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  • October 29, 2008 |

    SJ Berwin helps Fyffes escape EC fine

    SJ Berwin's competition team has scored a victory for banana supplier client Fyffes as an investigation by the European Commission into price fixing comes to a close. SJ Berwin competition head Stephen Kon led the case for Fyffes, which learned this month (15 October) that it has escaped a fine following a three-year cartel investigation into the banana industry.

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  • October 29, 2008 |

    Loss leaders

    The lawyers that shepherd their clients down the road to the White House do everything from renting office space to vetting television ads to navigating the complex financial regulations that govern campaigns. These attorneys get front-row seats at the conventions, but are they making any money?"I can assure you that I do this for a profit and for a living," says Jan Baran of Wiley Rein, who most recently represented Stephen Colbert in his short-lived presidential run and acted as general counsel for George Bush senior's 1988 campaign. "But it is a lot easier dealing with business clients that recognise the need for counsel, pay for it promptly, and in amounts that would make most politicians blanch."This time around, the lead lawyers for the remaining candidates seem to be doing just fine, thank you. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Robert Bauer of Perkins Coie, general counsel to the Obama campaign, brought the firm close to $800,000 (£494,000) between January 2007 and July 2008. Trevor Potter of Caplin & Drysdale, general counsel for McCain, has raked in more than $400,000 (£247,000) during the same period. (The McCain campaign has made smaller payments to Bryan Cave, Dickstein Shapiro, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Akerman Senterfitt)."We're talking about a huge amount of money spent on a lot of innovative programming and outreach efforts," Bauer says. "At that level, there is a lot for lawyers to do."Both Bauer and Potter are loyalists. Bauer has worked for Obama since 2004, and his resume is packed with work for Democratic candidates and organisations reaching back through his 30 years of practice. Potter left his old firm, Wiley Rein, in 2001 over conflicts in his defence of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform act so he could continue representing the Arizona senator. Both say they have kept up with other clients to a certain degree although, as the election looms, they have devoted themselves fully to the campaign.

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  • October 23, 2008 | International Edition

    Freshfields associate takes on corporate role

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed associate George Swan as its new operations officer for the corporate department. Swan replaces fellow associate Richard Thexton in the role. Thexton stands down after completing a six-month term.The role was created by corporate partner Mark Rawlinson as part of a series of measures he introduced when he took over as head of corporate from Tim Jones in April this year. The position currently only exists in the corporate department.

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  • October 23, 2008 |

    Freshfields associate takes on corporate role

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed associate George Swan as its new operations officer for the corporate department. Swan replaces fellow associate Richard Thexton in the role. Thexton stands down after completing a six-month term.The role was created by corporate partner Mark Rawlinson as part of a series of measures he introduced when he took over as head of corporate from Tim Jones in April this year. The position currently only exists in the corporate department.

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  • October 17, 2008 |

    More staff laid off as Heller nears closure

    Today is the last day for most of the remaining Heller Ehrman staff, reports The Recorder. Affected employees were notified by an email from the dissolution committee on Thursday morning, similar to the email sent out last Friday when at least 100 employees were laid off. While it is unclear how many employees are being laid off today, employees in the firm estimate the number to be in the hundreds. The email said that staff would receive health insurance through the end of the month, but it is unclear whether insurance for current or former employees will continue beyond that point. "The firm is devoting intense effort to negotiate a continuation of benefits, and we will keep former employees informed by postings on the firm's internet site," the email promised. The homepage of Heller Ehrman's website has been wiped clean of all but one link to a list of placement opportunities for staff and lawyers.

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  • October 16, 2008 |

    Simmons hire from local rival beefs up Netherlands corporate expertise

    Simmons & Simmons has boosted its corporate capabilities in the Netherlands after adding a partner from Dutch rival Stibbe. Michiel Wurfbain will join the City law firm's corporate group as a partner in its Amsterdam office. He previously served as a senior associate at Stibbe, joining the firm in 2000.Wurfbain's practice focuses on equity capital markets (ECM) work, including advising banks on securities offerings, private placements and initial public offerings. With his arrival, Simmons' Dutch corporate practice now comprises six partners and 18 associates across offices in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

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  • October 15, 2008 |

    Global 100: Man of the world

    They came in saris, cheongsams, and Muslim headscarves - plus the usual black tuxedos and glittering gowns. After cocktails and tapas in the marble halls of the National Art Museum of Catalonia, they streamed into a Roman amphitheatre for an intimate sit-down dinner for 400 colleagues and another 300 or so of their significant others.If Baker & McKenzie ever wanted a sideline, party planning could be just the ticket. That soiree in Barcelona last spring was just one of the frequent global shindigs that Bakers uses to unite its far-flung lawyers. This one brought together Bakers' European and Middle East partners, just a fraction of the firm's 700 partners and its approximately 3,000 associates and counsel, who hail from more than 60 countries and speak 70 languages.

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  • October 14, 2008 |

    Nottingham Law School to offer revamped LPC

    Nottingham Law School has become the first school to respond to the overhaul of the Legal Practice Course (LPC) by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) by splitting the course in two. Students that apply for the LPC from September 2009 will be able to study the compulsory and optional sections of the course at different times. The proposed changes - subject to approval by the SRA - promote flexibility and choice for students, enabling them to have a greater say over what they study and when.

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  • September 25, 2008 |

    Orrick adds to City partner count with Dentons recruit

    The London arm of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has boosted its project finance team with the hire of a partner from Denton Wilde Sapte.Elisabeth Gaunt's hire takes Orrick's London projects group to five partners, and the office to 20 partners in total. Gaunt, who joined Dentons in 1992 as a partner, has a practice focusing on the telecoms and energy sector. She has acted for clients including Nokia, Millicom International Cellular, Citi and ABN Amro in the past.Gaunt told Legal Week: "The move represents a fresh challenge for me - the global platform that the firm offers is one of the major draws for coming here."Martin Bartlam, head of Orrick's London office, said: "We are very pleased that [Gaunt] is joining us as her capability is a significant boost to the London office."The hire is Orrick's third partner-level appointment so far this year in the City. In May, Mark Fennessey joined from the London office of US rival Hunton & Williams and in February corporate veteran Hilary Winter came from Jones Day. The firm has also been actively expanding in Europe, opening in Germany through a merger with national independent Hoelters & Elsing

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  • September 25, 2008 |

    Pillsbury boosts City practice with Jones Day recruit

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has taken another step towards building up its London presence with the addition of a corporate partner from US firm rival Jones Day.James Campbell - who specialises in capital markets - is set to join the City division of the US law firm in the next few months.Campbell advises on M&A, banking and private equity matters with a particular focus on distressed debt and emerging markets.Pillsbury's London strategy aims to see the office building up in energy, finance, outsourcing, information technology (IT) and intellectual property (IP).Campbell said. "The entrepreneurial spirit that the firm encourages to problem-solving is what clients are looking for in current markets, where legal services have become more than just a commodity."He is the third partner to join the firm this year following February's double hire of finance partner Denis Petkovic from Chadbourne & Parke and IP/IT partner Rafi Azim-Khan from Wragge & Co.Pillsbury has also drafted in energy partner John Mauel to split his time between London and Houston.A further US partner, energy specialist George Borovas, is expected to head to the City from Washington DC over the next few months.Pillsbury's London office houses 19 lawyers, including six partners. But, despite having a presence in London since 1971, the firm has struggled to build a presence.

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