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  • November 10, 2010 |

    Half-year financial results show UK leaders edging back to growth mode

    Many of the UK's leading law firms are on course to report increases in revenue over the first half of 2010-11, as the economic recovery continues to gather pace. Allen & Overy (A&O) kicked off the reporting season on Monday (8 November), posting a 3% growth in revenues for the six months ending 31 October.

    1 minute read

  • November 9, 2010 |

    Clydes expands New Jersey arm with hire of partner trio

    Clyde & Co has grown its New Jersey arm with the hire of three litigation partners from local firm Connell Foley. Bryan Couch, Jeff O'Hara and Matthew Bauer, all of whom are litigators with a focus on insurance, joined the firm last month, taking the number of partners in the office to five.

    1 minute read

  • October 26, 2010 |

    Insurance giant Axa kicks off panel review in effort to drive down costs

    French insurer Axa has kicked off its latest panel review, with the overhaul coming as group general counsel George Stansfield takes up an additional role as head of human resources (HR). The Paris-led tender process, which started earlier this month, is the first comprehensive review of the insurer's legal advisers since May 2009, when Axa named at least 11 firms to its panel, including Clifford Chance (CC) and Norton Rose.

    1 minute read

  • October 13, 2010 |

    Top names ready to battle for honours at 2010 British Legal Awards

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hogan Lovells and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) are among the firms shortlisted for a number of categories in the 2010 British Legal Awards. The group has been nominated for the much sought after Law Firm of the Year award alongside Clyde & Co, Sullivan & Cromwell and Travers Smith.

    1 minute read

  • October 13, 2010 |

    Clydes makes trio of senior hires in the City

    Clyde & Co has continued its expansion drive with a trio of hires for its City base. The firm has boosted its structured finance team with the hire of Chris Sykes from Osborne Clarke, while Robert Franklin joins from legacy Denton Wilde Sapte as a senior consultant. Both were partners at their previous firms.

    1 minute read

  • October 6, 2010 |

    Chancery and commercial Bar: Stars at the Bar

    The future of the Bar always sparks a fiery debate, and never more so than now, with the Legal Services Act (LSA) opening up new opportunities set to reshape the future of the legal profession. The upcoming changes have split lawyers into two camps: there are those who see it as a dying profession, with barristers unable and unwilling to change, and others who see the Bar as a vital part of our legal system going forward, which is opening up to modern practices.

    1 minute read

  • October 6, 2010 |

    Low-balling now common - but many think firms offer poor value for money

    Nearly nine out of 10 law firms are habitually offering discounts on their headline billing rates according to new research, which casts doubt on the value for money offered by commercial law firms. The latest Big Question poll of partners found that 88% of firms are typically offering discounts on their headline rates, with 42% usually discounting by 5%-10%, while just over a third usually cut rates by 10%-20%. One in 10 respondents said that their firms were regularly discounting headline rates by 20%-30% while 12% said their firms generally avoided discounting.

    1 minute read

  • September 24, 2010 |

    Brazil Bar rules against associations with foreign law firms

    International law firms with Brazilian alliances look set to come under renewed regulatory pressure after the Sao Paulo Bar Association this month concluded that formal tie-ups breach local practice rules. The recent opinion from the Sao Paulo Bar (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil - Secao de Sao Paulo) illustrates the mounting tension over the recent influx of foreign law firms into Brazil's fast-growing market. Though the decision by the ethical and disciplinary tribunal of the Sao Paulo Bar is only advisory, it is regarded as giving an indication as to which way a ruling would go if a case were to be pursued against one of the foreign firms operating in Brazil in alliance with a local firm.

    1 minute read

  • September 22, 2010 |

    Latin America: Tomorrow's country today

    From the dark days of the 1980s, a newly-confident Brazil has emerged. Alex Aldridge reports on one of the most hotly-tipped emerging economies and the lawyers scrambling to keep up

    1 minute read

  • September 1, 2010 |

    Five firms win panel roles as Dubai hotels group cuts back legal roster

    Jumeirah Group has announced its new global legal panel, with five firms appointed to the Dubai hotel chain's streamlined roster. Herbert Smith and Weil Gotshal & Manges have won places on the panel following a pitch process, with Clyde & Co, Mayer Brown JSM and Pinsent Masons all reappointed. Jumeirah has chosen to cut back on the number of firms it uses after setting up its first-ever global panel in 2008, which saw six firms appointed to its main roster of advisers, alongside a further six advising on specialist areas or in specific jurisdictions.

    1 minute read