• December 21, 2007 |

    Mayer Brown in Johnson Stokes Asia merger

    Mayer Brown is to merge with leading Hong Kong firm Johnson Stokes & Master. The deal, which will complete on 28 January, will dramatically increase the Anglo US firm's presence in Asia, handing it a seven-office network with more than 260 lawyers and a turnover of $160m (£80.5m).Talks between the two firms began four months ago after Johnson Stokes approached Mayer Brown. Johnson Stokes' 41 equity partners voted through the merger unanimously two days ago (26 January).Under the terms of the deal, Mayer Brown will practise as Mayer Brown JSM in Asia.

    1 minute read

  • December 12, 2007 |

    Stephenson Harwood in employment partner hire

    Stephenson Harwood has bagged Fox Williams partner Anne Pritam to boost its employment practice.

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  • December 12, 2007 |

    Germany: Car share

    On 23 October this year, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) declared that the Volkswagen Act was not in line with European law, a decision which ratified an investigation initiated by the European Commission against the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 2003. This decision, however, was not entirely unexpected as there had been previous benchmark decisions by the ECJ in other member states of the European Union that declared similar provisions to be void.

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  • December 7, 2007 | International Edition

    Reed Smith promotes 31 but just three in City

    Reed Smith Richards Butler has announced its latest round of partner promotions, with 31 new partners made up around the world - although just three come in the City. The promotions, which take effect from 1 January, 2008, see lawyers made up in 12 of the transatlantic firm's 21 offices. In London, the new partners are James Wilson (corporate), Thomas Ince (employment) and Emma Lenthall (litigation).

    1 minute read

  • December 7, 2007 |

    Reed Smith promotes 31 but just three in City

    Reed Smith Richards Butler has announced its latest round of partner promotions, with 31 new partners made up around the world - although just three come in the City. The promotions, which take effect from 1 January, 2008, see lawyers made up in 12 of the transatlantic firm's 21 offices. In London, the new partners are James Wilson (corporate), Thomas Ince (employment) and Emma Lenthall (litigation).

    1 minute read

  • November 26, 2007 |

    Google UK search ends with Expedia's Edwards

    Internet giant Google has appointed its first-ever UK head of legal, with the European general counsel of holiday company Expedia, Luisa Edwards, named in the high-profile role. Edwards takes up her new post on 3 December and will report in to Google's European legal chief, Nigel Jones. She will be based in Google's UK offices in central London and will be tasked with building the online giant's domestic legal team.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2007 |

    Reed Smith adds to Dubai with ex-GC hire

    Reed Smith Richards Butler has appointed construction giant Dubai World's general counsel, Sahia Ahmad, as a partner in its Dubai Office. Former Allen & Overy corporate lawyer Ahmad is the latest United Arab Emirates appointment for the US firm, which recruited three associates to its Abu Dhabi office from Simmons & Simmons in August and is looking to further develop its Islamic finance practice in the region with further hires.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2007 |

    DLA Piper hits top spot in NLJ league of largest firms in US

    DLA Piper has overtaken Baker & McKenzie as the largest law firm in the US, according to research by Legal Week's US sister title, The National Law Journal (NLJ), which shows the top 250 US law firms have grown headcount by 5.6% in the past year.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2007 |

    Financial services: Boiling over

    Boiler rooms are illegal offices which seek out consumers through unsolicited phone calls or circulars, promoting and selling overpriced, non-existent or non-tradeable shares. The boiler rooms then often vanish, leaving investors reeling from financial losses and owning shares which have little or no value to them. Boiler rooms are mainly based overseas, therefore the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has generally not been able to shut them down directly.

    1 minute read

  • November 14, 2007 |

    Reed Smith holds back partner pay for legacy firm's non-equity rank

    Legacy Richards Butler salaried partners are to have 20% of their annual pay held back at the start of next year, as part of a package of measures designed to tie them into the firm and bill more quickly.

    1 minute read