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  • November 28, 2013 |

    Home advantage – the biggest challenges facing Canada's law firms

    Canada's legal services market continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. Lawyers at the country's largest independent firms believe there are three principal factors driving the market: pressure on fees, increased competition and the state of the global economy, especially in regard to commodities prices. Steven Smith, partner in the corporate group and head of the UK and Europe sector at Osler Hoskin & Harcourt, says: "The biggest challenge that law firms are facing in Canada is the pressure on fees from clients who simply want more for their money. Reduction in fee income and pressure on prices is making the market more competitive." Marc-Andre Blanchard, chairman and chief executive of McCarthy Tetrault, comments: "Like other firms, we believe that the legal services market here is very competitive and that the pressure on fees is growing. But we believe that our emphasis on service delivery is helping us retain clients and win new business."

    1 minute read

  • November 28, 2013 |

    Flying the flag for a continent – charting the revival of the South African legal market

    Neil Hodge reports on the revival of the South African legal market and the positive impact it is having on the rest of Africa...

    1 minute read

  • November 28, 2013 |

    The power of seduction – is Singapore becoming over-lawyered?

    The gleaming lights of Singapore and its booming economy make the region an attractive location for international law firms looking to set up camp here. But as Dominic Carman discovers, worries about the state being over-lawyered threaten to take the shine off this Asian hub...

    1 minute read

  • November 25, 2013 |

    London IP firm Rouse opens in Myanmar

    UK intellectual property firm Rouse has become the latest firm to launch an office in Myanmar with a team of two partners. The London-headquartered outfit has opened in the former capital city Yangon, and claims to be the first international IP firm with a presence on the ground.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2013 |

    HSF loses second partner in Singapore since September

    Former Freehills Singapore head John Dick has become the second partner to leave the firm's regional base since September. Dick, who specialises in South East Asian corporate energy and resources work, and who helped establish Freehills' Singapore office in 2000, is set to exit from the firm early December to establish a Singapore base for another international firm.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2013 |

    Gide, Norton Rose Fulbright and Bakers among firms winning spots on Credit Agricole's global roster

    Gide Loyrette Nouel, Baker & McKenzie and Norton Rose Fulbright are among a number of firms to have been appointed to Credit Agricole's global legal panel, following a competitive tender process led from Paris. The review concluded in the last few weeks after firms were invited over the summer to pitch for a slot on the roster. Other law firms understood to have been appointed include Ashurst, Hogan Lovells and Linklaters.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2013 |

    African Legal Awards 2013: who won what – and why...

    Two hundred lawyers gathered at the African Legal Awards in October to celebrate the achievements of the continent's leading business lawyers. The ceremony was hosted by Legal Week in association with the Corporate Lawyers Association of South Africa (CLASA) and featured leading South African investigative journalist Derek Watts in the role of master of ceremonies.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2013 |

    A continent on the rise – why top law firms are eager to tap into the African market

    Andrew Jones of Linklaters is doing it. Kem Ihenacho of Clifford Chance (CC) is doing it. Philip Stopford and Stuart Matty of White & Case, Dentons' Paul Bugingo, Covington & Burling's Witney Schneidman – turns out they're all at it too. Regularly. What is it they're up to? The answer is short: travelling to Africa. They are among an expanding cadre of senior lawyers and advisers from leading global law firms who have been told to seek out opportunities and develop their practices on the vast continent.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2013 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright axes 30 jobs in Australia

    Norton Rose Fulbright has made 30 staff redundant across its Australian offices. Those affected include 12 fee earners and 18 support staff. It is not clear whether any partners are among those being laid off.

    1 minute read

  • November 21, 2013 |

    Norton Rose Fulbright advises on major £1.5bn London port project

    Norton Rose Fulbright has acted on the £1.5bn development of London Gateway, the UK's first port to open in more than two decades. The site - which officially opened this month - is based in a 1,500 acre port and logistics park on the north bank of the Thames in Thurrock, Essex.

    1 minute read