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  • January 21, 2009 |

    Clydes makes Abu Dhabi construction head hire

    Clyde and Co has hired a new partner, David McElveney, to lead its construction team in Abu Dhabi. McElveney was previously with Australian firm Deacons, where he headed the construction and engineering practice. The hire comes after Clydes hired construction expert Mark Blanksby and a team from Pinsent Masons last year for its Dubai office.

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  • January 21, 2009 |

    Pinsents signs up to College of Law LPC deal

    Pinsent Masons has become the latest firm to sign an exclusive agreement to send all of its trainees to the College of Law. The five-year agreement, which starts in September this year, will see the firm send 60 of its trainees to take the LPC each year at the College's four campuses in London, Manchester, York and Manchester.Pinsent Masons training principal Catherine Workman commented: "One of the key benefits of the firm moving to a single LPC provider is that, in addition to a greater level of consistency, there will be a bespoke element to the course."

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  • January 12, 2009 |

    Clydes LLP accounts reveal £4m office improvement expenses

    Clyde & Co spent nearly £4m on office improvements last year as part of the expansion of its international network, according to the firm's latest limited liability partnership (LLP) filings. Clydes' LLP accounts for 2008 reveal that the firm spent £2.6m on fixtures and fittings and roughly £1.2m on new leasehold improvements.A spokesperson for the firm said that the expenditure was linked to the firm's recent international growth after office launches in the US and the Middle East. Meanwhile, Clydes' LLP accounts also highlight a £13.6m increase in staff costs after the firm increased its headcount by 128 this year, including the hire of 88 new lawyers.

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  • January 7, 2009 |

    Simmons rated as most gay-friendly UK law firm

    Simmons & Simmons has been awarded 'Most Improved Employer' status in the latest Workplace Equality Index ranked by gay rights organisation Stonewall. The index, which ranks the top 100 gay-friendly employers in the UK, placed Simmons & Simmons at 31 - the highest-ranked law firm in new list. Three other UK law firms made it into the top 100, with Pinsent Masons ranked at 50 and Herbert Smith and Eversheds placing 77th and 100th respectively. Banking giant Lloyds TSB topped the rankings.

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  • December 22, 2008 |

    Cobbetts makes Pinsents employment partner hire

    Cobbetts has bolstered its employment practice with the lateral hire of Pinsent Masons partner Ashley Norman. Norman joined Cobbetts seven-strong employment arm in Birmingham at the beginning of this month (1 December) and will work closely with fellow employment partners Kathy Halliday and Michael Gillespie.In his previous role, Norman headed Pinsents work on equality and diversity and led the firm's government sector employment team.Cobbetts' Birmingham head, Graham Muth said: "Ashley has a proven track record in building client relationships at a senior level - a vital skill in our approach to employment law. He is also widely recognised for his experience in the public sector, which fits well with our existing strength in the field.

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  • December 16, 2008 |

    Head of Pinsents' French ally voted in as Paris Bar chair

    The managing partner of Pinsent Masons' French ally Granrut Avocats has been voted in as chairman of the Paris Bar in elections held last week (10 December). Jean Castelain will take up the post on 1 January 2010 for a two-year term, replacing current chairman Christian Charriere-Bournazel, who is a partner with August & Debouzy.Castelain, who beat Xavier Normand-Bodard of Cabinet Normand & Associes to take the role, will work alongside high-profile French criminal lawyer Jean-Yves Le Borgne, who becomes the first-ever vice-chairman of the Paris Bar.

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  • December 15, 2008 |

    Pinsents accounting head makes Baker Tilly switch

    Pinsent Masons has lost the national head of its forensic and accounting services team, as Tony Chapman quits for accountancy and business advisory firm Baker Tilly. The forensic and accounting services team is part of Pinsents' dispute resolution practice and was headed by Chapman - the only partner-equivalent member of the team, the rest of which is made up of chartered accountants.The team will now be led by Birmingham-based dispute resolution and litigation partner Jim Richards, who also heads up the firm's public sector commercial litigation practice.

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  • December 10, 2008 |

    Law firm strategy: Seat belts on

    "Throughout the world, change is the order of the day." So said Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his 1935 State of the Union address, as the world grappled with the Great Depression. Shortly after his inauguration next January, President-elect Obama will undoubtedly echo this theme. With his message likely to have a major effect on the global economy, lawyers at Europe's independent law firms will be listening especially hard.At present, there are no siren voices to be heard openly predicting another great depression in Europe. But there is widespread talk of how much recent economic events have changed the world in which law firms and their clients operate. Managing partners abound with stories of frustrated lawyers - always in rival firms - "sitting at their desks with nothing to do" and "desperately twiddling their thumbs all day".

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  • December 3, 2008 |

    Pinsents starts UAE law student training scheme

    Pinsent Masons has teamed up with the United Arab Emirates University to give local law students a chance to train with the firm in the UK. The firm has operated in Dubai since 2004 and will offer UAE University College of Law students the chance to develop skills across areas including commercial, property, outsourcing and Dubai law. The scheme, initially limited to two students, is not a full training contract but will run between January and February and June and July. Students will spend the rest of the summer in one of the firm's UK offices.

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  • November 27, 2008 |

    Firms braced as AIM faces worst-ever year

    Partners advising on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) remain upbeat despite the exchange being on course to suffer its worst year since its 1995 launch. Fewer than 100 companies listed on the junior market between January and the end of October, with just 99 new admissions compared with 519 at the market's height of 2005. The total number of companies listed on the exchange has also fallen, dropping from a peak of 1,694 last year down to 1,597 by October.

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