DWF has broken into Asia for the first time, opening a Singapore office to expand its growing regional client offering. In June, DWF recruited a four-lawyer team formerly from Eversheds.
Continue reading “‘Most important strategic step’: DWF breaks into Asia with Singapore start-up”
The Collora buyout gives Hogan Lovells access to a new market within the US. It will gain Collora’s expertise in life sciences and healthcare, as well as its financial services and technology clients. After the deal completes, Hogan Lovells and Collora will share over 500 life sciences lawyers.
Continue reading “Hogan Lovells opens new Boston office in Collora buyout”
I come from a big family. The only male. I have four sisters and was exposed to the talent and influence of women very early on.
My father’s influence led me into law. He had a very small law firm, just himself and another partner. And he was obsessed with me as his successor to get into law but in a different way from him. He was visionary enough to see that the law was going to change and it was better for me to do something different.
When I was 11-years old a teacher asked us to write down what we were going to do when we left school. I said ‘solicitor’. Half the class didn’t know what that was. My uncle was a solicitor and it seemed interesting. He used to do quite a bit of criminal law so I got it in my head I would do that.
Coming out of university I didn’t feel ready to go straight to law school. I wanted to experience the world. Two options: go travelling (but I had no money and a huge overdraft) and the other one was to do something different, so I joined the Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
Continue reading “Life during law: Lee Ranson, Eversheds Sutherland”
As Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer continues its profitability drive, almost a quarter of the global partnership is expected to be on the firm’s second-tier lockstep as early as 2020.
When the firm introduced the second-tier lockstep around three years ago, less than 10% of the then 400-strong partnership was on the separate track. However, from 2020, the proportion of the partnership on the second lockstep is expected to be a quarter.
While Herbert Smith Freehills became embroiled in a very public court battle over a team defection to White & Case in Australia earlier this year, Simmons & Simmons has quietly amended its partnership deed following a group exit to Allen & Overy (A&O) in 2016.
In the space of four months from last summer, Simmons lost four intellectual property (IP) partners to A&O, including highly-regarded patent specialist Marjan Noor in June, followed by London IP head Marc Döring in August, and Mark Heaney and David Stone in September.
Continue reading “Simmons amends partnership deed following A&O departures”
While Herbert Smith Freehills became embroiled in a very public court battle over a team defection to White & Case in Australia earlier this year, Simmons & Simmons has quietly amended its partnership deed following a group exit to Allen & Overy (A&O) in 2016.
In the space of four months from last summer, Simmons lost four intellectual property (IP) partners to A&O, including highly-regarded patent specialist Marjan Noor in June, followed by London IP head Marc Döring in August, and Mark Heaney and David Stone in September.
Continue reading “Simmons amends partnership deed following A&O departures”
Angry shareholders, rising demands for transparency, tougher regulation, declining trust in business and the need to access new markets. Just some of the reasons why a growing number of plcs are moving to improve their focus on long-term performance and ethical standards… and calling in their general counsel (GCs) to help.
As part of an Insight report on sustainability, Legal Business gathered responses from more than 250 senior in-house counsel to gauge the extent that such initiatives are impacting on the day jobs of plc law chiefs.
Continue reading “GCs take on corporate sustainability briefs as plcs strive to protect brands”
Following National Grid’s £13.8bn separation of its gas distribution business to create Cadent, general counsel Mark Cooper will hold a panel review later this year.
Since its spin-off, a roster of 12 firms that previously acted for National Grid continues to advise Cadent. The firms are Addleshaw Goddard, CMS Cameron McKenna, DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland, Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Bircham Dyson Bell, Dentons, Irwin Mitchell, Norton Rose Fulbright and Shakespeare Martineau.
Continue reading “GC for National Grid spin-off to overhaul adviser roster this year”
Partnership votes to raise compensation levels two years after last shake-up
In its most recent bid to compete with high-paying US rivals, Clifford Chance (CC) last month voted through another round of changes to its remuneration structure, two years after last introducing more flexibility to its system.
Continue reading “‘Fiddling around the edges’: CC votes for more lockstep reform to keep pace”
