‘Some difficult decisions’: Ashurst set to cull up to 80 City secretaries

‘Some difficult decisions’: Ashurst set to cull up to 80 City secretaries

Ashurst has launched a redundancy review which could result in 80% of its 100-strong secretarial team in London being axed, while a handful of secretarial roles in the Middle East are also at risk. Women will make up the majority of those in the firing line, with Ashurst stating in its March 2018 gender pay …

MoFo and Wachtell lead on T-Mobile’s $26bn ‘seismic shift’ buyout of Sprint

MoFo and Wachtell lead on T-Mobile’s $26bn ‘seismic shift’ buyout of Sprint

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Morrison & Foerster have taken the lead on T-Mobile’s takeover of fellow US telecoms operator Sprint, billed as an attempt to make the US a hotbed for innovation. The proposed $146bn combination sees Washington-headquartered T-Mobile enter into an all-stock deal to merge with Sprint. The transaction gives the Kansas-based target an …

SRA admits to A&O Weinstein probe as MPs turn up the heat on regulator for ‘cosy’ interview with City giant

SRA admits to A&O Weinstein probe as MPs turn up the heat on regulator for ‘cosy’ interview with City giant

City heavyweight Allen & Overy (A&O) is under investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for its conduct in the Weinstein saga, the regulator’s chief executive has admitted to a Parliamentary committee. The investigation into the firm’s handling of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA), drafted by A&O employment partner Mark Mansell for Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, …

‘A walk in the park’: Linklaters and A&O launch tech solutions to traverse the margin minefield

‘A walk in the park’: Linklaters and A&O launch tech solutions to traverse the margin minefield

As increasing numbers of derivatives players face a scramble to comply with Initial Market (IM) regulations, Linklaters has become the second Magic Circle firm in as many weeks to launch a service promising to take the pain and expense out of overhauling derivatives documents. Linklaters has today [25 April] unveiled ISDA Create – IM at the …

Allen & Overy makes up just two women partners in scaled back global promotion round

Allen & Overy makes up just two women partners in scaled back global promotion round

Allen & Overy (A&O) has made up only two female lawyers to partner as part of a 20-strong round unveiled in the same month the firm vowed a renewed drive towards gender diversity. The latest promotions fall below the scaled-up 2017 partner promotion round of 24 in which 10 were made up in London. Only four …

‘Top of our list’: A&O hires white-collar specialist Giles from Kingsley Napley

As the demand for criminal defence lawyers intensifies amid increased scrutiny from regulators, Allen & Overy has bolstered its firepower with the hire of white-collar crime partner Eve Giles from Kingsley Napley. Giles has been a partner at Kingsley Napley since 2009 and will become A&O’s sixth corporate crime partner later this year, joining head …

Skadden zeros out of London for second year running in global partner promotion round

While other US rivals beef up their London partner headcount, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has for the second consecutive year passed over its City office for promotions, making up 14 new partners in a heavily US-focused round. The move sees an uptick of partner promotions generally for the New York giant from last …

Five get promoted: Freshfields makes up handful of partners in London amid slimmed down global round

Five get promoted: Freshfields makes up handful of partners in London amid slimmed down global round

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has elected five London-based lawyers to its partnership from its dispute resolution and corporate practices as part of a 12-strong promotions round spanning seven offices. This was the smallest global promotions round by the firm for some years. Last year there was an 18-strong round, of which six were London-based, while five …

Different origins, same excuses: Kirkland, Bakers, Weil Gotshal and Mayer Brown reveal UK gender pay gap stats

Different origins, same excuses: Kirkland, Bakers, Weil Gotshal and Mayer Brown reveal UK gender pay gap stats

US-based firms Kirkland & Ellis, Baker McKenzie, Weil Gotshal & Manges and Mayer Brown have revealed the gulf between male and female pay for their staff in the UK, with all four firms blaming fewer senior women employees for the significant disparity between genders. As per previous disclosures from UK-based firms, all cite the preponderance …

‘A morally-lacking agreement on every level’ – A&O squirms as Parliamentary committee turns up pressure on NDAs

‘A morally-lacking agreement on every level’ – A&O squirms as Parliamentary committee turns up pressure on NDAs

Some awkward headlines are inevitable for Allen & Overy (A&O) thanks to its role in the Weinstein saga after one partner was questioned before a Parliamentary committee investigating the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in harassment cases. Mark Mansell, the employment partner who was part of the A&O team that drafted the NDA for film …