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  • February 16, 2012 |

    Hong Kong lawyers remain vexed by LLP issue as sticking points linger over reform

    Hong Kong is continuing to grapple with the issue of limited liability partnerships (LLPs), with new proposals for regulatory reform discussed at a packed local Law Society meeting earlier this week (13 February). Under current regulations, Hong Kong partnerships must be isolated from global law firms' LLPs, and the Hong Kong Department of Justice (DoJ) has long signalled its intention to bring local liability laws in line with international rules, potentially allowing worldwide integration of legal networks.

    1 minute read

  • February 9, 2012 |

    Pinsents and McGrigors confirm management roles for merged firm's May launch

    The McGrigors brand name is to disappear from the UK legal market when the Scots law firm formally ties up with national practice Pinsent Masons later this year. The two firms confirmed their merger earlier this week (6 February) following a vote by both partnerships, paving the way for the largest UK tie-up since Clyde & Co joined forces with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert in November last year.

    1 minute read

  • February 9, 2012 |

    Technology feeds client demands but overload affects partner productivity

    City partners say managing the rising tide of modern communication hinders how effectively they work, but extol the benefits of improved technology for boosting flexibility...

    1 minute read

  • February 6, 2012 |

    Pinsents and McGrigors confirm merger under Pinsent Masons brand

    Pinsent Masons and McGrigors are set to merge on 1 May, with the combined firm to operate under the Pinsents banner. Partners at both firms approved the union in a vote which closed on Friday (3 February), paving the way for the creation of a firm with combined revenues of around £282m.

    1 minute read

  • February 2, 2012 |

    McGrigors partners to begin voting over Pinsents merger deal

    McGrigors partners are set to vote tomorrow (3 February) on the firm's proposed merger with Pinsent Masons. Voting will open tomorrow morning at the Scottish firm after the pair confirmed last month that they were in discussions about a union that, if confirmed, would create a firm just outside the UK top 10 with combined revenues of around £282m.

    1 minute read

  • February 2, 2012 |

    Dundas set to launch new office in Aberdeen

    Dundas & Wilson is to open an Aberdeen office led by senior corporate partners Douglas Crawford and David Davidson. The Scottish firm already has bases in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London housing a total of 82 partners and 369 fee earners.

    1 minute read

  • January 27, 2012 |

    Court strikes out part of £10m negligence claim against Pinsents

    Pinsent Masons has successfully won part of its bid to overturn a £10m negligence claim brought against the firm by former client, Shepherd Construction. The firm applied to strike out parts of Shepherd's claim relating to the firm's advice, with the company arguing Pinsents had a continuing duty to advise it of changes in the law.

    1 minute read

  • January 26, 2012 |

    Top 50 union promises shuffle upwards for national duo but no end game for Pinsents

    Georgina Stanley and Rose Orlik ask if the looming McGrigors merger can help Pinsents achieve its larger goals...

    1 minute read

  • January 26, 2012 |

    Government legal spend drops 36% amid austerity cutbacks

    Government legal spend through its central panel of external advisers fell by more than a third last year, with the findings coming as a long-awaited review of the roster kicked off in earnest earlier this month. Figures released by the Government Procurement Service, following a Freedom of Information Act request from Legal Week, show the panel handing out a total of £28.8m to the current 48-firm roster during 2010-11, 36% down on the record figure of £44.8m spent during the previous year.

    1 minute read

  • January 26, 2012 |

    Reverberations and revolutions - change grips the market as 'Tesco law' finally launches

    More than eight years since plans for sweeping reform of the UK's £25bn legal services market were first floated, the most radical phase of 'Tesco law' starts this month. Sofia Lind finds the looming revolution already having a profound impact on the profession

    1 minute read