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  • June 25, 2009 |

    Commentary: A&O bets on the IP market – but will it go the distance?

    It's not often you see magic circle firms turn to national players for lateral partner hires, but Allen & Overy (A&O) recently made an exception with the hire of intellectual property (IP) litigators Neville Cordell and Huw Evans from DLA Piper and Wragge & Co respectively. The most interesting thing about the pairing is not where the hires came from, but that a firm like A&O made them at all. Coming after a prolonged boom that saw many of the larger City firms' commitment to IP questioned while more lucrative corporate and finance work was on offer, the latest additions take A&O to six IP partners in London, three of whom will primarily focus on disputes.

    1 minute read

  • June 25, 2009 |

    Magic circle duo lead on £41bn mega-merger

    Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have won lead roles as mining giants Anglo American and Xstrata discuss a potential merger worth £41bn. Anglo-Swiss group Xstrata confirmed this week (21 June) that it had approached the board of Anglo American about a possible union.

    1 minute read

  • June 22, 2009 |

    Linklaters and Freshfields lead on £41bn mining mega-merger

    Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have won lead roles as mining giants Anglo American and Xstrata discuss a potential merger worth £41bn. Anglo-Swiss group Xstrata confirmed yesterday (21 June) that it had approached the board of Anglo American about a possible union, describing a merger between the two as "highly compelling".

    1 minute read

  • June 18, 2009 |

    Lovells becomes latest top UK firm to seal India foothold with local alliance

    Lovells has entered into a formal tie-up in India, with the top 10 City firm linking up with local player Phoenix Legal. The UK law firm is thought to have been working with Phoenix for around six months, making it the latest in a growing list of firms targeting Indian firms in preparation for the market opening up.

    1 minute read

  • June 18, 2009 |

    Slaughters steps up formal feedback for associates

    Slaughter and May is stepping up its management of associate performance, with the intention of monitoring performance after each piece of work. The reviews, which will be carried out in addition to traditional annual appraisals, were initially rolled out last year and have so far seen the biggest uptake in transactional departments. However, management is now encouraging partners to roll the measure out across all practice groups.

    1 minute read

  • June 18, 2009 |

    ITV looks to panel firms for training and pro bono ideas

    ITV is calling on its legal panel firms to supply a range of new training and pro bono initiatives. The broadcaster is launching its ITV legal excellence and responsibility programme next month, which will see it team up with panel firms for a series of training initiatives, including secondments.

    1 minute read

  • June 18, 2009 |

    Select band of law firms retain associate buy-in through recession

    Allen & Overy (A&O), Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and Norton Rose have emerged as standout performers in a flagship Legal Week project that graded law firms on the satisfaction of their lawyers. Legal Week Intelligence's (LWI's) 2009 Employee Satisfaction Survey identified the trio as top performers among the 25 largest UK law firms (see box). Other firms to secure top-five rankings were CMS Cameron McKenna and Bird & Bird.

    1 minute read

  • June 17, 2009 |

    BLP completes redundancy consultation with 85 staff laid off

    Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has completed its redundancy consultation, with the firm laying off 85 members of staff. More than half of the cuts (47) were compulsory, with 32 staff opting for voluntary redundancy and six choosing to take early retirement.

    1 minute read

  • June 12, 2009 |

    Sumption replaces Grabiner as Rock dispute nears conclusion

    The Northern Rock shareholders dispute has entered its final day of appeal, with Jonathan Sumption QC replacing Lord Grabiner QC for the Government throughout the appeal process. The three-day trial, which kicked off earlier this week (10 June) in the Court of Appeal, sees more than 150,000 private shareholders appealing a February decision which scuppered the shareholders' attempts to secure improved compensation following the nationalisation of the lender.

    1 minute read

  • June 10, 2009 |

    Consultants struggle to win partner buy-in

    City lawyers have a decidedly jaded view of the contribution of consultants to the legal profession, according to research that should provide a wake-up call to advisory professionals.

    1 minute read