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  • October 15, 2008 |

    Ashurst to Ashurst

    What with the financial world staring into an abyss, a critical US presidential election and The X Factor back on telly, you wouldn't have thought it was a particularly good time to get away for your average City lawyer.Not so at The Diary's favourite firm Ashurst. Owing to concerns that a lavish partner weekend in say, Cannes, would not set an appropriate example, the firm appears to have branched out into the leafy Hampshire market with the launch of Ashurst camping ground (pictured). The Diary imagines incumbent senior partner Geoffrey Green leading the campfire sing-songs, while Simon Bromwich plays practical jokes on the tax partners and Charlie Geffen burns the bangers on the BBQ.All in all, a perfect way for Ashurst staff to stay on message and live the brand all year round.

    1 minute read

  • October 9, 2008 |

    Expansive Ashurst beefs up its City real estate practice with senior planning recruit from BLP

    Ashurst has doubled the partner count in its City planning team with the hire of a partner from Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP). The top 10 City firm has appointed Trevor Goode as a partner in its planning and public sector group, where he will act alongside department head Anthony Curnow. Goode, who specialises in planning, development and urban regeneration, is expected to join Ashurst in early November although final details are still being confirmed. He has key relationships with high-profile clients including Grosvenor and Tesco and he has recently advised on matters including the planning and compulsory purchase orders and subsequent land acquisition relating to the Liverpool One development.Goode's hire takes Ashurst's City planning team to two partners and nine associates, with further expansion of both the planning team and the broader real estate group expected.Ashurst real estate head Adrian Dear told Legal Week: "Goode's reputation will be a great boost to our planning practice in London. We are confident he will make a substantial contribution to the achievements of the group and the wider real estate practice." The appointment follows a number of lateral partner hires for Ashurst so far this year. In August, it boosted its securities team with the hire of Dechert's Islamic finance head, Abradat Kamalpour, while in July it added energy, transport and infrastructure partner Jason Radford from City rival Lovells. The firm is also setting its sights on international expansion, with the launch of its first China practice in Hong Kong expected in early 2009. Incumbent senior partner Geoffrey Green will launch the office with City corporate partner Robert Ogilvy-Watson.Goode's departure leaves BLP's planning and environment team with seven partners and more than 20 fee earners.

    1 minute read

  • October 9, 2008 | International Edition

    Trio of partners join ranks of BME role models in directory

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer real estate partner Annette Byron, Ashurst private equity partner David Carter and Allen & Overy banking and finance litigation partner Arnondo Chakrabarti are among the black and minority ethnic (BME) lawyers named as role models in this year's edition of Black Letter Law. The annual publication, put together by the Black Lawyers Directory (BLD), lists more than 100 black and ethnic minority partners as role models across the UK's top 100 law firms. The latest issue - launched today (9 October), also cites silks including attorney general Baroness Scotland and 23 Essex Street Chambers' Anesta Weekes, best known for her role as counsel to the Stephen Lawrence enquiry, named.BLD founder Debo Nwauzu, said: "The guide is considerably longer this year as we have identified so many more BMEs for inclusion, particularly partners in the leading commercial law firms, heads and directors of law, professors of law and general counsel."The launch comes as the association calls for applications for the 2009 intake of its Legal Launch Pad scheme, which targets minority ethnic law students and non-law students at university. The programme, primarily sponsored by DLA Piper and Barclays Legal, aims to teach students about the legal profession and provide them with work experience.

    1 minute read

  • October 9, 2008 |

    Trio of partners join ranks of BME role models in directory

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer real estate partner Annette Byron, Ashurst private equity partner David Carter and Allen & Overy banking and finance litigation partner Arnondo Chakrabarti are among the black and minority ethnic (BME) lawyers named as role models in this year's edition of Black Letter Law. The annual publication, put together by the Black Lawyers Directory (BLD), lists more than 100 black and ethnic minority partners as role models across the UK's top 100 law firms. The latest issue - launched today (9 October), also cites silks including attorney general Baroness Scotland and 23 Essex Street Chambers' Anesta Weekes, best known for her role as counsel to the Stephen Lawrence enquiry, named.BLD founder Debo Nwauzu, said: "The guide is considerably longer this year as we have identified so many more BMEs for inclusion, particularly partners in the leading commercial law firms, heads and directors of law, professors of law and general counsel."The launch comes as the association calls for applications for the 2009 intake of its Legal Launch Pad scheme, which targets minority ethnic law students and non-law students at university. The programme, primarily sponsored by DLA Piper and Barclays Legal, aims to teach students about the legal profession and provide them with work experience.

    1 minute read

  • October 8, 2008 |

    ...Legal Week Lunchbox: 09/10/08...

    The five most popular articles on legalweek.com today; the pick of the day's posts; and more

    1 minute read

  • October 8, 2008 |

    Crunch balls II

    Fresh news that the credit crunch may be making law firms eager to give clients that little bit of extra added-value has reached The Diary's Soho command bunker. Either that or life as a lawyer at Ashurst now incorporates cleaning, dusting and stacking shelves as the City thoroughbred gears up to put the finishing touches on the massive Westfield London shopping complex, which is getting ready to open in the west of the capital.

    1 minute read

  • October 8, 2008 |

    Dewey & LeBoeuf joins Travers on Nomura panel

    Dewey & LeBoeuf and Travers Smith have both won new roles on Japanese investment bank Nomura's panel. Norton Rose was also a new appointment to the panel, joining Allen & Overy, SJ Berwin, Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Ashurst and Osborne Clarke, which were all reappointed.

    1 minute read

  • October 8, 2008 |

    Akin Gump launches new Abu Dhabi office

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has launched an office in Abu Dhabi today (8 October). The launch comes after the firm closed down its office in Dubai in January this year. The US firm's Abu Dhabi presence will be headed by corporate partner Natasha Kohne who has relocated from New York.

    1 minute read

  • October 6, 2008 |

    BLP to lose out following Legal & General review

    Legal & General is putting the final touches to its property panel with long-term adviser Berwin Leighton Paisner looking set to lose work to rival firms.It is understood that existing advisers including Eversheds and LG will pick up much of the insurer's property work, alongside Olswang, which is thought to have been added to the roster.

    1 minute read

  • October 2, 2008 |

    Nomura finalises closely-watched Euro line-up as Lehman deal goes through

    Japanese investment bank Nomura has finalised its new European legal panel.Allen & Overy, Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, SJ Berwin, Ashurst and Osborne Clarke are all understood to have been re-appointed to the panel following a review led by European general counsel Mark Chapman. Norton Rose has been cited as a new addition to the roster, with the panel appointment coming within weeks of the London law firm also securing a new appointment to the panel of insurer Ace European Group. Nomura last reviewed its preferred adviser list three years ago when former Linklaters managing partner Terence Kyle, then the bank's European general counsel, led the process. Kyle retired from the bank last year to join mentoring consulting group IDDAS with Chapman appointed as his replacement late in 2007. Chapman, previously a lawyer with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, joined Nomura's legal department in 2000.News of the panel review comes after Nomura sealed a deal to take on fallen investment bank Lehman Brothers' Asia-Pacific operations as well its European and Middle Eastern equities and investment banking businesses.The deal, which generated roles for law firms including Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Freshfields for Nomura, is expected to save thousands of jobs at the defunct bank. It had initially been feared that the entire Lehman legal team in the UK could lose their jobs but last month's rescue deal by Nomura is expected to save many of the 2,500 jobs across those divisions. Details are still to be finalised but a number of London legal staff are already understood to have been granted a temporary reprieve - including as many as 14 members of staff from the bank's Canary Wharf-based documentation team, who had initially been thought likely to leave the bank last week. In addition, the future of the bank's equity derivatives and structured products legal team, headed up by Bhavesh Dattani, also looks more certain, with both legal teams likely to remain in place at least until the end of October. Nomura declined to comment on either the panel or the number of legal staff likely to join from Lehman.

    1 minute read