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  • September 12, 2013 |

    BLP launches Africa review as firm eyes new markets across closely watched continent

    Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has kicked off a review of its Africa three-year strategy with a focus on markets driven by energy, mining and infrastructure work. The firm's core Africa group, which comprises five partners in London headed up by banking disputes partner Segun Osuntokun (pictured), has already identified several key jurisdictions it wants to target, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

    1 minute read

  • August 30, 2013 |

    Aviva appoints eight firms to core panel as CC misses out in review

    Aviva has appointed eight principal firms to its UK and group legal panel, with Clifford Chance (CC) missing out on a place after a review of the insurance giant's core legal panel. Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy (A&O), Latham & Watkins, Ashurst, DLA Piper, Linklaters, Pinsent Masons and Addleshaw Goddard have won spots on the new line-up, following a competitive tender process which began in April.

    1 minute read

  • August 30, 2013 |

    Pillsbury boosts London office with five-lawyer Gowlings IP team

    Pillsbury has hired a five-strong London intellectual property (IP) team from Canadian firm Gowlings, including two partners. James Tumbridge and Paul Harris join the US firm's London office alongside associates Katerina Mikheev and Robert Peake and Dr Ashley Roughton, formerly an intellectual property and data protection barrister at Hogarth Chambers, who joins Pillsbury as special counsel.

    1 minute read

  • August 29, 2013 |

    Pinsents, Hill Dicks lead as Crabbie's strikes deal to back Grand National

    Pinsent Masons and Hill Dickinson have advised on a deal which has seen alcoholic ginger beer maker Crabbie's become the new sponsor of the Grand National. The deal, which spans three years, will see the race will offer £1m in prize money for the first time.

    1 minute read

  • August 27, 2013 |

    Transfer Window Asia: recent moves including Ashurst and Simmons

    Ropes & Gray has added to its corporate practice in Seoul with the hire of counsel Jaewoo Lee from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Lee, who joins the US firm as a partner, will initially be based out of New York and Hong Kong but will relocate to Ropes and Gray's Seoul office when his license to practice in the North Asian state is approved.

    1 minute read

  • August 21, 2013 |

    Slater & Gordon takes over personal injury law firm Fentons in £32.5m deal

    Slater & Gordon has announced a 37% increase in global revenues alongside the £32.5m acquisition of UK personal injury law firm Fentons Solicitors. The fast-growing Australian firm, which in 2007 became the world's first publicly listed law firm, saw revenue grow 36.7% to A$297.6m (£171.2m) in 2012-13, while net profit after tax was up 67.6% to A$41.9m (£24.1m).

    1 minute read

  • August 7, 2013 |

    K&L Gates adds Singapore partner duo with White & Case and Watson Farley hires

    K&L Gates has become the latest firm to bolster its M&A and energy teams in Singapore, with the addition of two new partners. The US firm has recruited White & Case energy specialist Lian Yok Tan to advise on project finance, corporate and commercial matters related to large oil and gas deals, whilst corporate practitioner Nicholas Hanna from Watson Farley & Williams has been appointed to work on private equity transactions and capital raising.

    1 minute read

  • August 2, 2013 |

    Client demand and intense competition set the agenda as law firm leaders look back on another difficult year

    "This is a rapidly changing market and you cannot afford to stick to one formula. You have to be responsive..." Emerging markets provide source of comfort as law firm leaders lament patchy deal flow...

    1 minute read

  • August 1, 2013 |

    Mergers fuel growth in domestic market as national firms outpace top 50 rivals

    Nationally represented law firms have once again outpaced their City counterparts as consolidation among mid-tier firms continues to drive growth. Mergers and acquisitions involving top 50 firms across the UK helped push average revenue growth up to 12.3%, well ahead of the average growth of 6.9% for the top 50 as a whole and also up on last year's average growth of 9.4% for the same group. Expansive DWF posted by far the biggest increase as revenues climbed 84.5% to £188.2m, following a transformative year which included a string of mergers, most notably the February acquisition of Cobbetts – catapulting the firm 15 places up the UK top 50 to 18th.

    1 minute read

  • August 1, 2013 |

    Partner numbers across top 50 grow 7% as equity partner ranks see more modest rise

    Partner numbers across the UK top 50 have grown almost 7% this year, as a number of significant mergers continue to drive headcount growth at leading law firms. Across the 2012-13 financial year there were an average of 10,115 partners working at the top 50 firms, up 6.9% from 9,458 the previous year. Following a spate of mergers, DWF saw the largest growth in partner numbers across the group, leaping from 152 to 285 over the year as a result of tie-ups with Biggart Baillie, Fishburns and Buller Jeffries as well as taking on a number of partners from now defunct Cobbetts.

    1 minute read