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  • February 4, 2008 |

    College of Law gears up to fight QLTT changes

    The College of Law has instructed Matrix Chambers' Rabinder Singh QC in response to changes made by the Solicitor Regulation Authority (SRA) to the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT) - changes the College claims could breach anti-discrimination legislation. The College instructed Singh last month after the SRA toughened up its requirements for foreign lawyers looking to practise in the UK, who must now study under a UK-qualified lawyer for a year - replacing the previous requirement of two years' common law experience.

    1 minute read

  • January 31, 2008 |

    Editor's Comment: A little democracy

    For a firm with a reputation for ambivalence regarding management, Allen & Overy (A&O) can't be faulted for injecting a serious dose of democracy into its upcoming leadership elections. The process will not only see dual contested elections for its senior and managing partner posts, but it is a long time since a law firm has put forward such an array of experienced candidates; instead of an uncontested election or a race that pits new broom against old guard, A&O has rolled out the heavyweights on this one.

    1 minute read

  • January 30, 2008 |

    A&O keeps up the pace post-Vinter to dominate global projects league

    Allen & Overy (A&O) has topped the closely-watched global project finance league tables, storming ahead of rivals in both value and volume rankings. The 2007 Infrastructure Journal tables for legal advisers on global project finance deals show A&O leading the way after advising on 82 deals with a combined value of $68bn (£34.2bn).

    1 minute read

  • January 30, 2008 | International Edition

    Commentary: Market turmoil sees revival of the M&A Renaissance men

    They say a change can be as good as a rest so, for anxious lawyers facing turbulent commercial markets, a change can start to look a lot better than the alternative. You can seen such logic in recent initiatives from three of London's leading firms that, in different ways, will promote movement of staff between teams and offices. Perhaps the most striking move has come from Allen & Overy (A&O), which has put in place a number of measures to encourage staff to move to busier areas or locations. Managing partner David Morley says: "It is about making sure we are flexible to adapt to market conditions and client needs. We have invested time in looking at how we can build up practices and overcome concerns, giving training so it is less scary. Giving people a new opportunity they can be excited about is also one of the objectives."

    1 minute read

  • January 30, 2008 |

    Commentary: Market turmoil sees revival of the M&A Renaissance men

    They say a change can be as good as a rest so, for anxious lawyers facing turbulent commercial markets, a change can start to look a lot better than the alternative. You can seen such logic in recent initiatives from three of London's leading firms that, in different ways, will promote movement of staff between teams and offices. Perhaps the most striking move has come from Allen & Overy (A&O), which has put in place a number of measures to encourage staff to move to busier areas or locations. Managing partner David Morley says: "It is about making sure we are flexible to adapt to market conditions and client needs. We have invested time in looking at how we can build up practices and overcome concerns, giving training so it is less scary. Giving people a new opportunity they can be excited about is also one of the objectives."

    1 minute read

  • January 30, 2008 |

    Debevoise picks up £805m private equity role as US firms eye London funds arena

    Debevoise & Plimpton's City arm has advised Exponent Private Equity on the closure of an £805m fund, marking the latest example of US law firms edging into the UK funds arena. London private equity partner Geoffrey Kittredge led the Debevoise team, assisted by tax partners Richard Ward in the UK and Peter Schuur in New York.

    1 minute read

  • January 30, 2008 |

    The next level

    Technology, as IT guru Richard Susskind and others have been telling us for years, has the capacity to transform the way law firms do business, making them leaner, meaner organisations that are better able to respond to client needs and provide the working experience that their employees demand. Yet while efficiency gains have been achieved, many of the fundamentals of legal practice remain much as they have ever been and legal technology has, so far, been deployed primarily to make traditional methods of doing things quicker. After so many false dawns, it is perhaps unsurprising that the combination of the words 'legal' and 'IT' have a glazing effect on the eyes of many law firm managers.

    1 minute read

  • January 25, 2008 | International Edition

    Wells faces Dejonghe in A&O leadership battle; Morley tipped for senior partner

    Four candidates have emerged for the senior management roles at Allen & Overy as the City giant gears up for an overhaul of its top brass. Belgian managing partner and corporate co-head Wim Dejonghe will face senior finance partner Boyan Wells in a race for the managing partner position that is set to be hotly contested.

    1 minute read

  • January 25, 2008 |

    Wells faces Dejonghe in A&O leadership battle; Morley tipped for senior partner

    Four candidates have emerged for the senior management roles at Allen & Overy as the City giant gears up for an overhaul of its top brass. Belgian managing partner and corporate co-head Wim Dejonghe will face senior finance partner Boyan Wells in a race for the managing partner position that is set to be hotly contested.

    1 minute read

  • January 25, 2008 |

    Paris boutique Lussan lands SocGen fraud role

    Paris boutique Lussan & Associes has landed a profile-raising mandate to advise Societe Generale on its lawsuit against a trader accused of defrauding the French lender and causing losses of around €4.9bn (£3.7bn). Lussan partner Francois Martineau, whose broad practice covers M&A, banking, business crimes and insolvency, is leading the team advising SocGen on its claim against the trader, Jerome Kerviel.

    1 minute read