• June 12, 2008 |

    Hammonds chief faces legal threat as partner row grows

    Hammonds managing partner Peter Crossley could be dragged into the firm's high-profile dispute with a group of ex-partners. Seven of the former partners involved in the dispute - which centres on the repayment of profits - issued an application last month to involve Crossley and former senior partner Richard Burns in proceedings.

    1 minute read

  • June 12, 2008 |

    Nabarro, DLA set new pay standard for associates

    Nabarro and DLA Piper have both announced their associate salary rates for the year, with regional offices at both firms seeing the biggest boost. From September, newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers at Nabarro's City arm will earn £64,000 - an increase of around 2.5% from the current rate of £62,500. NQs in Sheffield will see an 8.5% increase from the same date - taking pay from £37,720 to £41,000.

    1 minute read

  • June 5, 2008 |

    Relief for US LLPs as Government rejects accounts disclosure plan

    US law firms in London have narrowly escaped having to disclose their financial results after the UK Government backed out of proposals to push overseas limited liability partnerships (LLPs) operating in the City for greater openness. Results of a consultation by the Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) looking into the application of the Companies Act for LLPs reveal that the Government is no longer planning to extend the Act to overseas LLPs.

    1 minute read

  • June 1, 2008 |

    Only Links boosts FTSE 100 clients in Q2

    Linklaters was the only City firm to increase its FTSE 100 client tally over the last quarter, according to the latest quarterly rankings from Hemscott. The firm gained two FTSE 100 clients over the quarter running from 6 Feb to 9 May, taking its tally to 21 with a market cap of £588bn. The firm's position was bolstered through the listing of Kazakhstan mining company Kazakhmys and Tate & Lyle and Alliance Trust, which entered the FTSE 100 over the quarter.

    1 minute read

  • May 29, 2008 |

    Addleshaws records double-digit turnover hike

    National heavyweight Addleshaw Goddard is the latest firm to post solid financial results with the top 20 law firm seeing an 11% increase in turnover. The growth takes the firm's turnover figure up from £176.7m for 2006-07 to a new high of £195.4m

    1 minute read

  • May 29, 2008 |

    Cobbetts faces threat of major fraud payout

    The threat of Cobbetts becoming liable to pay out for a fellow defendant in a major fraud and negligence case became more pressing this month after the defendant, property surveyor Dunlop Haywards, went into liquidation. The firm could see its liability increase if lenders look to recover money and find Dunlop Haywards, which had a winding-up order made against it on 12 May, is unable to pay out on the fraud claim.

    1 minute read

  • May 22, 2008 |

    Radical Addleshaws venture to offer 'cost-free' litigation

    Addleshaw Goddard is rolling out a groundbreaking funding package for disputes, which could effectively introduce cost-free litigation for clients. The firm launched a scheme last week (16 May) that will see it assess all new and existing litigation cases to see if they can be carried out using a method of external funding.

    1 minute read

  • May 22, 2008 |

    Partnership round reveals gender equality gap

    Female associates continue to lag far behind their male counterparts when it comes to partnership prospects, with women representing less than a third of this year's new partner promotions. Only 27% of the total number of new partner promotions across the top 50 were female this year - amounting to 161 new female partners compared to 424 male partners. On average women made up only 29% of each firm's new partner promotions, with this figure falling further still at a number of firms.

    1 minute read

  • May 20, 2008 |

    2008 Assistant Pay League: a Legal Week Wiki special

    Who pays what and how. Your A-Z guide to the pay scales at the top UK and US firms.

    1 minute read

  • May 15, 2008 | International Edition

    Performance scrutinised as attrition rates fall

    City firms are set to take a tougher line on associate performance as they try to counteract falling staff turnover brought about by the uncertain economic climate. Partners are predicting falls in staff churn over the coming year with many typical destinations for associates - such as investment banks - freezing recruitment and associates more wary about moving.

    1 minute read