In the game – will new rules on success fees see litigators take a gamble?

Posted on | Analysis |

Three years after the Jackson review, reforms to litigation costs have finally arrived. But one change in particular, damages-based agreements, has polarised disputes lawyers. Can contingency fees work in mainstream commercial litigation? When Lord Justice Jackson completed his year-long review of costs in civil litigation in January 2010 he proposed, in his words, ‘a coherent …

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Outward Bound – Portugal lawyers turn to global opportunities

Posted on | Portugal |

Portugal continues to navigate a deep recession, aided by its legal profession. But while the sale of state assets is providing some relief, firms are looking to their international practices to provide a bailout of their own. The normally sedate setting of the Ritz Hotel in Lisbon became the focal point of Portugal’s malaise in …

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Keep Calm and Carry On – Cyprus’ lawyers face up to the worst

Posted on | Cyprus |
Keep Calm and Carry On – Cyprus’ lawyers face up to the worst

Beware the Ides of March: for two weeks earlier this year, the world held its collective breath as Cyprus teetered on the brink. What began with Cypriot banks closing their doors to prevent a run ended with recently installed president Nicos Anastasiades signing a bailout deal with the Troika that he hopes will save the …

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BT and Carillion to expand external legal services

Posted on | In-House |

BT and Carillion have separately extended their legal arms recently to offer more external legal services. BT Law launched in early March after the telecoms giant received an alternative business structure (ABS) licence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). BT Law will provide services to customers in the motor claims market and will expand into …

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Risk management and professional indemnity survey 2013: Counting the Cost

Posted on | Analysis |

While the end of the assigned risks pool may encourage more insurers into the market, professional indemnity insurance for law firms is as competitively priced as ever. As law firms experience constant pressure to rein in costs, the pricing of professional indemnity insurance (PII) is high on the agenda. As PII is typically law firms’ …

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Risk management and professional indemnity survey 2013: Finding the Balance

Posted on | Analysis |

New reporting requirements under the SRA’s outcomes-focused regulations have put additional pressure on risk teams’ resources but finding the right individuals for the new COLP and COFA roles has been the top priority. Risk teams have been pulled in many directions in the last few years but top of their agenda throughout 2012 was going …

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Barclays begins search for new general counsel

Posted on | News review |

Barclays, one of the UK’s largest banks, has started its hunt for a new general counsel (GC) following the retirement of Mark Harding. Harding’s decision to step down was announced in early February and comes after ten years at the bank. In a statement, the bank’s chief executive Antony Jenkins said that the rationale behind …

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Manchester market takes another hit as Cobbetts seeks saviours

Posted on | Blogs |

With Manchester-based Cobbetts on the verge of administration, signalling increasingly difficult market conditions in the north, local rivals will surely be able to snap up some bargains and save jobs. The firm, ranked 62nd in the LB100, announced on 30 January that it was seeking to obtain ‘statutory moratorium to enable a sale of the …

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