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  • 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.

    1 minute read

  • 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

  • October 15, 2009 |

    Asda shrinks legal panel from 16 to three and signs partnership charter

    McGrigors, Pinsent Masons and Ward Hadaway have won roles on Asda's new legal panel, with all three firms agreeing to sign up to a 'partnership charter'. The overhaul has seen Asda whittle down its advisers from 16 firms to just three, following an extensive review earlier this year overseen by Asda heads of legal Ellen McLaughlin and Sarah Dickson.

    1 minute read

  • October 14, 2009 |

    Departures and cutbacks take Ashurst partner exits to 22

    Ashurst has seen 22 partners leave its limited liability partnership (LLP) since January - equating to around 10% of its partnership as it stood at the beginning of the current financial year. The top 10 City law firm, which had 235 partners at the beginning of May, has seen 22 partners leave the LLP since the start of the year, either voluntarily or at the request of management, with one further partner stepping down to become a counsel. In comparison, only four partners left the Ashurst LLP over the whole of 2008.

    1 minute read

  • October 14, 2009 |

    Trio of firms win spots on Bupa employment panel

    Beachcroft, DLA Piper and Pinsent Masons have won places on Bupa's first-ever employment panel. The trio were among 15 firms tendering for the panel in a process that ran from April to September, with the two-year appointments taking effect from January 2010.

    1 minute read

  • October 14, 2009 | International Edition

    Commentary: (Here's hoping) things can only get better on the M&A front

    M&A activity has picked in recent weeks but, as the latest statistics show, it couldn't have come off a much lower base, in Europe at least. The plain fact is that the third quarter M&A figures from Legal Week's exclusive data provider Mergermarket make for depressing reading...

    1 minute read

  • October 14, 2009 |

    Commentary: (Here's hoping) things can only get better on the M&A front

    M&A activity has picked in recent weeks but, as the latest statistics show, it couldn't have come off a much lower base, in Europe at least. The plain fact is that the third quarter M&A figures from Legal Week's exclusive data provider Mergermarket make for depressing reading...

    1 minute read

  • October 13, 2009 |

    Dundas partner duo quit for new roles at Greenberg and Kennedys

    Dundas & Wilson has seen the departure of two partners from its London office. Corporate partner Ewan Robertson has been recruited by US firm Greenberg Traurig Maher (GTM) after spending seven years as a partner with the Scottish firm. His practice focuses on M&A, joint ventures and project-related matters in the energy, real estate and utilities sector.

    1 minute read