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  • April 8, 2009 |

    The international high-flier

    "Evolutionary" is how British Airways' head of legal and government affairs Maria da Cunha describes the internal overhaul that saw her take over the main duties of departing general counsel Robert Webb QC last week.Da Cunha will continue her previous role, while also taking a place on the corporate security board, and will now report directly to BA chief executive Willie Walsh. Meanwhile, BA head of security Tim Steeds will take on Webb's safety and security duties.

    1 minute read

  • April 8, 2009 |

    Shearman acts for Dow Chemical on $1.7bn sale

    Shearman & Sterling has reprised its role for Dow Chemical, advising the company as it agrees to sell Rohm and Haas unit Morton International to a German agrichemicals company for $1.7bn (£1.14bn). The company will use the sale to help finance its $16.5bn (£11.1bn) buyout of Rohm, which closed last week (2 April) - a deal on which it also turned to Shearman.

    1 minute read

  • April 8, 2009 | International Edition

    Generation why?

    When it comes to law firm prestige there is no denying that the magic circle tag still works its, well, magic. And there are few other groups that buy into the brand power of these five firms more so than the student population.Given free choice to name five law firms they would rate highly, students consistently turned to the magic circle group, viewing them as offering the best career options, work-life balance, partnership prospects and training - not to mention prestige - of all law firms.

    1 minute read

  • April 8, 2009 |

    Generation why?

    When it comes to law firm prestige there is no denying that the magic circle tag still works its, well, magic. And there are few other groups that buy into the brand power of these five firms more so than the student population.Given free choice to name five law firms they would rate highly, students consistently turned to the magic circle group, viewing them as offering the best career options, work-life balance, partnership prospects and training - not to mention prestige - of all law firms.

    1 minute read

  • April 8, 2009 |

    Bakers cuts 124 US jobs in third round of layoffs

    Baker & McKenzie has announced that it is laying off 38 lawyers and cutting 86 paralegal and professional staff positions across its North American offices, writes the Am Law Daily. The firm cited the adverse impact of the economic downturn as the principal factor contributing to the cuts. The announcement marks the third round of layoffs for the 3,600-laywer global firm.In January Bakers let go of six associates in its 140-lawyer New York office. Two months later, it announced a redundancy consultation which put between 60 and 85 jobs in its London office under threat. Around 30 of those positions are expected to be lawyers, with the review expected to completed by the end of this month.

    1 minute read

  • April 7, 2009 |

    Dentons offers £10k for deferring trainees

    Denton Wilde Sapte has asked its trainees to defer their start dates by a year, offering £10,000 for those who take up the offer. The City firm has offered its September 2009, March 2010, September 2010, March 2011 and September 2011 intake a cash incentive of £7,000 for the 12-month deferral, with an additional £3,000 on offer if they take up pro bono or charitable work during the year.

    1 minute read

  • April 1, 2009 |

    Major US firms' City partner promotions hit a four-year low as only 34 make the grade

    Partner promotions at some of the largest US law firms in London hit a four-year low in 2009, with just 34 lawyers making the grade compared to 54 the year before, according to research from Legal Week. A survey of promotion trends at 28 leading US firms in London found promotions had increased each year between 2005 and 2008, before this year's fall. In 2005, 36 lawyers were made up, with that figure increasing to 38 for 2006 and 48 for 2007, before last year's bumper haul.

    1 minute read

  • April 1, 2009 |

    Orrick and Arnold & Porter step up lateral hiring in London as partners move between US firms

    Mayer Brown, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and Arnold & Porter were the most active recruiters of lateral partners among US law firms in London last year. Legal Week research has found that Orrick picked up seven new partners - with the most significant haul of five partners coming from collapsed firm Heller Ehrman, including venture law group partners Richard Eaton, Chris Grew and Struan Penwarden.

    1 minute read

  • March 30, 2009 |

    Dewey set to unveil plans for Madrid office launch

    Dewey & LeBoeuf is set to launch in Spain, with a Madrid office opening pencilled in for later this year. The US firm's New York-based corporate partner Berge Setrakian - who counts several large Iberian companies among his clients, including Telefonica and Iberdola - is leading the initiative, although it is understood that another Dewey lawyer will head up the base after its launch.The firm is planning to staff the office with internal relocations rather than local lateral hires. It is expected the plans will be finalised and unveiled in the coming weeks.

    1 minute read

  • March 19, 2009 |

    Students rate CC and A&O as most prestigious firms in new study

    Clifford Chance (CC) has inched past Allen & Overy (A&O) to be named the UK's most prestigious law firm in a major study of law student perceptions about graduate recruitment.The two firms emerge as clear brand leaders in the survey of more than 2,500 students at Russell Group Universities and Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) course providers.Predictably, magic circle rivals Linklaters, Slaughter and May and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer make up the rest of the top five in a league table dominated by international law firms, although the level of brand recognition enjoyed by firms in the bottom half of the table tails off significantly.

    1 minute read