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  • April 2, 2009 |

    Lovells cuts 79 City jobs; pay levels frozen

    Lovells' redundancy consultation ended with 79 legal and support staff being laid off while the firm this week also announced that all salaries will be frozen at 2008 levels. The redundancy consultation had kicked off at the beginning of February putting 96 jobs under threat. However, the firm decided to limit job cuts by redeploying some staff.

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  • April 2, 2009 |

    Slaughters to freeze salaries after pay review

    Slaughter and May has become the latest firm to freeze salaries in response to the difficult economic climate, it was announced today (2 April).Executive partner Graham White confirmed that Slaughters has opted to hold salaries across the firm at current levels as a result of its 2009 salary review. The decision, which could be reviewed again later this year, means lawyers will receive the same in 2009 as they did in 2008 despite having one year's more experience.

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  • April 2, 2009 |

    Links, Freshfields head up Q1 deal rankings

    Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have emerged as winners - or at least survivors - from Q1's battered deal markets, with the arch rivals leading many of the key M&A rankings.Mergermarket research exclusively published today (2 April) by Legal Week shows Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer topping the key European deal rankings by value, advising on 30 deals with a combined value of $91.4bn (£65bn) (see box, right). Linklaters was in fourth place, advising on 39 deals with a combined value of $59.6bn (£42.5bn), well ahead of any comparable UK rival.

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  • April 2, 2009 |

    Simmons delays partner round to set out new three-year plan

    Simmons & Simmons has pushed back its new partner elections by two months. The law firm has delayed its vote on partner promotions from April until June in order to focus on developing a fresh three-year business plan. Partners met in London last month to hear managing partner Mark Dawkins outline the firm's plans, which are set to go to a partner vote by the end of April.

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  • April 1, 2009 | International Edition

    Commentary: Northern Rock payout shows City the value of public service

    Before M&A fell off a cliff, it is fair to say acting for the Government was not seen by most City law firms as particularly glamorous or lucrative. Many top London firms, until recently, went as far as to actively avoid Whitehall, citing low rates and conflict problems. This is in stark contrast to the US, where elite law firms routinely seek cutting-edge public work with scant regard for fee levels.

    1 minute read

  • April 1, 2009 |

    Commentary: Northern Rock payout shows City the value of public service

    Before M&A fell off a cliff, it is fair to say acting for the Government was not seen by most City law firms as particularly glamorous or lucrative. Many top London firms, until recently, went as far as to actively avoid Whitehall, citing low rates and conflict problems. This is in stark contrast to the US, where elite law firms routinely seek cutting-edge public work with scant regard for fee levels.

    1 minute read

  • April 1, 2009 |

    Time to focus on clients' health

    There has been plenty of cost cutting at law firms of late - and, unsurprisingly, in-house lawyers are asking where the savings will go."I hope firms are scaling back in an intelligent way that will make them more competitive," says Bupa general counsel (GC) Paul Newton. "The bottom line is that some of these savings have got to find their way into clients' pockets, not just partners' pockets."

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  • March 30, 2009 |

    Top firms head up Scots building society rescue

    A raft of City firms have landed lead roles on the rescue of Scottish building society Dunfermline. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy (A&O) and SJ Berwin are all advising on the rescue package, which will see parts of Dunfermline's businesses transferred to Nationwide Building Society and DBS Bridge Bank, which has been set up as a temporary measure by the Bank of England.The remaining portions of Dunfermline's business have been placed into administration, with KPMG appointed as administrator.

    1 minute read

  • March 26, 2009 |

    The write stuff - Kaplan Law School essay competition

    As the recession continues to bite, students are finding that training contracts are in increasingly short supply. Last week magic circle firms Slaughter…

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  • March 26, 2009 |

    Slaughters makes up just two in partnership round

    Slaughter and May has become the second magic circle firm to announce its partnership promotions - making up half as many new partners as last year. The firm has promoted two lawyers to its partnership, down from four in 2008 and five in 2007. David Ives (pictured left) and Michael Lane (pictured right) will both join the firm's tightly-guarded partnership on 1 May, respectively bolstering numbers in the firm's tax and outsourcing, intellectual property and technology practices.

    1 minute read