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  • April 25, 2013 |

    Bakers aims to double female representation among equity

    Baker & McKenzie is overhauling its approach to the promotion of female lawyers in a bid to double the proportion of women in its equity partner ranks. The firm, which has a 15% female equity partnership, is aiming to increase this figure to 30% with a shift away from billable hour targets – a factor that has long hampered the career progression of working mothers. More importance will now be placed on individuals' overall non-billable contributions, including their involvement in client and practice development, team building, promotion of firm culture and values, profile-raising and leadership.

    1 minute read

  • April 23, 2013 |

    Ashurst promotes seven London lawyers in 12-strong round

    Ashurst has made up 12 lawyers in its 2013 partner promotions round, including seven in London. City corporate lawyers Rob Aird and Karan Dinamani are joining the partnership along with Ross Ollerhead (banking), Nikhil Markanday and Nick Rainsford (energy, transport and infrastructure) and real estate lawyers Matthew Bool and Ben Patton.

    1 minute read

  • April 18, 2013 |

    BHP Billiton turns to Herbert Smith litigator for new legal chief

    BHP Billiton has appointed Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) litigator Geoff Healy as its new head of legal. Healy, who is currently based in the firm's Sydney office will start his new role at the Anglo-Australian mining firm on 3 June, based in BHP's main headquarters in Melbourne. Healy joined HSF in 1990 and was made partner in 1997. He was a client relationship partner for BHP Billiton and in 2006 represented the company in a Royal Commission inquiry into whether the company had breached Australian laws in its dealings with Iraq.

    1 minute read

  • April 14, 2013 |

    Herbert Smith Freehills opens for business in Seoul

    Herbert Smith Freehills has opened in Korea today, making it the third UK law firm to launch in the country after receiving approval from the Ministry of Justice last month. The office is being co-headed by disputes partner Tony Dymond who has relocated from London and corporate partner Lewis McDonald from Singapore, alongside a group of two associates, a paralegal and two back office staff.

    1 minute read

  • April 14, 2013 |

    Habib & Clydes among nominees for Corporate Counsel Middle East Awards

    DP World, Hadef & Partners and Herbert Smith Freehills are among the entrants to be shortlisted as Legal Week unveils the nominations for the second annual Corporate Counsel Middle East Awards. Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance and Clyde & Co are among the firms battling it out for international law firm of the year, with the winner due to be announced at a ceremony held at Dubai's Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi on 16 May.

    1 minute read

  • April 12, 2013 |

    Reed Smith boosts City finance team with Clifford Chance hire

    Reed Smith is to boost its City finance practice with the hire of Clifford Chance (CC) banking and finance partner Claude Brown. News of the move, which has not been confirmed by Reed Smith, comes days after it emerged that CC's global head of private equity David Walker, had resigned to join Latham & Watkins in London.

    1 minute read

  • April 11, 2013 |

    Gender pay gap remains as female salaries lag male counterparts

    Male lawyers are earning roughly a third more than their female counterparts despite a growing focus by law firms on gender diversity, according to a new Law Society study of 2012 pay levels. The research, which analysed pay data from 633 individuals working full-time in private practice, found the average salary for a qualified male lawyer of any level stood at £60,000 compared with £44,000 for women. The disparity increased with pay grade, with the top-earning quartile of all male lawyers surveyed paid at least £95,000 – 46% more than their female counterparts, who took home a minimum of £65,000.

    1 minute read

  • April 11, 2013 |

    New 'twin peaks' regulatory system faces questions as post-FSA era gets underway

    On April Fools' Day, with the banks closed and the public scanning the news for prank stories, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) officially launched amid promises of tougher regulation and enforcement for the UK financial services sector. Given the long run-up to the Financial Services Authority's (FSA's) demise and the numerous announcements about its successors, the new bodies are not joking about their ambitions. But just how seriously they will go about addressing the failings of the FSA remains to be seen. Charged with regulating financial firms providing services to consumers and maintaining the integrity of the UK's financial markets, the FCA has already targeted a renewed focus on consumers, as well as continuing to address issues of misconduct (including those such as the recent Libor scandal), market abuse and competitiveness.

    1 minute read

  • April 11, 2013 |

    Linklaters, Hogan Lovells and A&O lawyers join Competition Commission

    Linklaters partner Gavin Robert and Hogan Lovells London competition head Lesley Ainsworth are among four lawyers joining the Competition Commission in an 18-strong round of new appointments to the regulator. The appointments, announced yesterday (10 April) by consumer minister Jo Swinson, come ahead of the merger of the Commission and the Office of Fair Trading to create the new Competition and Markets Authority next April.

    1 minute read

  • April 10, 2013 |

    CC recruits five-strong Ashurst Paris funds team led by practice chief

    Ashurst Paris fund formation head Xavier Comaills is set to join Clifford Chance (CC) as head of the firm's fund structuring practice in the French capital. Comaills is moving CC with a team of four associates, including Tiana Rambatomanga, who joins as counsel. The news was first reported by Legal Week sister title unquote.

    1 minute read