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  • February 6, 2008 |

    Norton Rose and DLA Piper outstrip competition in AIM client rankings

    Norton Rose and DLA Piper continue to boast the broadest base of clients listed on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM), with the duo topping new quarterly client rankings released this week.Norton Rose maintained its position of advising more AIM-listed clients than its UK rivals, with the top 10 City firm holding a client base of 65 businesses, according to Hemscott statistics.The figures - which are taken from deals during the period from the beginning of October to the beginning of January - rank DLA Piper in second place, closing the gap on Norton Rose by gaining four clients over the quarter to bring the firm to 59 in total.

    1 minute read

  • February 5, 2008 |

    Ashurst adds to Tokyo project finance team

    Ashurst has hired a new project finance partner in Japan after the addition of White & Case partner Matthias Schemuth, who joined the City giant on Monday (4 February). Schemuth becomes the third partner in Ashurst's Tokyo finance group. He spent seven years at White & Case, where he was a partner in the Hong Kong energy, infrastructure, project finance and asset finance group.

    1 minute read

  • February 5, 2008 |

    ...Legal Week Lunchbox 6/02/08...

    The five most popular articles on legalweek.com today; the pick of the day's posts; and College of Law chief exec Nigel Savage discusses the QLTT with Legal Village's Mike Semple Piggot

    1 minute read

  • January 30, 2008 |

    Hengeler counsel joins Ashurst as new partner

    Ashurst's German arm has hired Hengeler Mueller counsel Claudia Junker as a partner in its corporate practice. Junker, who has been at Hengeler since she qualified and has worked on transactions including the merger of T-Online and Deutsche Telekom, joins the City firm's Frankfurt office.

    1 minute read

  • January 24, 2008 |

    CC, A&O win Abbey panel spots in review

    High street bank Abbey has finished a review of its UK panel, dividing up its legal roster into seven divisions. The new line-up, which is now listed by corporate, commercial, capital markets, financial services, property, employment and litigation, includes most of its previous advisers.Magic circle duo Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance have won places alongside firms Ashurst, Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Lovells, Norton Rose, Dundas & Wilson, Travers Smith and long-term corporate adviser Slaughter and May. Former panel member Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer declined to tender for the work.

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2008 |

    Editor's Comment: Trying harder

    Slaughter and May's incoming senior partner, Chris Saul, is to take the helm at interesting times. Facing a globalising legal services market, for seven years under Tim Clark the firm's response has been basically to buff up its best friends network and hope for the best. Given the quality of firms involved and the efforts made, this has had some success. But for all protestations to the contrary, this model, which Saul is set to continue, is only now facing up to the reality of competing against the maturing global law firms. A related trend is the growing emergence of the big four as a replacement for the magic circle. The latter term has been a brand that has served its members very well but, despite valiant efforts from Ashurst and Herbert Smith, a successor grouping looks more likely to shrink than admit new members.

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2008 |

    A&O and Ashurst among firms under scrutiny for Pakistan government ties

    Allen & Overy (A&O), Ashurst and Arnold & Porter have found themselves under the spotlight for their links with the Government of Pakistan, in the wake of growing unease among the UK legal profession over the regime's clashes with local lawyers. The three firms have previously advised the Pakistani Government, which was recently criticised by the UK's Law Society and Bar Council for the escalating political crisis in the region which has affected the country's under-fire legal community.

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2008 |

    Metals giant Rusal appoints ex-BP legal chief

    Natural resources giant UC Rusal has appointed BP's former Russian general counsel, Kirill Alexandrov, as its new legal chief. Alexandrov joins the Russian metals giant - the world's largest producer of aluminium - from the Siberian Coal Energy Company (SUEK), which he joined in 2005 after a two-year stint as local legal chief at BP.

    1 minute read

  • January 17, 2008 | International Edition

    UK trainees avoid crunch fallout as top firms' retention soars above 90%

    Trainee retention rates across the UK's elite legal profession have remained steadfast, with many firms keeping hold of more than 90% of their intake despite a sharp dip in City lawyers' overall business confidence. Eighteen out of 25 of the UK's top firms are holding on to more than 90% of their March class of qualifying lawyers, including six firms with a 100% retention rate.

    1 minute read

  • January 17, 2008 |

    UK trainees avoid crunch fallout as top firms' retention soars above 90%

    Trainee retention rates across the UK's elite legal profession have remained steadfast, with many firms keeping hold of more than 90% of their intake despite a sharp dip in City lawyers' overall business confidence. Eighteen out of 25 of the UK's top firms are holding on to more than 90% of their March class of qualifying lawyers, including six firms with a 100% retention rate.

    1 minute read