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  • October 20, 2011 |

    Will QualitySolicitors' private equity deal silence the critics?

    You've got to hand it to Craig Holt - he keeps pulling rabbits out of his hat. To what will no doubt be the chagrin of its many critics, QualitySolicitors (QS) has surely announced itself on the big stage by securing investment from a private equity firm. We did well to get him to the Legal Futures conference on Monday, it turns out, as he was in the middle of signing piles of documents to finalise the deal.

    1 minute read

  • October 19, 2011 |

    Slaughters invests in associates with new development initiatives

    Slaughter and May has overhauled its associate development programme, bringing in a number of measures intended to improve feedback for junior lawyers and get them more involved in client development. Associates are being encouraged to build relationships with in-house lawyers of their own level of seniority and to think more about business development themselves, rather than seeing it as the reserve of partners.

    1 minute read

  • October 19, 2011 |

    Linklaters, Gianni and Credit Suisse settle £118m negligence dispute

    Linklaters, Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners and Credit Suisse have settled a £118m professional negligence dispute relating to advice given to the bank on a deal with Italian food company Parmalat nearly 10 years ago. It is unclear how much the firms have settled for; however, the figure, which both law firms are contributing to, is expected to be only a fraction of the original claim value.

    1 minute read

  • October 19, 2011 |

    What I wish I knew when I left uni - the profession's finest offer some life advice

    They say hindsight is 20/20 – London's senior lawyers offer their very best advice to Legal Week readers...

    1 minute read

  • October 17, 2011 |

    Slaughters and Herbert Smith head up £5.2bn facilities takeover

    Slaughter and May and Herbert Smith have won lead roles on one of this year's largest M&A deals - the £5.2bn purchase of Danish facilities outsourcing firm ISS by UK security group G4S. The acquisition is set to make the Crawley-based security services provider the world's largest combined security and facilities service provider, with revenues of around £15.9bn.

    1 minute read

  • October 14, 2011 |

    China's Jun He continues recent growth with Weil Gotshal hire

    Leading Chinese firm Jun He Law Offices has bolstered its Beijing corporate practice with a hire from Weil Gotshal & Manges, marking the firm's fourth new partner addition since August. Jasson Han is set to rejoin Jun He as a partner, after leaving in 1993 to pursue a degree in commercial law. Since then, he has worked at Simmons & Simmons in London and Hong Kong, and then in Weil Gotshal's Beijing and Hong Kong offices as a partner-level senior consultant.

    1 minute read

  • October 12, 2011 |

    Global 100: Empire builders - does globalisation equal profit?

    Since the early days of the Global 100 survey, globalisation and profit have seemingly grown hand in hand. For the top 50 firms in 1999 – the first year that The American Lawyer published profits per equity partner (PEP) for what was then the Global 50 – the proportion of lawyers employed outside each firm's home country doubled, while PEP more than doubled. But whether there is a causal relationship between global expansion and financial success is unclear, whether one charts the performance of individual firms in a single year or over time. Star performers may be found among the most stubborn homebodies, like Slaughter and May, and the most persistent imperialists, like Allen & Overy (A&O).

    1 minute read

  • October 12, 2011 |

    Clydes, Mishcons and A&O head up nominees for Firm of the Year at British Legal Awards

    Clyde & Co, Allen & Overy (A&O) and Mishcon de Reya are among the firms shortlisted for Law Firm of the Year at the 2011 British Legal Awards. The trio have been nominated for the coveted award alongside Hogan Lovells, Kirkland & Ellis and Stephenson Harwood. A&O and Hogan Lovells have also both been nominated for the M&A Team of the Year Award, alongside magic circle duo Slaughter and May and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and US firms Shearman & Sterling and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.

    1 minute read

  • October 12, 2011 |

    Global 100: Strong dollar helps US leaders set the pace as City firms face fierce competition

    Rising profits at expansive US law firms and continued weakness in sterling look set to sustain competitive pressure on globally ambitious UK firms for years to come, according to new research. This year's Global 100 – a joint initiative from The American Lawyer and Legal Week – shows leading US players gaining a stronger grip on the upper echelons of the profession globally, based on both profitability and fee income. The three largest law firms in revenue terms are either US-based or the result of unions structured through vereins – with Baker & McKenzie, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and DLA Piper topping the income rankings.

    1 minute read

  • October 12, 2011 |

    Partners want more Govt promotion of legal profession's contribution to economy

    Senior lawyers remain unconvinced that the Government is doing enough to support UK legal services, despite justice secretary Kenneth Clarke's recent pledge to 'go into bat' for the industry. Legal Week's latest Big Question survey found that 59% of respondents believe the industry receives 'not much' or no support from the Government. Only 7% of respondents said the industry receives a considerable amount of support or more, while 34% believed that they received 'a little' support.

    1 minute read