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  • November 1, 2007 |

    Online special: Top City firms convert to brand values but wary of outside ratings

    Law firms are putting increasing value on the external perception of their brands, according to the results of the latest Legal Week Big Question survey, despite lingering scepticism from partners regarding 'voodoo valuations'. The survey, conducted in association with EJ Legal, follows the recent news that some of the world's top law firms are set to see themselves ranked by brand value in a new venture by the Managing Partners' Forum (MPF) and consultant Brand Finance.

    1 minute read

  • November 1, 2007 |

    Herbies ties up tender victory for £60bn MoD procurement project

    Herbert Smith has won a competitive tender to advise the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on a new project estimated to be worth around £60bn. The firm is advising the MoD on its Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) project, which will lead to the development of more than 3,000 armoured fighting vehicles.

    1 minute read

  • October 31, 2007 |

    Adrian Wood: Akzo ruling stifles competition

    The long-awaited ruling by the Court of First Instance (CFI) in Akzo Nobel has for the moment removed all hope that in-house lawyers could invoke the same rights of legal professional privilege (LPP) for European Commission (EC) law purposes that are enjoyed by independent external lawyers. The fact that the CFI reached a pragmatic rather than a principled decision in a case that cried out for a principled analysis must make the disappointment experienced by in-house lawyers about their differential treatment even more acute, despite the reality of the last 25 years. The judgment warrants many criticisms but two stand out above the rest. Firstly, the ruling assumes incorrectly that in-house lawyers enjoy the luxury of delaying pressurised internal requests for high-level compliance assessments in order to access external legal advice; and secondly, there is no concrete evidence presented in the judgment suggesting that in-house lawyers observe rules of ethics that are so different to those applicable to external lawyers that the EC's task of ensuring competition compliance would be subverted. Indeed, the ruling appears premised on an unstated and unwelcome inference that competition law enforcement would become harder as a result of granting LPP to in-house lawyers.

    1 minute read

  • October 24, 2007 |

    Zurich to expand law firm scoring system

    Insurance giant Zurich is looking to expand a scoring system of its external legal advisers, making it the second major Swiss institution to introduce a wide-ranging process to formally grade lawyers.

    1 minute read

  • October 24, 2007 |

    Addleshaws lawyer joins Pinsents partnership

    Pinsent Masons has hired a new partner from national rival Addleshaw Goddard in a boost for its City real estate practice. Claire Hughes, also a qualified surveyor, joined the top 15 UK law firm earlier this month after seven years as an associate at Addleshaws. Pinsents has also hired Royal Bank of Scotland senior solicitor Gary MacDonald as a senior associate in its Edinburgh corporate team.

    1 minute read

  • October 24, 2007 |

    Deal Week Dispatch: 24/10/2007

    Deal Week Dispatch brings readers an early taster of news from Legal Week's unparalleled deals coverage, with Travers Smith, Linklaters and DLA Piper among the movers and shakers

    1 minute read

  • October 19, 2007 |

    Its good to talk

    "People increasingly ask employers 'what can you do for me?'" says Clare Roberts, a human resources (HR) consultant with PA Consulting. "Ten years ago, that would have been unheard of. They have a different attitude to work and employers are having to rethink their proposition to potential recruits."

    1 minute read

  • October 17, 2007 |

    Pinsent Masons makes first step into Singapore with local joint venture

    Pinsent Masons has secured its first foothold in Singapore, Legal Week has learned, with the national giant this month unveiling a new association with independent local practice MPillay.

    1 minute read

  • October 10, 2007 |

    Deal Week Dispatch: 10/10/2007

    Deal Week Dispatch brings readers an early taster of news from Legal Week's unparalleled deals coverage, with Pinsents, Freshfields and Clifford Chance among the movers and shakers

    1 minute read

  • October 3, 2007 |

    DLA Piper lands top role for Towergate on £276m software supplier acquisition

    DLA Piper has advised Towergate on the broker's largest deal yet, the £276m acquisition of software supplier Open International.

    1 minute read