Numbers crunched

    Europe's independent firms have put expansion plans on hold, with the recession prompting fears among many managing partners that the risks of a tie-up with a like-minded firm could outweigh potential the benefits. Despite the opportunistic merger openings presented by the recession, the number of independent firms that would consider tying the knot over the coming 18 months has fallen from almost a quarter (23%) in 2008, to just 15% in 2009.

    1 minute read