In with the new: Big Law rings in the changes amid City leadership shake-up

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In with the new: Big Law rings in the changes amid City leadership shake-up

For many law firms, the end of the year marks elections for various leadership positions. This year has been no exception, with DLA Piper, Osborne Clarke, TLT and Goodwin all voting in new management.

DLA has turned to IP litigator Ruth Hoy as its new office managing partner in London, taking over from London leadership stalwart Tom Heylen, who will move into the new role of UK client and sectors partner.
Continue reading “In with the new: Big Law rings in the changes amid City leadership shake-up”

HSF, Davis Polk and Eversheds act on Made.com collapse as market expects FTX fallout

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HSF, Davis Polk and Eversheds act on Made.com collapse as market expects FTX fallout

Partners from Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), Davis Polk and Eversheds Sutherland have secured advisory roles on the administration and £3.4m sale of online furniture retailer Made.com to Next.

In early November, Made.com filed notice of its intention to appoint administrators, advised by a HSF team led by London restructuring partner John Chetwood and including City corporate partners Ben Ward and Caroline Rae. Since the administration, 320 Made.com jobs have been axed as the company collapsed.
Continue reading “HSF, Davis Polk and Eversheds act on Made.com collapse as market expects FTX fallout”

Musk’s Twitter takeover sparks legal feeding frenzy, but leaves more questions than answers

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Musk’s Twitter takeover sparks legal feeding frenzy, but leaves more questions than answers

Ask any City partner about the current state of the market, and they will point to a softening in the M&A market in line with the clouds gathering over the economy. It seems no one told Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who recently completed a highly-publicised acquisition of social media giant Twitter. The initially hostile takeover pulled in some of the US’ premier law firms, but events since suggest that the legal proceedings may be only just beginning.

Musk’s headline-grabbing acquisition was completed in October. According to filings, the total payment was $44bn (£38.1bn), making the transaction one of the largest M&A deals of 2022. It also saw the company taken private, having previously been listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Continue reading “Musk’s Twitter takeover sparks legal feeding frenzy, but leaves more questions than answers”

SRA defends year-long striking off process for Eversheds trainee convicted of sexual assault

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SRA defends year-long striking off process for Eversheds trainee convicted of sexual assault

After yet another galling sexual misconduct episode to blight the profession, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has come out swinging after accusations it was slow to act.

In October 2021, former Eversheds Sutherland trainee Thomas Hagyard was jailed for eight years after being convicted of two counts of assault by penetration, and two counts of sexual assault. Hagyard had joined Eversheds only a month prior. Continue reading “SRA defends year-long striking off process for Eversheds trainee convicted of sexual assault”

Womble Bond-BDB Pitmans: The data driving the national tie-up talks

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Womble Bond-BDB Pitmans: The data driving the national tie-up talks

The Legal 500’s Ben Wheway takes a look at the rationale behind the proposed merger and what a combined firm could look like

The latest merger news to hit the headlines involves two firms which have been down this road before – Womble Bond Dickinson and BDB Pitmans.

On the Womble Bond side, the 2013 union of Newcastle’s Dickinson Dees and Bristol’s Bond Pearce created Bond Dickinson, which then combined with US firm Womble Carlyle in 2016. Meanwhile, BDB Pitmans was formed by the 2018 merger of London’s Bircham Dyson Bell and South-East firm Pitmans. Continue reading “Womble Bond-BDB Pitmans: The data driving the national tie-up talks”

Life During Law: Robbie McLaren

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Life During Law: Robbie McLaren

University in my family was always something vocational. I hated science, so that was doctor and vet out the way. I did an accounting internship and found that just a bit dull. That really left law. That was basically it.

Studying law at university was awful. I enjoyed arts subjects at school, history and geography. I quickly realised that, when you’re studying at school, you’re rewarded for creativity. Studying law, you’re not. The first couple of years were just the building blocks of the legal system and it was very much – ‘this is what the rules are, you need to know them and apply them to the facts’. Overall, I’d give it a six out of ten, but the first two years were more like a three out of ten. Continue reading “Life During Law: Robbie McLaren”

The Legal 500 View: Chart-toppers: the elite firms dominating this year’s UK Legal 500 rankings

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The Legal 500 View: Chart-toppers: the elite firms dominating this year’s UK Legal 500 rankings

UK editors Georgina Stanley (pictured) and Ben Wheway take a deep dive into the performance of the Legal Business 100 firms in the most recent UK Legal 500 research

Spotting trends across research as vast and wide-ranging as The Legal 500 UK Solicitors isn’t always straightforward. The research by Legal Business’s sibling title is unique in the depth and granularity with which it covers the UK market, identifying the market-leading law firms everywhere from the upper echelons of the premium private equity market in London to agriculture and estates in Scotland. Continue reading “The Legal 500 View: Chart-toppers: the elite firms dominating this year’s UK Legal 500 rankings”

Baker McKenzie breaks up UAE alliance following homophobic tweets

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Baker McKenzie breaks up UAE alliance following homophobic tweets

Baker McKenzie in September announced that it is ‘parting ways’ with Dr Habib Al Mulla, name partner of member firm Habib Al Mulla & Partners, following a series of anti-gay Twitter comments.

Confirming that the ‘separation process is underway’, the firm said in a statement that it ‘strongly believes that however much we may disagree with the beliefs and personal views of others, we must find ways to disagree respectfully, encourage inclusive dialogue and to ensure an inclusive work environment for all.’ Continue reading “Baker McKenzie breaks up UAE alliance following homophobic tweets”

EU parliament eyes litigation funding regulation

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EU parliament eyes litigation funding regulation

The EU is gearing up to regulate the third-party litigation funding market following an EU parliamentary vote in favour of the resolution.

The regulations are intended to increase transparency, fairness and proportionality in the market, which until now has escaped formal regulation. Among the proposals is a 40% cap on the percentage of a court award or settlement that funders can claim, requirement for disclosure of third-party financing and for court awards to be sent directly to claimants. Continue reading “EU parliament eyes litigation funding regulation”

Global 100 firms expand in Asia as Dentons and Goodwin establish new bases

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Global 100 firms expand in Asia as Dentons and Goodwin establish new bases

Dentons has become the first global law firm to combine with a law firm in India, as it finalised its tie-up with full-service firm Link Legal in October.

Link Legal has five offices across India in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, as well as an existing New York office, which it launched in February 2022. It is ranked across nine practice areas in The Legal 500’s Asia-Pacific guide, with top-tier rankings in aviation and projects and energy. Continue reading “Global 100 firms expand in Asia as Dentons and Goodwin establish new bases”