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  • November 1, 2007 | International Edition

    Online special: Top City firms convert to brand values but wary of outside ratings

    Law firms are putting increasing value on the external perception of their brands, according to the results of the latest Legal Week Big Question survey, despite lingering scepticism from partners regarding 'voodoo valuations'. The survey, conducted in association with EJ Legal, follows the recent news that some of the world's top law firms are set to see themselves ranked by brand value in a new venture by the Managing Partners' Forum (MPF) and consultant Brand Finance.

    1 minute read

  • November 1, 2007 |

    UK elite to post budget-busting H1 results

    The UK's leading firms have enjoyed a strong first half of the year, despite turmoil in the credit markets, with the majority of the top 10 City firms ahead of budget for the last six months. Early indications show firms including Clifford Chance (CC) and Allen & Overy (A&O) are expecting to be well ahead of budget going into the third quarter. CC is currently reforecasting the second half of the year after revealing that it is significantly up on the same period last year.

    1 minute read

  • November 1, 2007 | International Edition

    UK elite to post budget-busting H1 results

    The UK's leading firms have enjoyed a strong first half of the year, despite turmoil in the credit markets, with the majority of the top 10 City firms ahead of budget for the last six months. Early indications show firms including Clifford Chance (CC) and Allen & Overy (A&O) are expecting to be well ahead of budget going into the third quarter. CC is currently reforecasting the second half of the year after revealing that it is significantly up on the same period last year.

    1 minute read

  • November 1, 2007 |

    Cadbury Schweppes demerger relocates lawyers in team split

    Confectionary giant Cadbury Schweppes has finalised the make-up of its legal team after confirming that it will be splitting with its drinks arm. Cadbury legal chief Hank Udow said that in the wake of the demerger, which was confirmed on 10 October, the company's 70-lawyer legal team will be split in two. Around 50 lawyers will stay at Cadbury and around 20 will join the drinks business, Americas Beverages.

    1 minute read

  • November 1, 2007 |

    Ashurst joins the London LLP gang

    Ashurst has become the latest firm to convert to a limited liability partnership (LLP). The top 10 City firm will officially become an LLP on 1 November after months of internal debate. Its offices in Italy, Japan and Sweden will not join the LLP but will remain separate legal entities affiliated with the partnership. Ashurst's conversion leaves Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Slaughter and May and Simmons & Simmons as the only top 10 City firms still to convert.

    1 minute read

  • November 1, 2007 |

    Online special: Top City firms convert to brand values but wary of outside ratings

    Law firms are putting increasing value on the external perception of their brands, according to the results of the latest Legal Week Big Question survey, despite lingering scepticism from partners regarding 'voodoo valuations'. The survey, conducted in association with EJ Legal, follows the recent news that some of the world's top law firms are set to see themselves ranked by brand value in a new venture by the Managing Partners' Forum (MPF) and consultant Brand Finance.

    1 minute read

  • October 31, 2007 |

    Herbies bags role next to Slaughters on upcoming listing of Turkish broadcaster

    Herbert Smith has landed a role alongside Slaughter and May on the upcoming London float of Turkish broadcaster Digiturk. The deal sees Herbert Smith instructed for co-ordinators and bookrunners Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse as Turkey's largest digital television company moves to complete a London listing in November. The move is expected to offer a 25% stake in the business with a value of around $550m (£270m).

    1 minute read

  • October 31, 2007 | International Edition

    Herbies bags role next to Slaughters on upcoming listing of Turkish broadcaster

    Herbert Smith has landed a role alongside Slaughter and May on the upcoming London float of Turkish broadcaster Digiturk. The deal sees Herbert Smith instructed for co-ordinators and bookrunners Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse as Turkey's largest digital television company moves to complete a London listing in November. The move is expected to offer a 25% stake in the business with a value of around $550m (£270m).

    1 minute read

  • October 31, 2007 |

    The Bar: Team spirit

    Today's commercial barristers need to be different. They can no longer get away with the 'eccentric genius' profile that still persists in some media depictions of the profession. They must understand the clients they are representing as much as their solicitors, and one of the main attributes instructing law firms insist on is that they are team players. Not only must they have the skills needed to win work and cases in the 21st century commercial arena, the process put in place to achieve the status of Queen's Counsel (QC) since 2005 has meant that the hurdles to jump from pupil to silk have got higher. And questions remain about the future of the Silk system. Last month the selection panel warned that the second round of QC awards was unlikely to be announced before January - 18 months after the first batch of silks were unveiled under the revamped kitemark.

    1 minute read

  • October 31, 2007 |

    Corporate Counsel: The success scale

    The task of ranking law firms, for years the preserve of hefty legal directories, now appears to be a challenge that a handful of major clients are ready to take on. In this case, corporate counsel who are under pressure to show they are getting value from their legal spending are searching for ways to monitor, codify and, perhaps even share information on the performance of external counsel. This is not, in itself, new. Stumbling attempts to rank advisers began to emerge in the late 1990s with the introduction of panels and commoditisation of some areas of legal services. However, such attempts were generally stuttering and unsuccessful.

    1 minute read