• March 5, 2012 |

    Salans posts 5% turnover hike for 2011

    Salans has unveiled its financial results for 2011, posting a 5% increase in turnover to €206.3m (£169.7m). The firm saw revenue rise 5% on the figure of €196.5m (£163.8m) posted at this time last year, while net profit fell marginally to €41.9m (£34.9m), down from the 2010 figure of €42.1m (£35.1m).

    1 minute read

  • March 5, 2012 |

    Ashfords and Rochman Landau merger forms new £30m firm

    Ashfords Solicitors has expanded its London presence through a merger with 34-lawyer firm Rochman Landau, in the latest example of consolidation in the UK legal market The tie-up, which went live last week (29 February), has seen Rochman's 50 London staff join Ashfords, giving the combined firm a total headcount of more than 450 staff in six offices across the south of England.

    1 minute read

  • March 1, 2012 |

    Quartet of firms appointed to Southbank Centre legal panels

    Herbert Smith, Pinsent Masons, Eversheds and Farrer & Co have won places on the Southbank Centre's first legal panels, which cover property and planning work; employment and pensions; and commercial and other legal services.

    1 minute read

  • February 16, 2012 |

    Charles Russell hires employment partner from Pinsents

    Charles Russell has bulked up its employment and pensions team with the hire of Pinsent Masons employment partner Robert Mecrate-Butcher. Mecrate-Butcher, who joined Pinsents in 2007, works across both contentious and non-contentious employment law, with a particular focus on advising clients in the insurance and banking sectors. He specialises in TUPE advice, with his practice also 
covering diversity and equality issues, executive departures and the enforcement of restrictive covenants. The hire takes the combined employment and pensions group to 11 partners.

    1 minute read

  • 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