• March 7, 2014 |

    Eversheds' Africa network up to 33 after 10 firms added to roster

    Eversheds has grown its African referral network with the addition of 10 independent firms. The Eversheds African Law Institute (EALI) network, which launched last October with 14 members, now numbers 33 firms.

    1 minute read

  • March 5, 2014 |

    Bakers and FFW join list of UK firms asking junior partners for capital in light of tax rule changes

    Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) and Baker & McKenzie have become the latest firms to ask junior partners to contribute capital in response to upcoming changes to how partnerships will be taxed.

    1 minute read

  • March 3, 2014 |

    Pinsent Masons to address gender imbalance with 30% female partner target

    Pinsent Masons has launched a suite of initiatives aimed at increasing its number of female partners to 30%, with an initial target of 25% set for May 2018. 'Project Sky', which is being led by employment partner Linda Jones, seeks to remove any barriers to the progression of women to partnership and senior leadership.

    1 minute read

  • February 27, 2014 |

    Dentons takes Heenan Blaikie hires to 46 in a month as 16-lawyer team joins

    Dentons has now picked up a total of 46 lawyers from collapsed Canadian firm Heenan Blaikie following the signing of a five-partner, 11-associate team this week. Corporate partner Allen Garson and insolvency partners Kenneth Kraft and John Salmas join in Toronto, while corporate partner Wendy Del Mul and infrastructure partner Tommaso Nanci will join Dentons as counsels in Toronto and Montreal respectively.

    1 minute read

  • February 26, 2014 |

    The Transfer Window: recent moves including Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy and Norton Rose Fulbright

    The Transfer Window is a regular round-up of recent legal moves in the UK and abroad.

    1 minute read

  • February 25, 2014 |

    Allen & Gledhill opens in Myanmar as firm looks to grow regional presence

    Allen & Gledhill (A&G), one of Singapore's big four law firms, has set up a base in Myanmar. A&G has formed an associate firm, Allen & Gledhill (Myanmar), and opened an office in commercial centre Yangon led by arbitration partner Minn Naing Oo, who is fluent in English, Burmese and Malay.

    1 minute read

  • February 20, 2014 |

    Turning up the heat – South Africa's role as a hub for the wider continent

    According to many lawyers in South Africa the vibe at the African Mining Indaba – a practically mandatory event in every major local law firm's calendar – was somewhat reserved this year. It is not hard to see why, when taking into account reduced output volumes from the economy's cornerstone mining sector. Onlookers observe that South Africa is facing an onslaught of negative sentiment given the volume of industrial disputes and unrest in the mining sector as well as the imminent presidential election, causing many investors to hold off until a clearer picture emerges. Added to this, the rand has tumbled against the world's major currencies, resulting in a hike in benchmark interest rates. Some lawyers in the jurisdiction have been surprised, then, at the influx of international newcomers in the past year. Linklaters became the first of the magic circle to establish a significant presence on the ground when it sealed an alliance with Webber Wentzel at the end of 2012, while Hogan Lovells forged a tie-up with former Eversheds alliance firm Routledge Modise in December last year, with the latter now trading under the Hogan Lovells brand. Eversheds itself re-entered the South African market at the same time, after signing an agreement with Mahons Attorneys a year after its split with Routledge.

    1 minute read

  • February 17, 2014 |

    RHTLaw Taylor Wessing and Rajah & Tann enter Vietnam via tie-ups

    Two Singapore outfits, including Taylor Wessing's Singapore member firm RHTLaw Taylor Wessing, have entered Vietnam through partnerships with local firms. RHT has formed an exclusive alliance with Vietnamese outfit PBC Partners as part of a wider South East Asian expansion plan, whilst Rajah & Tann has announced a tie-up with LCT Lawyers in the country.

    1 minute read

  • February 17, 2014 |

    Baker & McKenzie opens office in Myanmar

    Baker & McKenzie has become the latest international law firm to open in Myanmar. The US outfit, which has been mulling a launch in the country for some time, has opened its new base in the former capital and commercial centre Yangon, with a team being led by former Sydney-based infrastructure and corporate partner Chris Hughes.

    1 minute read

  • February 17, 2014 |

    Transfer Window Asia: recent moves including Latham, Weil and Two Birds

    Shearman & Sterling has expanded is project development and finance practice with addition of Allens partner Anthony Patten in Singapore. Patten previously led Allens' oil and gas team in Asia and Australia, before which he was a partner in Ashurst's London energy, transport and infrastructure group. He also spent six years working in London and the UAE as a senior in-house counsel at Royal Dutch Shell.

    1 minute read