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  • March 26, 2009 |

    Editor's comment: A smaller round

    Here's a safe bet as the annual partnership season creaks into gear: this year will offer even more conclusive proof than usual that the economy is a major determiner of partnership decisions at corporate law firms. And firms will once again publicly pretend it isn't. This denial will come despite what will be a clear pattern among the new promotions. The numbers of new partners made will generally be down on 2008, transactional promotions will be far less common than normal and internationally-focused firms will be particularly slow to make up partners in London (some promotions will be linked to working abroad). For related reasons, there will be more restructuring and litigation promotions. Consider the partner promotions unveiled already, with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Addleshaw Goddard, Halliwells and Ince & Co between them covering much of the widely-differing constituencies that make up the UK top 50. Aside from the insurance-driven Ince, all promotions are down, sharply so in the case of Freshfields, which this year made up 14 partners against 25 in 2008. The fall in Freshfields' promotions was striking in London where only two partners received the nod - against 10 the previous year.

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  • March 24, 2009 |

    Trowers promotions round sees seven made up

    Trowers & Hamlins has become the latest firm to make its partner promotions, bolstering its global partnership by seven. Amy Shaw, Suzanne Benson, Kyle Holling, Rebecca Rees, Charles Wilson, Bill Jeffries and Guy Danalis have all been promoted to partner effective as of 1 April, bringing the firm's global partnership to 117.Of the UK promotions, social housing partners Shaw and Holling, projects and construction partner Rees and corporate partner Wilson all join the firm's London base, while Benson joins the firm's Manchester social housing team.

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  • March 23, 2009 |

    - 2009 Partnership Round: a Legal Week Wiki special -

    Welcome to Legal Week's 2009 partner promotions round-up. Here you'll find all the latest news stories about partner promotions gathered in one place, as well as links to relevant blog entries and any other bits and pieces we think might be of interest.

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  • March 18, 2009 |

    Addleshaws makes up seven in partner promotions round

    Addleshaw Goddard has become the first top 20 law firm to announce its new partner promotions, with the national leader making up seven lawyers to its partnership. The appointments, which are effective from 1 May, see the firm's contentious, construction and employment practices gain two partners apiece while the infrastructure, projects and energy group gains one. No-one is being promoted to the partnership from the corporate practice. The promotions are spread across the firm's three UK bases, with Manchester and Leeds gaining two partners each and the City arm gaining three.

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  • March 12, 2009 |

    Addleshaws closes door on equity promotions

    Addleshaw Goddard has closed its equity to internal promotions for the year in response to market conditions. No partners will be promoted from the firm's salaried ranks to the equity in 2009, in what is thought to be one of the first instances of a firm taking this action in response to the recession.The firm normally promotes partners into the equity in around May. It added five partners to the rank last year.

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  • March 12, 2009 |

    BLG replaces Dickinson Dees on Carillion panel

    Addleshaw Goddard, Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and Kennedys have all won spots on support services and construction company Carillion's new legal panel. Addleshaws has been appointed to advise on private finance matters, with Barlows brought in for construction advice and Kennedys for insurance matters. Kennedys' appointment comes after the firm's insurance team moved over from DLA Piper last year.

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  • March 9, 2009 |

    Pannone rated top employer as Links drops out

    Manchester-based law firm Pannone has once again been rated as the best legal employer in The Sunday Times' 100 Best Companies To Work For survey, while City giant Linklaters has dropped out of this year's list. Pannone moved up to third in this year's overall rankings, marking the sixth consecutive year the firm has been rated among the UK's top 10 employers. The survey praised Pannone for its realistic attitude to work/life balance, with 78% of employees saying they were happy with the provisions the firm offered.Eleven law firms in total have made it onto this year's list - the same amount as last year, but with a number of changes. City firm Lewis Silkin was the highest new entry, coming in at 19, while CMS Cameron McKenna re-entered at 74 and Charles Russell (92) was included in the list for the first time.

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  • March 4, 2009 |

    Four London firms take legal panel roles for pan-European data business

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Ashurst, Addleshaw Goddard and Lovells have won spots on data centre operator TelecityGroup's first legal panel. The firms were all appointed to the FTSE 250 company's main legal roster earlier this year after a competitive tender process. The appointments will see Freshfields advising the company on high value corporate finance matters, Lovells providing general corporate, commercial and M&A advice, and Ashurst and Addleshaws advising on employment issues and debt advisory matters respectively.

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  • March 4, 2009 |

    National trio step into advisory roles on shoe retailer buyout

    Walker Morris, Addleshaw Goddard and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) have won major roles on shoe retailer Stylo's administration and subsequent buyout.Walker Morris chairman Peter Smart advised the founders of the Stylo group, the Ziff family, on the buyout of 160 stores including brands Barratts and PriceLess.The sale of the business came after the group went into administration last month (18 February) following a failed attempt to restructure Stylo's debt. Stylo's main subsidiaries, Barratts and PriceLess, went into administration at the beginning of the year.

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  • March 4, 2009 |

    Hammonds finalises settlement in profits dispute

    Hammonds' has reached a settlement with seven out of eight former partners involved in its long-running profits dispute, it was announced today (4 March). Marija Danilunas, John Deacon, Mark Hilton, Jonathan Hosie, Simon Palmer, Martin Thomas and Stephen Tupper, have all settled their dispute, leaving only David Jones to reach an agreement. All seven of the partners settling were represented by Addleshaw Goddard litigation partner Pietro Marino.

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