New brooms – Asian coup for Bakers as Clydes, HSF and TLT announce leadership changes

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New brooms – Asian coup for Bakers as Clydes, HSF and TLT announce leadership changes

Anna Cole-Bailey rounds up the latest management reshuffles at home and abroad

The autumn saw significant c-suite changes announced at Global 100 and Legal Business 100 (LB100) players, with Baker McKenzie voting in Milton Cheng as its new chair in a victory for the Asia partnership, while the figureheads of Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), TLT and Clyde & Co will step down to pave the way for successors. Continue reading “New brooms – Asian coup for Bakers as Clydes, HSF and TLT announce leadership changes”

Dentons rejigs US structure in bid to create first ‘truly national’ American dream team

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Dentons rejigs US structure in bid to create first ‘truly national’ American dream team

He may have overseen more than 50 law firm combinations over the last decade – 12 since July alone – but Dentons chair Joe Andrew (pictured) is adamant that the double US tie-up his firm pulled off at the beginning of October is something completely different.

Pending approval by the partnerships, the 10,000-lawyer globetrotter will in January add another 300 bodies to its sprawling verein as it combines with 175-lawyer midwest firm Bingham Greenebaum Doll and 140-strong Pennsylvania-bred Cohen & Grigsby. Continue reading “Dentons rejigs US structure in bid to create first ‘truly national’ American dream team”

DWF brings post-float sales pitch to Germany as it seals Düsseldorf deal

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DWF brings post-float sales pitch to Germany as it seals Düsseldorf deal

DWF Europe chair Ulrich Jüngst aims to triple German lawyer headcount and launch in Frankfurt after opening the firm’s second international office since listing on the London Stock Exchange. DWF announced its fourth German base in Düsseldorf in October after taking over six-lawyer corporate boutique Marccus Partners.

While Marccus is not listed in any of the recognised legal directories for Germany, Jüngst described it as ‘a good fit with what we have’. ‘We want to cover the western regions in Germany and it’s much better to do that with integrated offices in Cologne and Düsseldorf,’ he told Legal Business. Continue reading “DWF brings post-float sales pitch to Germany as it seals Düsseldorf deal”

Top ranked stories in September and October

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Top ranked stories in September and October

 

Continue reading “Top ranked stories in September and October”

Significant hires

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Significant hires

Allen & Overy (A&O) suffered another significant loss with the departure of litigation partner Marc Florent to Baker McKenzie. Florent is experienced in banking disputes, particularly in the wholesale and retail banking areas, asset management, funds and sponsors on cross-border matters. A&O also lost its head of fraud Mona Vaswani to US rival Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.

Alston & Bird launched a City branch, hiring three partners for its UK finance and payments practices. Andrew Petersen joins from K&L Gates where he was head of the finance practice, alongside fellow finance partner James Spencer. The pair have worked together on real estate private equity, commercial mortgage-backed securities deals, restructuring, and debt and equity workouts. James Ashe-Taylor, former head of European antitrust at US boutique Constantine Cannon, also joins the new City office. Continue reading “Significant hires”

Life During Law: David Collins

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Life During Law: David Collins

I’m London born and bred, never lived anywhere else apart from three years in Manchester at university. Went to City of London School up the road, worked at St Martin’s Le Grand, Aldersgate Street, Fleet Street, Adelaide House in London Bridge and here [Fleet Place]. My wife would say I’m limited in a whole bunch of ways. To be honest, I don’t like to be too far from my family.

My mum was a formidable primary school teacher. I was in her school when she was deputy head at a state primary. Interesting experience. Continue reading “Life During Law: David Collins”

LB100 drives income up 9% to £26.35bn but fears mount of a chaotic no-deal as Brexit fallout spreads

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LB100 drives income up 9% to £26.35bn but fears mount of a chaotic no-deal as Brexit fallout spreads

With daily headlines reminding the City of the Brexit-induced crisis engulfing the UK, the Legal Business 100 (LB100) has shrugged off the pervasive uncertainty to post another year of robust growth.

Amid the increasing probability of the UK facing a wrenching ‘no-deal’ exit from the EU on the looming 31 October deadline, the LB100 results show the UK’s leading law firms driving collective revenues up 9% to £26.35bn. Continue reading “LB100 drives income up 9% to £26.35bn but fears mount of a chaotic no-deal as Brexit fallout spreads”

Mud sticks to Burford amid intense row but dispute funders’ rise looks assured

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Mud sticks to Burford amid intense row but dispute funders’ rise looks assured

‘Throw enough mud at a wall, and some of it will stick,’ the proverb says. But since US investor Muddy Waters published a scathing attack on third-party litigation funder Burford Capital on 7 August, the muck-slinging has not stopped.

The charges in the 25-page report were devastating. Having labelled Burford a ‘poor business masquerading as a good one’, and suggesting the company was ‘already insolvent’, more than £1bn was wiped off the listed funder’s value. Five days later, Burford enlisted Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Morrison & Foerster to pursue claims of illegal market manipulation. Continue reading “Mud sticks to Burford amid intense row but dispute funders’ rise looks assured”