• August 3, 2011 |

    The great game – can British firms retain their upper hand in Hong Kong?

    Though Hong Kong formally reverted to Chinese rule 14 years ago, it often feels as if the British are still in charge. Place names like Victoria Peak and Queen's Road remain unchanged and expatriates from Essex and Kent continue to throng the bars of Lan Kwai Fong. Pub favourites are as easily available as dim sum.

    1 minute read

  • August 3, 2011 |

    Stephenson Harwood adds City corporate funds partner with Simmons hire

    Stephenson Harwood has added to a partner to its City corporate funds practice with a hire from Simmons & Simmons. The firm has hired James Tinworth as a partner from Simmons, where he was a managing associate. The hire takes the total number of funds partners at Stephenson Harwood to six.

    1 minute read

  • August 3, 2011 |

    Bakers holds London associate pay levels as US firms set salary rates

    Baker & McKenzie is freezing pay for its City associates at last year's levels, with trainees the only London lawyers to see increases in salary rates. The international firm has opted to hold rates at 2010 levels, meaning newly-qualified (NQ) associates at Bakers' City arm will continue to earn £61,000. Lawyers with one year's post-qualification experience (PQE) will earn £68,000 and two and three-year PQE rates will remain at £74,000 and £82,000 respectively. Associates will progress through the pay bands as normal.

    1 minute read

  • July 27, 2011 |

    SJB funds duo exit to join Proskauer after last year's aborted merger deal

    SJ Berwin has confirmed that it is to lose two funds partners to US firm Proskauer Rose, after merger talks between the two firms were called off last year. City funds partner Nigel van Zyl has resigned to join Proskauer's London office alongside fellow partner Oliver Rochman.

    1 minute read

  • July 25, 2011 |

    Weil Gotshal to pay London NQs £97k as US firm boosts associate rates

    Weil Gotshal & Manges has raised its salary bands for City associates, with newly-qualified (NQ) London lawyers at the US firm set to receive £97,000 from September this year. The move marks an increase of 8% on last year, when NQs were paid £90,000, and a 14% increase from two years ago, when NQ salaries stood at £85,000.

    1 minute read

  • July 14, 2011 |

    Stephenson Harwood hires Weil energy head for practice push

    Stephenson Harwood has hired Weil Gotshal & Manges' London head of energy and renewables Andrew McLean, who will transfer to the top 30 UK law firm in September. The corporate partner helped establish Weil Gotshal's consumer and financial services practice in Europe when he joined as a partner 11 years ago from Clifford Chance, where he had been an associate. He specialises in commercial contracts, private company M&A and joint ventures.

    1 minute read

  • July 13, 2011 | International Edition

    Partner exits – if you've got to go, don't go quite yet

    On the face of it there are very few parallels between Clifford Chance (CC) and SNR Denton right now, with CC's average profits per equity partner standing around the £1m mark, while those at legacy Dentons lag behind its City peers at just £232,000. But in one respect the pair are taking a very similar approach, with both firms currently planning to hold some of their exiting partners to all, or most, of their notice periods.

    1 minute read

  • July 13, 2011 |

    Stephenson Harwood hires Weil energy head for practice push

    Stephenson Harwood has hired Weil Gotshal & Manges' London head of energy and renewables Andrew McLean, who will transfer to the top 30 UK law firm in September. The corporate partner helped establish Weil Gotshal's consumer and financial services practice in Europe when he joined as a partner 11 years ago from Clifford Chance, where he had been an associate. He specialises in commercial contracts, private company M&A and joint ventures.

    1 minute read

  • July 13, 2011 |

    Partner exits – if you've got to go, don't go quite yet

    On the face of it there are very few parallels between Clifford Chance (CC) and SNR Denton right now, with CC's average profits per equity partner standing around the £1m mark, while those at legacy Dentons lag behind its City peers at just £232,000. But in one respect the pair are taking a very similar approach, with both firms currently planning to hold some of their exiting partners to all, or most, of their notice periods.

    1 minute read

  • July 13, 2011 |

    Aviva set to launch European panel as new GC joins from GE

    Aviva is set to put together an inaugural European legal panel after hiring GE Capital's Monica Risam as the global insurer's first European general counsel. Risam, the former global GC of GE Capital's Working Capital Solutions division, joined Aviva's London headquarters last month to take up the newly-created role.

    1 minute read