• February 13, 2014 | International Edition

    Reasons to be cheerful – is the LG merger a good move for Wragge & Co?

    For a law firm leader, Wragge & Co senior partner Quentin Poole is very approachable. Neither colleagues nor rivals seem to have a bad word to say about him and, as the firm's long-awaited London merger draws closer, he has more reason than ever to be cheerful. Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co may not exactly roll off the tongue, but the tie-up goes some way towards giving Wragges the London traction it has been struggling to build organically for many years. Not to mention a shiny, relatively new office in More London – albeit, an office more synonymous with merger partner Lawrence Graham's financial difficulties than anything positive. The union, which goes live in May, takes Wragges from Birmingham firm to UK player and represents a shift in its approach to the UK legal market and beyond. It's a deal that makes sense for both firms even though it does not come near to delivering the finished article.

    1 minute read

  • February 13, 2014 |

    Reasons to be cheerful – is the LG merger a good move for Wragge & Co?

    For a law firm leader, Wragge & Co senior partner Quentin Poole is very approachable. Neither colleagues nor rivals seem to have a bad word to say about him and, as the firm's long-awaited London merger draws closer, he has more reason than ever to be cheerful. Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co may not exactly roll off the tongue, but the tie-up goes some way towards giving Wragges the London traction it has been struggling to build organically for many years. Not to mention a shiny, relatively new office in More London – albeit, an office more synonymous with merger partner Lawrence Graham's financial difficulties than anything positive. The union, which goes live in May, takes Wragges from Birmingham firm to UK player and represents a shift in its approach to the UK legal market and beyond. It's a deal that makes sense for both firms even though it does not come near to delivering the finished article.

    1 minute read

  • February 13, 2014 |

    Wragges, LG on lookout for global merger following domestic tie-up

    Wragge & Co and Lawrence Graham (LG) will seek a global merger once their own tie-up goes live on 1 May. In an exclusive interview with Legal Week, Wragges senior partner Quentin Poole said a merger with an international practice or practices was on the cards. The firms are thought to be interested in the model adopted by Norton Rose Fulbright and Dentons, both of which have expanded rapidly through a series of combinations. "Both firms will be more attractive now we have a bigger proposition in the UK and we are very open minded about a global merger," said Poole.

    1 minute read

  • February 10, 2014 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright LLPs reveal 75% drop in net debt

    Norton Rose Fulbright reduced its net debt by £18.6m during the 2012-13 financial year, according to the firm's latest limited liability partnership (LLP) accounts. The report, filed with Companies House, showed that overall net debt dropped from £26.1m to £7.5m.

    1 minute read

  • February 9, 2014 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright set to pass global chair role to South African partner

    Norton Rose Fulbright is set to name South Africa chairman Sbu Gule as the new global chairman of the firm. The agreement to name a South African partner as chair was part of the merger deal between Norton Rose and legacy Deneys Reitz when the firms combined in 2011.

    1 minute read

  • February 2, 2014 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright launches global regulatory and investigations practice

    Norton Rose Fulbright has launched a global regulatory and investigations practice to help businesses navigate matters relating to risk and enforcement.

    1 minute read

  • January 30, 2014 |

    The compass points south – how do in-house legal teams in Africa rate their external advisers?

    Ian Isdale, group company secretary and general counsel of leading African food and consumer goods company Tiger Brands and immediate past president of the Corporate Lawyers Association of South Africa, is putting it mildly when he says: "There has been a heightened interest in Africa and in the next five years I don't see that interest waning." Recent years have seen a host of UK and US law firms – ranging from Norton Rose Fulbright and Linklaters to Hogan Lovells and even Slaughter and May – attempting to come up with ways to penetrate a market where activity levels have remained buoyant, despite economic challenges elsewhere in the world. So with law firms and corporates increasingly turning their attention south, Legal Week Intelligence has, for the first time, extended its flagship Client Satisfaction Report to Africa, to uncover the key trends affecting in-house legal teams in the continent and their satisfaction with external legal advisers

    1 minute read

  • January 30, 2014 |

    Vedder Price grows City aviation team with hire of Norton Rose practice head

    US firm Vedder Price has raided Norton Rose Fulbright to hire its aviation chief Neil Poland. Banking partner Poland will join Vedder Price's highly regarded transportation finance practice in London as a partner next month.

    1 minute read

  • January 27, 2014 |

    Freshfields and Barclays back Aspiring Solicitors career advice initiative

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hogan Lovells and Barclays bank are among a group of ten private practice and in-house legal teams to sponsor a free academic and careers advice service for future solicitors. Aspiring Solicitors is the creation of former Norton Rose Fulbright corporate associate Chris White, who has now left the firm to work on the initiative full-time.

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2014 |

    McLaren F1 team puts Norton Rose in driving seat as firm secures global adviser mandate

    Norton Rose Fulbright has becoming the first law firm to form a partnership with Formula 1 team McClaren Mercedes. The firm will work closely with McLaren Group's in-house legal team to advise on corporate and M&A, contractual and intellectual property, real estate and employment law.

    1 minute read