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  • January 23, 2014 |

    Steadying the ship – what has driven the rise in demand for interim GCs?

    One of the less appreciated effects of the growth of in-house legal teams in recent years has been the evolution of the interim general counsel. While fans of Premier League football will be all-too familiar with the concept of an interim boss, the phenomenon is one that is relatively new to the legal world. But a slew of temporary appointments to high-profile in-house teams at banks, retailers and other major corporates suggests it is no longer possible to leave the top legal job vacant for extended periods of time. So what has driven the push for interims, and what status do those who take these impermanent roles really have?

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2014 | International Edition

    Plus ça change – can Rare's diversity scheme transform the profession?

    On the surface a lot can change in the legal world in six months. In the time since I went on maternity leave last summer, SJ Berwin has agreed and gone live with its much-trailed combination with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), Lawrence Graham has finally found a merger partner in the shape of Wragge & Co, and CMS Cameron McKenna? Well, it hasn't yet managed the US link it has publicly set its sights on, but it has agreed a deal with ailing Scots firm Dundas & Wilson. In many respects though, these developments – with the exception of the KWM merger – seem unlikely to be transformational. Even in KWM's case, the impact it makes will be intrinsically linked to the extent to which the firm can integrate and overcome sizeable cultural differences. Meanwhile, UK mid-market merger activity is increasingly just business as usual for a host of firms scrabbling to improve – or simply maintain – their position in a saturated and highly competitive market.

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2014 |

    Plus ça change – can Rare's diversity scheme transform the profession?

    On the surface a lot can change in the legal world in six months. In the time since I went on maternity leave last summer, SJ Berwin has agreed and gone live with its much-trailed combination with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), Lawrence Graham has finally found a merger partner in the shape of Wragge & Co, and CMS Cameron McKenna? Well, it hasn't yet managed the US link it has publicly set its sights on, but it has agreed a deal with ailing Scots firm Dundas & Wilson. In many respects though, these developments – with the exception of the KWM merger – seem unlikely to be transformational. Even in KWM's case, the impact it makes will be intrinsically linked to the extent to which the firm can integrate and overcome sizeable cultural differences. Meanwhile, UK mid-market merger activity is increasingly just business as usual for a host of firms scrabbling to improve – or simply maintain – their position in a saturated and highly competitive market.

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2014 |

    Top firms broaden recruitment horizons in social mobility drive

    Disadvantaged students considering a career in law may be given greater access to the profession as several top law firms have joined a working group with the aim of adopting a 'contextual recruitment' scheme. The system, which is set to be rolled out later this year, could introduce a new element to recruitment across all industries including law, allowing firms to rate candidates against the average performance of their school, potentially widening the pool of recruits considered. Firms including Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Ashurst have teamed up with diversity recruitment and training company Rare to form a working group looking into the new system, which will also allow firms to take into account economic background and personal circumstances, such as whether they are the first generation of their family to go to university, or whether they have spent time in care.

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2014 | International Edition

    Corridors of power: corporate heavyweight Charles Randell looks back at a colourful 33-year career at Slaughters

    From advising on a tranche of Thatcher-era privatisations to helping the Government steer through the banking crisis, recently retired Slaughter and May partner Charles Randell has had an eventful 33 years at the magic circle firm. Charlotte Edmond finds out about his highs and lows

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2014 |

    Corridors of power: corporate heavyweight Charles Randell looks back at a colourful 33-year career at Slaughters

    From advising on a tranche of Thatcher-era privatisations to helping the Government steer through the banking crisis, recently retired Slaughter and May partner Charles Randell has had an eventful 33 years at the magic circle firm. Charlotte Edmond finds out about his highs and lows

    1 minute read

  • January 22, 2014 |

    Allure undimmed – why international firms are queuing up to grab a piece of the Canadian market

    Troubles in Canada's energy industry have taken the shine off its economy, but this has done little to deter the host of international outfits eager to tap into the market. With firms such as Dentons and Norton Rose Fulbright already active there, James Boxell asks what attracted them to the country, and whether their 'one-stop shops' can take on the dominant seven sisters

    1 minute read

  • January 16, 2014 |

    Drawing the battle lines – assessing the impact client conflicts have on top law firms

    Client conflicts can scupper mergers and fuel rivalry between partners. With the Tomlinson report highlighting concerns that banks wield too much power over their advisers, Alex Newman charts recent conflicts flashpoints...

    1 minute read

  • January 15, 2014 |

    Travers grabs major new client as PE giant Apollo reviews UK roster

    US private equity house Apollo has carried out a review of its UK legal advisers, with Travers Smith on the roster for the first time alongside Slaughter and May, Ashurst and the London arm of Sullivan & Cromwell.

    1 minute read

  • January 14, 2014 |

    Vodafone-Verizon mega-deal fuels M&A hopes as Macfarlanes' international plans come good

    It was the moment when Macfarlanes' idiosyncratic international strategy paid off – and when Linklaters surprisingly lost out on a role on one of the biggest M&A deals of the decade. Vodafone's $130bn (£79bn) sale of its stake in Verizon – not only by far the biggest deal of the year but also the largest US-based corporate transaction since 2001 – was always likely to be a feeding frenzy for law firms. Accordingly, a number of the usual suspects landed roles on both sides of the Atlantic. Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and Debevoise & Plimpton acted for Verizon in the US, while Simpson Thacher & Bartlett took the Vodafone mandate.

    1 minute read