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  • December 11, 2009 |

    Associate pay cuts are here to stay, say firms and analysts

    A growing number of US managing partners and consultants say recent cuts to associate pay will remain a feature of the market in 2010, writes the Am Law Daily. Some are even predicting more significant reductions in starting salaries in the year ahead, and UK lawyers will be watching developments closely, as the US market often has a knock-on impact on City pay rates.

    1 minute read

  • December 8, 2009 |

    Assistant solicitor/associate of the year

    Baker & McKenzie describes Ben Allgrove as "an outstanding legal practitioner, colleague and member of the community". He joined the firm's London office in 2004 with an exceptional academic record and quickly established himself as one of the firm's rising stars. He combines excellent legal work and client relationship skills as an intellectual property (IP) specialist with a commitment to contribute fully to the office life.

    1 minute read

  • December 4, 2009 |

    CMS Moscow cuts 30 jobs in Russian capital in second round of layoffs

    CMS Moscow has laid off 30 members of staff, including 10 fee earners, in a redundancy round which closed last week (27 November). News of the latest cuts comes as it emerges that the Moscow office has cut a total of 29 fee earner positions and 32 support staff roles throughout 2009, combining the current job losses with a previous round which closed in June.

    1 minute read

  • December 4, 2009 |

    Stephenson Harwood, Linklaters and Abbey honoured at British Legal Awards

    Stephenson Harwood, Linklaters and Abbey National were among the winners at the 2009 British Legal Awards. Stephenson Harwood secured the coveted Law Firm of the Year award, with the judging panel - which included several senior general counsel - praising the firm for the dramatic turnaround in its fortunes.

    1 minute read

  • December 2, 2009 |

    Pass it on

    As legal process outsourcing (LPO) continues to gain momentum among law firms and managing partners discuss their new cost-saving strategies to send work offshore, it is easy to forget the challenges to successfully export legal work. Clients of the increasing numbers of law firms operating outsourcing arrangements may find themselves concerned by a recent survey by Kroll, which canvassed more than 700 senior executives worldwide, which concluded that companies often make the decision to outsource "without a thorough assessment of the risks involved in determining what is to be outsourced, and to whom". Law firms, which are newer to this game than most corporates, are arguably even more susceptible to making such mistakes.

    1 minute read

  • December 2, 2009 |

    Bakers names senior associate as first London general counsel

    Baker & McKenzie has appointed its first general counsel in London, naming Jonathan Westwell in the role. The new position took effect from 1 December, with Westwell moving from the firm's IT and telecommunications practice to take up the combined general counsel and partnership secretary role. Westwell was previously a senior associate with Bakers, having joined the London office in 2000, going on to spend two years in the firm's Sydney office between 2003 and 2005.

    1 minute read

  • December 1, 2009 |

    Independent Law Firms in Europe: A model of resilience

    The global recession has done little to alter the faith of Europe's independents in the strength of their law firm models. While the global UK and US-based firms have been busy with internal housekeeping and the struggle for position in their home markets, Europe's independent law firms cannot be accused of having let the opportunity pass them by.

    1 minute read

  • December 1, 2009 |

    Simmons London real estate partner makes Lewis Silkin switch

    Simmons & Simmons has lost a real estate partner in London with Rachel Francis-Lang joining City outfit Lewis Silkin last week (23 November). Francis-Lang joined Simmons from Eversheds in September last year, after eight years as a partner at the national firm. She began her career at Slaughter and May, where she trained and qualified.

    1 minute read

  • November 26, 2009 |

    Dechert leads on $190m rights sale of experimental pain drug

    Dechert's London office has won a role advising new client PanGenetics on its $190m (£114m) sale of global rights for an experimental drug to US pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories. The US firm has been drafted in to advise antibody engineering company PanGenetics on the sale of a drug used for chronic pain called PG110. The sale will see Abbott acquire the rights to the drug for an upfront payment of $170m (£102m), with additional milestone payments taking the figure to $190m (£114m). The deal equates to selling off part of the company that will house the drug for Abbott.

    1 minute read

  • November 19, 2009 |

    Winston & Strawn opens new offices in Beijing and Shanghai with Bakers partner hire

    Winston & Strawn has boosted its Asia presence with two new offices in Beijing and Shanghai, reports The Am Law Daily. The firm has recruited Xiangyang Ge from Baker & McKenzie to lead the Shanghai base. Ge, who was head of Bakers' China regulatory team, focuses on foreign investment work as well as cross-border M&A.

    1 minute read