• October 20, 2009 |

    Law firm management: Learning to lead

    Harvard started a revolution in leadership training for law firms in the 1990s. Alex Aldridge and Alex Novarese tell the story and assess what management training can offer

    1 minute read

  • October 13, 2009 |

    Bakers mourns death of former London head Russell Lewin

    Former Baker & McKenzie London head Russell Lewin has died at the age of 51. Lewin was head of Bakers' London office between 1998 and 2003, overseeing a significant period of growth for the firm. He subsequently sat on the firm's global executive representing all European offices until 2006.

    1 minute read

  • October 13, 2009 |

    Ex-Richards Butler partner among trio found guilty of stealing clients and millions in fees

    A trio of Australian expatriate lawyers working at their own firm in Kazakhstan has been found guilty by a Sydney court of conspiring to steal clients and millions of dollars in fees from another expat-led firm at which they once worked. The Australians - John Forster Emmott, a former partner of legacy UK firm Richards Butler; Robert Nicholls, an ex-partner at leading Australian firm Freehills; and David Slater, a former in-house lawyer at Australian bank Westpac - reportedly lured oil and gas clients from the Almaty-based firm Michael Wilson & Partners.

    1 minute read

  • October 9, 2009 |

    Leading firms nominated for 2009 British Legal Awards

    Allen & Overy (A&O), Bird & Bird and Norton Rose are among the nominees for a series of accolades at the 2009 British Legal Awards. The trio have been shortlisted for the prestigious Law Firm of the Year award alongside Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Clyde & Co, Kennedys and Stephenson Harwood. Norton Rose has also been nominated for a further two awards, including M&A Team of the Year, while Bird & Bird has secured nominations in three other categories, including Commercial Team of the Year.

    1 minute read

  • October 6, 2009 |

    Global 100: Emerging markets

    From Russia's grey gloom to Brazil's red-hot ambitions, a look at the state of five emerging legal markets

    1 minute read

  • October 6, 2009 |

    Global 100: The great game

    Soon after Simon Davies took over as Linklaters' managing partner at the end of 2007, he brought together a group of the firm's partners for some scenario planning. Turbulence in the subprime mortgage sector had not yet grown into a global economic downturn, but Davies knew that the legal services market was already changing. "We had been striving to run ourselves as efficiently as possible to deliver clear value to our clients and avoid increasing rates," he says. The purpose of the gathering was to run through some 'what-ifs,' determine how the firm would be affected, and consider how it would respond. Scenario three, the worst one under consideration, was the collapse of a major investment bank.

    1 minute read

  • October 2, 2009 |

    McDermott boosts London energy with Dentons partner hire

    McDermott Will & Emery has made its third lateral hire in a month, bringing in an energy partner from Denton Wilde Sapte. David Birchall, whose work focuses on deals in the electricity, trading and carbon sectors, will become the eleventh London partner in McDermott's global energy practice. His start date is yet to be confirmed.

    1 minute read

  • October 1, 2009 |

    Stars at the Bar

    Without the well-honed PR teams of many a law firm and legally unable to promote themselves, barristers rely to a great extent on the recommendations of peers and instructing solicitors for reputation and referral. Unlike the majority of their solicitor counterparts, many commercial barristers will turn their hand to several sectors of the law. And not only do they need to be team players, working closely with law firm partners, they also need to be savvy with strong client skills.

    1 minute read

  • September 30, 2009 |

    Quartet of firms lead on second-largest IPO of the year so far

    Four international firms have landed roles on Metallurgical Corporation of China's (MCC's) initial public offering (IPO) - the second-largest listing of the year so far. The $5.2bn (£3.2bn) raised from the sale of shares on the Shanghai and Hong Kong exchanges makes MCC the second-largest IPO this year after the $7.4bn (£4.6bn) raised by China State Construction Engineering Corporation in July.

    1 minute read

  • September 29, 2009 |

    Freshfields and Bakers advise long-term clients on $7.1bn pharma buyout

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Baker & McKenzie have taken lead roles on Abbott Laboratories' $7.1bn (£4.5bn) acquisition of pharma company Solvay's drug unit, reports The Am Law Daily. Solvay turned to a team from Freshfields led by corporate partners Geert Verhoeven in Brussels and Timothy Wilkins in New York.

    1 minute read