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  • October 17, 2013 |

    Client focus is the key as Bakers' new chief aims to compete with the City elite

    "Before the recession, we were ranked among the City mid-tier; now, we are generally in the top 10 international firms in London. I'd like to see us referred to in the same breath as the magic circle by the end of the three years..."

    1 minute read

  • October 17, 2013 |

    Stepping out – the City's gay lawyers on their experiences of coming out

    "I came out as a trainee in a tough environment – in the 1980s during the AIDS and HIV crises," reflects Field Fisher Waterhouse managing partner Michael Chissick. "It was a challenge when it came to telling clients as I was concerned some clients and partners would be prejudiced." Three decades on, he still represents a relatively rare breed of openly gay senior lawyers, with many still reticent to be open about their sexual orientation. Although there are increasing numbers of gay lawyers and barristers who are role models for those coming up through the ranks, it seems a large majority still feel that the legal profession lags others in terms of being accepting of people's sexual orientation.

    1 minute read

  • October 17, 2013 |

    Despite its reputation, Russia has come a long way in its fight against corruption

    It is 20 years since what I consider to be the darkest days of my nearly quarter of a century living and doing business in Moscow. It was then, during Black October, that lawlessness reached its zenith in Moscow. As Yeltsin's troops stormed the House of Soviets and arrested the parliamentarians who had plotted against him, it seemed as if all Moscow was armed and on the streets. More than 180 were killed at that time and many more injured. One of my own expatriate employees was seriously wounded in what was my most frightening experience as a businessman in Russia. Russia has come a long way since then but, for many, negative perceptions still dominate thoughts of doing business here: Russia is still the Wild East; it is riddled with corruption; and a place where the rule of law is on permanent vacation. Many people I know think that having a lawyer in Moscow is about as useful as having a shepherd in Milton Keynes.

    1 minute read

  • October 17, 2013 |

    The next big thing – regulation's booming popularity in legal business

    September 2007. A month Ian McDonald remembers well. "My banking and finance colleague Kevin Hawken came to see me and said: 'What do you know about SIVs [structured investment vehicles]?'" recalls McDonald, London head of commercial dispute resolution at Mayer Brown. "I thought it was a kitchen gadget. I really had no idea – but that is part of the challenge as litigators." His ignorance was short-lived. Mayer Brown's litigators were among the first called upon to help restructure SIVs – complex financial products once worth an estimated $400bn (£247.3bn) – when the 2007 credit crunch halted the short-term funding that underpinned them. For McDonald and his colleagues, it marked the start of busy few years.

    1 minute read

  • October 10, 2013 |

    Man on a mission – Yahoo!'s Asia-Pacific GC has a lot on his plate keeping up with his acquisitive CEO

    Working in the legal team of one of the world's largest internet companies, Stephen Man is rarely at a loose end. The Canadian-born father of two, who was appointed Asia-Pacific general counsel for Yahoo! in 2011 after working with the company for five years, says his biggest challenge in the past 12 months has been keeping pace with the growth and rapidly evolving vision of the company since Marissa Mayer was made CEO last summer. Despite his hectic schedule, Man says he is – perhaps surprisingly – a strong advocate of lawyers having a work-life balance. Maybe it is one of the quirks of working for an internet company, but, when he's not travelling or on a call, colleagues say he can be found playing his guitar in his office (though he claims to be no more than a beginner). He predicts there will be even more work for Yahoo!'s legal team in Asia now that the company has a clear strategy for how it wants to expand. This is a departure from previous years, he says, because of the changes in management.

    1 minute read

  • October 10, 2013 |

    Green shoots of recovery in Asia-Pacific as high deal flow in Q3 2013 props up sluggish year

    While Europe and the US have experienced a bounce in M&A activity, Asia has struggled to break free from three consecutive years of reduced deal flow. Figures from Mergermarket at the close of the third quarter showed that the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan witnessed $259.7bn (£162bn) worth of deals during the first three quarters of 2013.

    1 minute read

  • October 10, 2013 |

    Top firms set to do battle at 2013 British Legal Awards

    Linklaters is leading the way in nominations for the top practice awards as the shortlist for the 2013 British Legal Awards has been unveiled. The magic circle has nominations M&A, banking, financing or restructuring, and commercial team of the year categories. However, it missed out on the law firm of the year shortlist.

    1 minute read

  • October 9, 2013 |

    LSB drops HSF over cost estimates on QASA judicial review

    The Legal Services Board (LSB) has brought in Field Fisher Waterhouse to replace Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) as its adviser to defend the controversial Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) in a judicial review. HSF was representing the LSB on the case, brought by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) against the advocacy scheme, after the board approved the introduction of a grading system for advocates in the criminal courts.

    1 minute read

  • October 9, 2013 |

    White & Case and Bakers secure clearance for Greek airline deal

    White & Case and Baker McKenzie have White & Case and Baker McKenzie have successfully represented Aegean Airlines in front of the European Commission as the Greek air carrier progresses its bid to acquire rival Olympic Air.

    1 minute read

  • October 3, 2013 | International Edition

    Moving the goalposts – Legal Week Law Quarterly Peer Review

    From sports disputes to increased regulatory activity, Ben Wheway looks back at the briefings and statistics making headlines in Legal Week Law over the past quarter...

    1 minute read