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  • November 12, 2009 |

    Pinsents posts half-year revenue drop of 7%

    Pinsent Masons has posted a drop of nearly 7% in revenues for the first half of 2009-10, joining the likes of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), Allen & Overy (A&O) and Simmons & Simmons in seeing turnover dip. The national firm saw revenues for the six-month period drop by 6.9% to £98m - in line with the firm's expectations.

    1 minute read

  • November 11, 2009 |

    Pinsents partner joins Berrymans professional indemnity team

    Berrymans Lace Mawer has boosted its Birmingham professional indemnity practice with the hire of Chris Fitton from Pinsent Masons. Fitton joined Berrymans on Monday (9 November) after 15 years at Pinsents. His practice focuses on professional negligence claims against solicitors, and he becomes the second partner in the firm's Birmingham professional indemnity team, overseeing five further fee earners.

    1 minute read

  • November 4, 2009 |

    Trio of UK firms consider outsourcing in effort to cut costs

    Travers Smith, Hammonds and Halliwells are considering a range of outsourcing measures. The trio are the latest firms interested in cutting costs by sending either legal or back office support work to outsourcing companies. Travers is considering offshoring some legal work, with the top 50 firm set to go to India later this month to speak to several legal process outsourcers (LPOs) after seeing a pick-up in corporate activity levels.

    1 minute read

  • November 4, 2009 |

    Asda IP dispute hits delay due to Pinsents' Xmas shelf-stacking duties

    A High Court dispute involving Specsavers and Asda has been delayed in part due to the requirement that lawyers from Pinsent Masons - the supermarket's main adviser - are available to stack shelves at the supermarket during the Christmas period. The dispute began when Specsavers accused Asda of infringing on its trademarks with an online advertising campaign which used the slogan "Be a real spec saver at Asda". The first round closed yesterday (3 November), with the next trial date originally set for January.

    1 minute read

  • November 4, 2009 |

    Pinsents retains top spot in AIM-listed client rankings

    Pinsent Masons has maintained its position as the law firm with the largest number of clients listed on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Hemscott rankings for the three-month period ending 5 October show that Pinsents gained one new AIM-listed client over the quarter, increasing its tally to 56.

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  • November 4, 2009 |

    Salans gears up for firmwide election across global network

    Salans is gearing up for a series of management elections before the end of the year. The firm will hold elections for its global board as well as all 21 of its office managing partner positions. All of the appointments will run for two-year terms starting in January 2010, following a partnership vote in December.

    1 minute read

  • November 4, 2009 |

    Partners seek new models but wary of LPOs

    City partners increasingly believe the law firm model will have to be overhauled but remain sceptical that legal process outsourcing (LPO) will be a major part of the revolution. The latest Legal Week Big Question survey shows that partners are currently divided over the ability of LPO businesses to expand in commercial legal services, with only 13% of respondents seeing major prospects for growth. A further 34% predicted 'considerable' expansion while 53% expected little or no growth from LPO firms in the legal industry.

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  • October 28, 2009 |

    Stephenson Harwood hires Pinsents partner in boost for City finance team

    Stephenson Harwood has bolstered its City finance team with the hire of Pinsent Masons rail and aviation specialist Graeme McLellan. McLellan, who focuses on asset finance matters in the transportation sector, joins Stephenson Harwood as a partner after three years in Pinsents' partnership.

    1 minute read

  • October 23, 2009 |

    Pinsents mourns death of long-serving partner Bunch

    Tony Bunch, one of Pinsent Masons' longest-serving partners and a chief architect of the 2004 merger that created the firm, has passed away after suffering a brain tumour. Bunch, who had been battling with serious illness for more than two years, was until recently still working at the firm.

    1 minute read

  • October 21, 2009 |

    Major UK firms cut back profit payouts amid tough markets

    Major UK firms including Pinsent Masons and CMS Cameron McKenna are among the growing rank of firms either holding back or reducing partner profit distributions as a result of the recession. Top 15 firms Pinsents and DLA Piper have both withheld profit distributions in recent months. Pinsents has withheld its last two quarterly profit distributions, with the firm attributing the "profits distribution holiday" to a series of management responses to the recession. It is due to make its next quarterly payment as planned in December.

    1 minute read