Simon Davis has had quite a start to his one-year term as the 175th president of the Law Society of England and Wales. Taking office just a few weeks before Boris Johnson was appointed Prime Minister in July, the Clifford Chance (CC) litigation partner faced the reality of a nation that was heading for a …
Continue reading “Dealing with no deal – Can top law firms cope with a chaotic Brexit?”
Allen & Overy has lost two well-respected London corporate partners to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom just days after the magic circle firm confirmed the collapse of its merger talks with US firm O’Melveny & Myers. Simon Toms and George Knighton have quit A&O, inflicting a considerable hit on its M&A capabilities ten days …
Continue reading “Bad timing – A&O loses M&A duo to Skadden following failed US merger talks”
Dentons is showing no sign of slowing its expansion spree of late, making it ten tie-ups in less than two months after announcing it is to enter another five African countries and add a further 54 lawyers to its ranks. The 10,000-lawyer firm said it is to combine with a firm each in Angola, Morocco, …
Continue reading “Dentons furthers pan-African play as it announces five new local deals”
Baker McKenzie EMEA chief executive Fiona Carlin (pictured), Hong Kong managing partner Milton Cheng and North America head Colin Murray have made the final stage of the election process to become the firm’s next chair. Bakers’ seven-strong appointments committee drew up the shortlist of three candidates earlier this week following soundings with partners over the …
Continue reading “Three in the race to be next Bakers chair as partners prepare to vote”
Allen & Overy (A&O) employment partner Mark Mansell is to face his first Solicitor Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) hearing on Wednesday 5 December following an investigation into his role drafting a controversial non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. A spokesperson for the SDT confirmed to Legal Business yesterday (9 September) the new date …
Linklaters partner Iain Wagstaff, one of the firm’s most prominent deal lawyers, has died at the age of 44. The City firm confirmed to Legal Business today (6 September) that Wagstaff passed away on the weekend of 31 August following a cycling accident. The corporate and private equity specialist, who was married with two children, …
Dentons has capped off an expansive summer, even by its own standards, announcing it is to enter Argentina and Uruguay through its fourth and fifth combinations respectively in just over a month. The 10,000-lawyer firm announced today (4 September) it will add another 80 to its ranks by absorbing Rattagan Macchiavello Arocena in Buenos Aires and …
Continue reading “Dentons makes it five mergers in a month with Argentina and Uruguay tie-ups”
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has made what its senior partner James Palmer described as a ‘game changer’ for its Chinese practice by signing a joint operation agreement with 20-lawyer Shanghai firm Kewei. The move announced today (7 August) makes HSF the sixth Western firm to acquire PRC law capability in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone …
Hogan Lovells’ South African headcount is being slashed as its merger partner splits from the firm following a troubled six-year tie-up. The firm confirmed today (1 August) that it is undergoing a ‘restructuring’ of its South African practice that will see 71 of its lawyers set up an independent law firm, while Hogan Lovells will …
Continue reading “Hogan Lovells losing bulk of South African practice as merger partner breaks away”
Baker McKenzie and its former London head Gary Senior have instructed partners at law firms Kingsley Napley and RadcliffesLeBrasseur as they face prosecution by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT), with the first hearing scheduled for Monday 12 August. Partners at Clyde & Co and Howard Kennedy have also been instructed after the Solicitors Regulation Authority …
