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  • March 7, 2011 |

    Irwin Mitchell turns to Pinsent Masons for new employment head

    Irwin Mitchell has hired a partner from Pinsent Masons' London office to lead its employment practice. Tom Flanagan, who has been a partner at Pinsents since 2003, is set to join Irwin Mitchell on 19 March as head of the firm's six-partner employment team. Flanagan's contentious and non-contentious employment practice has a particular focus on the financial sector and he has experience dealing with the application and effects of TUPE in mergers, acquisitions and outsourcing across the public and private sectors. He also advises on trade union and employee consultation issues.

    1 minute read

  • March 2, 2011 |

    HSBC adds quartet of US law firms to knowledge-sharing venture

    Banking giant HSBC has added four US firms to its knowledge-sharing venture in a bid to improve its understanding of the US legal market. White & Case, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Wilmer Hale and New York State law firm Phillips Lytle have been added to the bank's in-house SmartSearch database - taking the roster of firms sharing their know-how with the bank to 17.

    1 minute read

  • March 1, 2011 |

    CC tops 11 law firms included in annual Superbrands rankings

    Clifford Chance (CC) has overtaken Eversheds as the top-ranked law firm in the annual Superbrands index of UK business brands. The firm placed 184th in the rankings, four places higher than magic circle rival Linklaters (188), and 16 places higher than last year's best-placed law firm, Eversheds (200).

    1 minute read

  • February 22, 2011 |

    Gide and Salans - the French empires

    Gide Loyrette Nouel is the pinot noir of law firms. The most exquisite of wine grapes, pinot grows in small quantities in many regions around the world and sometimes fails to flourish - but always thrives best in its native France. With 19 offices, Gide is one of only two firms with French roots and international ambitions. About half of its approximately 650 lawyers are based in France and half abroad, mostly practising civil law for French clients. As Samantha Campbell, the firm's Vietnam practice leader, notes: "If you want a French cultural connection and an international experience, then Gide is the only choice."

    1 minute read

  • 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