Further finance exit for BLP as Marcus Jamson joins Wedlake Bell

Posted on | Blogs |

Berwin Leighton Paisner’s (BLP’s) depleted finance department has seen a further partner exit after acquisition finance partner Marcus Jamson this month joined top LB100 UK firm Wedlake Bell. The Slaughter and May-trained lawyer specialises in domestic and international corporate lending and has over 20 years of experience acting for clearing banks, financial institutions, investment banks and …

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Bank spend – RBS warns of £3bn extra litigation costs ahead of next month’s financial results

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In a statement rushed out late yesterday (27 January) to soften the blow of its official results announcement next month, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has revealed that it is heading for a pre-tax loss of between £7bn-£8bn after setting aside an extra £3bn to cover litigation and compensation costs. The retail bank, which was …

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Profile: Maurice Woolf

Posted on | In-House |

The telecoms company’s GC discusses the challenges his company faces Maurice Woolf’s candid recollection of shifting client-side into the telecoms world will resonate with anyone familiar with those heady dot.com-influenced boom days of the 1990s – including being caught up in some of the bust. Much like many private practice lawyers, the former Denton Hall …

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41 jobs at risk at Keoghs as top 60 insurance firm blames legal services reforms

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Legal services market reforms are being blamed for job losses at Bolton-based UK top 60 insurance firm Keoghs, which has put 41 people at risk of redundancy including fee earners and support staff. The redundancies will mainly affect the firm’s Coventry office and particularly its counter-fraud services (CFS) division, as it looks to consolidate its …

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LLP latest – Herbert Smith Freehills sees its overdraft rise by 140% as borrowing totals £111m

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Significantly increased debt has been a recurring theme for many of the latest limited liability partnership (LLP) accounts filed at Companies House and Herbert Smith Freehills is no exception, with its overdraft up over 140% from £26m to £62.7m and total bank borrowing up by 28% to £110.7m. In the first accounts filed since Herbert Smith’s …

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Asia Pacific: Slaughters makes first foray into lateral market to launch US securities practice in Hong Kong

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Magic Circle firm Slaughter and May has taken the unprecedented step of making a lateral hire, recruiting US securities partner John Moore from US firm Morrison & Foerster into its Hong Kong office. Moore has been brought in to provide US securities law coverage to the Hong Kong practice and comes after much speculation that …

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Expansion for Global 100 giants as Bakers plans new offshoring centre and Reed Smith launches in Kazakhstan

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Baker & McKenzie and Reed Smith will further extend their global footprints, with Bakers looking at another low-cost offshore base after its success in Manila while Reed Smith has today (21 January) announced a new launch in Kazakhstan with the hire of one partner each from Morgan Lewis and White & Case. Bakers, which launched …

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All grown up – HSF’s Belfast volume disputes centre pilots post-merger Australian litigation

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When legacy Herbert Smith set up its volume disputes support centre in Belfast in 2011 it was, despite or perhaps because of the fact that it was at the vanguard of this kind of move, a conservatively promoted step, with initial plans to train only around 20 fee earners, including a mix of solicitors and legal assistants. …

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Revolving doors: Bird & Bird, Bond Dickinson and Simmons all make lateral moves

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The appetite shown by global elite firms to hire laterally at the start of the year has spread wider in the City, as Bird & Bird, Bond Dickinson, Simmons & Simmons and US firm Sedgwick have all been in action recently. Bird & Bird secured the hire of partner Sven-Michael Werner from rival firm Taylor …

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New year hiring spree continues as Weil Gotshal and Norton Rose recruit from rivals

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Top-20 Global 100 firms Norton Rose Fulbright and Weil, Gotshal & Manges have made significant and experienced additions to their London offices today (15 January), from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Hogan Lovells respectively. Weil Gotshal has taken on Hogan Lovells partner Chris McLaughlin to join its banking and finance practice in London. McLaughlin has extensive …

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