• November 16, 2011 |

    BLP boosts finance group with Ashurst partner hire

    Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has strengthened its finance practice with the hire of Simon Small from Ashurst, 
who will join the firm towards the end of this year. Small, who joined Ashurst from Linklaters in 2006, will be part of BLP's banking & capital markets group. He has experience in capital markets transactions across a range of asset classes including residential mortgages, trade receivables, auto loans, credit cards, commercial real estate and project bonds. He also advises on corporate trusts. His departure takes the number of partners to leave Ashurst since May 2010 to 26. At Linklaters, Small was a partner for 11 years and was one of the partners to found the magic circle firm's securitisation business.

    1 minute read

  • November 16, 2011 |

    A&O posts 11% revenue rise for first half as Eversheds income climbs 6.7%

    Allen & Overy (A&O) and Eversheds have both confirmed increases in revenue at the half-year point, with A&O posting an 11% hike while Eversheds saw fee income climb by just under 7%. A&O cited recent investment in key international markets as the principal driver of its double-digit growth, with the firm bringing in revenues of £582m for the period from 1 May to 31 October, up from the figure of £526m the firm took in during the equivalent period last year.

    1 minute read

  • November 16, 2011 |

    US pair excel as 1,000 clients give verdict on major firms

    A select band of US-based law firms – including Weil Gotshal & Manges and Reed Smith – have outperformed key UK rivals according to a major research project based on responses from more than 1,000 clients. Legal Week Intelligence's eighth annual Client Satisfaction Report found the duo topping a ranking of major law firms operating in the UK based on feedback from 1,069 companies, including 78% of the FTSE 100.

    1 minute read

  • November 14, 2011 |

    Leeds Building Society turns to Bradford & Bingley for new head of legal

    Leeds Building Society has appointed a new head of legal services, bringing in Bradford & Bingley's former group head of legal for the post. Paul Jordan joined the building society earlier this month after 20 years with Bradford & Bingley, including more than 10 years as group head of legal.

    1 minute read

  • November 14, 2011 |

    BLP boosts finance practice with Ashurst partner

    Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has strengthened its finance practice with the hire of Simon Small from Ashurst, who joins the firm today (14 November). Small, who joined Ashurst from Linklaters in 2006, will be part of BLP's banking & capital markets group.

    1 minute read

  • November 14, 2011 |

    Eversheds sees first half revenues rise 6.7% to hit £184m

    Eversheds has posted a 6.7% increase in revenues for the first half of the 2011-12 financial year. Turnover at the top 10 firm increased to £184.2m over the six month period, against an equivalent figure of £172.6m last year. Last year's H1 figure was marginally down on the first six months of 2009-10.

    1 minute read

  • November 11, 2011 |

    CC, Slaughters join Links on Lloyds bidding battle as Co-op makes move

    Clifford Chance (CC) and Slaughter and May have taken lead roles alongside Linklaters on the bidding battle for the 632 branches that Lloyds Banking Group must offload to meet European state aid rules. The Co-operative Group, which has made a non-binding bid for Lloyds' retail branch network, is being advised by CC, with which it has a longstanding corporate relationship. The magic circle firm's team is being led by London corporate partners Hilary Evenett and Mark Poulton.

    1 minute read

  • November 10, 2011 |

    Allen & Overy posts double-digit revenue rise at half-year point

    Allen & Overy (A&O) has announced an 11% revenue hike at the half-year point, citing recent investment in key international markets as the principal driver of the double-digit growth. The firm brought in revenues of £582m for the period from 1 May to 31 October, up from the figure of £526m the firm took in during the equivalent period last year.

    1 minute read

  • November 9, 2011 |

    A&O, Ashurst, Herbert Smith join Virgin Money's £747m acquisition of Northern Rock

    Allen & Overy (A&O), Herbert Smith and Ashurst have taken roles on Virgin Money's £1bn bid for Northern Rock, the retail bank that was nationalised in 2008 after becoming one of the most high-profile UK casualties of the financial crisis. Virgin Money, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group business conglomerate, has instructed longstanding adviser A&O on the bid. The magic circle firm is fielding a team led by corporate head Andrew Ballheimer.

    1 minute read

  • November 9, 2011 |

    Understanding why women leave the law – and finding the right way to keep them

    Ashurst's senior partner addresses reaction to the firm's pledge to boost female numbers in management roles

    1 minute read