Life During Law: David Pester

Life During Law: David Pester

My family background is in market trading, selling goods and services, so perhaps I would have gone into that if not law. My mother worked as a receptionist and my father started out as a rep, including having a bicycle to go around and see the different stores and promote the products. He ended up in marketing and business development in a bigger corporation but that’s where he started.

Home is down on the south coast in Christchurch in Dorset but I went up to the University of Manchester, which was a big deal going from a small place to a bigger one. Continue reading “Life During Law: David Pester”

Sponsored briefing: Mortgages for law firm partners – A Q&A with Emily Bernstein and Chris Duck

Sponsored briefing: Mortgages for law firm partners – A Q&A with Emily Bernstein and Chris Duck

Making partner is a huge step up for any lawyer and it is one that can have a major impact on their earning profile. We spoke to Emily Bernstein and Chris Duck, two of Investec’s private bankers working in this space, about the unique challenges they help clients overcome.

What are the biggest concerns lawyers have once they make partner? Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Mortgages for law firm partners – A Q&A with Emily Bernstein and Chris Duck”

Sponsored briefing: Taking the plunge

Sponsored briefing: Taking the plunge

The office has made a series of bold lateral hires in the last three years. What is behind this?

Suhrud Mehta (SM), co-London managing partner, Milbank: At one level you could say it has been bold and at another level you could say it just made perfect sense for us to make these moves in areas in which the firm has historically been strong. Until the right people came along, we were not prepared to take the plunge. Taking capital markets first, the focus there was to combine the strong reputation we have in leveraged finance with an equally strong capital markets practice that existed at Shearman & Sterling under Apostolos Gkoutzinis. To take a big slug of that and bolt it on to our existing leveraged finance business here was a very powerful thing to do. The combination has been electric. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Taking the plunge”

‘Getting access to the talent’ – The profession struggles to react as sweeping training reform looms

‘Getting access to the talent’ – The profession struggles to react as sweeping training reform looms

Thomas Alan reports on a lively LB debate on training the solicitors of tomorrow

With the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) primed for a 2021 launch; a new generation of lawyers entering the industry; and the partnership model under increasing strain, the legal education sector is set for its largest upheaval in a generation. Continue reading “‘Getting access to the talent’ – The profession struggles to react as sweeping training reform looms”

RPC’s surprise partnership shake-up signals focus on next generation but is the firm still playing too safe?

RPC’s surprise partnership shake-up signals focus on next generation but is the firm still playing too safe?

Marco Cillario assesses the background to RPC’s decision to abandon all-equity structure

At a November press event held by a top-25 UK law firm, Legal Business was struck by a sudden spike in the guests’ interest in RPC. The 76-partner firm has long been a respected insurance and litigation business, and solid mid-weight operator, but not generally a firm to cause too many ripples of interest among peers. Continue reading “RPC’s surprise partnership shake-up signals focus on next generation but is the firm still playing too safe?”

Three firms cut as National Grid unveils panel following ‘pay to play’ review and BAE loses longstanding legal chief

Three firms cut as National Grid unveils panel following ‘pay to play’ review and BAE loses longstanding legal chief

Anna Cole-Bailey rounds up the latest in-house panel reviews and moves

In a busy month of in-house activity, National Grid revealed the line up of its new legal panel, Lombard International embarked on creating its first-ever legal roster, and blue chips BAE Systems and Lloyds Banking Group lost senior legal heads. Continue reading “Three firms cut as National Grid unveils panel following ‘pay to play’ review and BAE loses longstanding legal chief”

A boon for Global London firms on big-ticket buyouts as US investors target hot tech assets

A boon for Global London firms on big-ticket buyouts as US investors target hot tech assets

The take-private market has cooled after a prolonged spree of deals across Europe but US investors have continued to pile cash into non-domestic assets, with Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Baker McKenzie and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett all commanding lead roles on multi-billion-dollar transactions with a tech flavour in recent weeks.

Blackstone’s proposed $3bn acquisition of a majority stake in MagicLab, the London-based dating and social networking app start-up, spelled instant attraction for transatlantic teams from Simpson Thacher and Bakers. Continue reading “A boon for Global London firms on big-ticket buyouts as US investors target hot tech assets”

Goodwin and Eversheds make bold corporate plays amid hopes of increasing City transactional firepower

Goodwin and Eversheds make bold corporate plays amid hopes of increasing City transactional firepower

Goodwin Procter and Eversheds Sutherland both made significant corporate hires in November, with the pair recruiting Kirkland & Ellis partner Carl Bradshaw and Simmons & Simmons former head of UK corporate Giles Dennison respectively.

For Goodwin, the hire of Bradshaw comes during an expansive period for the firm, particularly in private equity. He brings nine years of experience from Kirkland – four of which were as partner – and a practice that focuses on cross-border private equity deals; leveraged buyouts; carve-outs; public-to-privates; consortium deals; and co-investments. Continue reading “Goodwin and Eversheds make bold corporate plays amid hopes of increasing City transactional firepower”

Significant hires

Significant hires
  • Simmons & Simmons added to its international banking practice with the hire of Kirsty Barnes, formerly Gowling WLG’s head of banking and finance in the UK. Barnes brings with her experience in leveraged and acquisition finance, real estate finance and corporate lending transactions.
  • CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang hired pensions partner Tim Green from DWF, where he was the national head of its pensions team, advising on trustees, sponsors and government providers. Green had been at DWF for almost seven years. Continue reading “Significant hires”