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  • February 15, 2011 |

    SRA restructuring set to see total staff numbers cut by 13%

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced an organisational restructuring which will see total staff numbers cut by 13%. Under the proposals, the SRA will have around 560 staff in post by the end of the year, compared with the current workforce of 640, with staff informed of the news at briefings given by the regulator's senior management team yesterday (14 February). The numbers refer to full-time equivalent roles. The body said the overhaul comes in preparation for the introduction of outcomes-focused regulation and the licensing of Alternative Business Structures, due to come into effect from 6 October this year.

    1 minute read

  • February 9, 2011 |

    Pinsents signs up to exclusive joint venture with new China boutique

    Pinsent Masons has become one of the first leading UK law firms to enter into an exclusive joint venture in China, tying up with newly-created boutique Beijing Hesen Law Firm. The national law firm will formally expand its presence in China next week through the alliance with Beijing Hesen, a spin-off from Qingdao's DeHeng law firm.

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2011 | International Edition

    The Bribery Act delayed: a victory that will soon pass

    The Ministry of Justice may have pushed back the implementation of the Bribery Act after an intense period of industry lobbying, but companies shouldn't sit back and look forward to their next corporate jolly just yet. The message from advisers is clear: the delay in publishing the guidelines is just that - a delay. Despite the protests, the best companies should expect from the Government is clarification and further guidance - not the substantive overhaul in the law some businesses may have been longing for. "It's inconceivable that it will come into law in any fundamentally different way," says Pinsent Masons partner and co-author of thebriberyact.com, Barry Vitou. "The UK has been subjected to widespread, justified international criticism that our existing patchwork of anti-bribery laws aren't fit for purpose. The US already thinks nothing of prosecuting overseas businesses and if our laws don't change, they'll just do it for us."

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2011 |

    The Bribery Act delayed: a victory that will soon pass

    The Ministry of Justice may have pushed back the implementation of the Bribery Act after an intense period of industry lobbying, but companies shouldn't sit back and look forward to their next corporate jolly just yet. The message from advisers is clear: the delay in publishing the guidelines is just that - a delay. Despite the protests, the best companies should expect from the Government is clarification and further guidance - not the substantive overhaul in the law some businesses may have been longing for. "It's inconceivable that it will come into law in any fundamentally different way," says Pinsent Masons partner and co-author of thebriberyact.com, Barry Vitou. "The UK has been subjected to widespread, justified international criticism that our existing patchwork of anti-bribery laws aren't fit for purpose. The US already thinks nothing of prosecuting overseas businesses and if our laws don't change, they'll just do it for us."

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2011 |

    LawSoc failing to gain traction with City firms but partners want to build links

    One in two commercial partners has a negative view of the Law Society while a clear majority feel Chancery Lane is of little or no relevance to City law firms. These are the key findings of Legal Week's latest Big Question survey, which found that 48% had a negative view of the work of the Law Society, including 23% that viewed its work as 'poor'. A further 30% said the body was 'OK', while 22% viewed its efforts as 'good' or 'excellent'.

    1 minute read

  • February 4, 2011 |

    Sainsbury's names firms on new panel after competitive tender

    Linklaters, SNR Denton and CMS Cameron McKenna are among 13 law firms to have been appointed to supermarket giant Sainsbury's new legal panel following a competitive tender process. Magic circle firm Linklaters has been reappointed as the company's main legal adviser and will advise Sainsbury's on a range of work.

    1 minute read

  • February 4, 2011 |

    Pinsents signs up Winston & Strawn Bootlaw bloggers for London office

    Pinsent Masons has boosted its regulatory capabilities ahead of the implementation of the Bribery Act with the hire of Winston & Strawn partner Barry Vitou. Vitou joined the UK firm's London office as a partner earlier this week from the City arm of Winston, where he headed up the regulatory and technology practice. He will work closely with Pinsents' outsourcing technology and commercial group head Clive Seddon.

    1 minute read

  • February 1, 2011 |

    Pinsents and LG strengthen London practices with one partner hire apiece

    LG and Pinsent Masons have expanded their respective partner ranks with two hires in the City. Pinsents has appointed Virginie Colaiuta as a partner in its international arbitration team in London. She joins from the Paris arm of US firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed.

    1 minute read

  • January 31, 2011 |

    Linklaters secures lead role for Carlyle on £450m buyout

    Linklaters has secured a lead corporate role for The Carlyle Group on the buyout giant's £450m acquisition of Integrated Dental Holdings (IDH). The City law firm was instructed to advise Carlyle on the acquisition of IDH from the buyout division of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Linklaters fielded a team under private equity head Ian Bagshaw, finance partner Brian Gray and competition specialist Nicole Kar.

    1 minute read

  • January 26, 2011 |

    Official figures reveal top public buyers of law

    Sixteen Government departments racked up legal fees of more than £1m each over the last three years through the panel designed to centralise Whitehall legal spend, with JobCentre Plus emerging as the biggest spender. The data, obtained by Legal Week through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows JobCentre Plus spent just under £11m in legal fees through the Government's legal services framework panel.

    1 minute read