Legal Business

Revolving doors: Osborne Clarke and RPC strengthen City practices as WFW makes major New York hire

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Strategic recruitment Osborne ClarkeRPCWatson Farley and Williams
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Several LB100 firms have announced a range of lateral hires this week, with Osborne Clarke, Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), RPC and DAC Beachcroft all adding new partners.

Osborne Clarke boosted its London real estate team by adding two partners, Jo Footitt and Louise Cartwright, from Irwin Mitchell.

Footitt, previously a partner at legacy firm SJ Berwin and later Irwin Mitchell, has experience acting for developers, lenders, investors and land owners. Cartwright, who trained at SJ Berwin before joining Irwin Mitchell in 2010, making partner in 2014, specialises in the industrial and retail sectors.

Osborne Clarke head of project, real estate and finance Tim Simmonds said: ‘Both Jo and Louise are highly regarded practitioners with a track record of delivering strong results.’

RPC has also been recruiting in London, hiring international trade specialist Stuart Shepherd from Ince & Co to join its commercial disputes team in London. RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough said Shepherd’s arrival would add ‘significant extra firepower’ to the firm’s offering on litigation and large scale disputes.

Bolstering its Newcastle office, DAC Beachcroft has recruited a four-lawyer professional indemnity team from Manchester-based DWF. DAC Beachcroft bring in former Newcastle Law Society president Helen Ager, as well as fellow partner Tom Whitfield and two further solicitors. The move follows last month’s hires, when the firm added seven partners, also from DWF, to its Newcastle office.

In New York, WFW has added to its litigation practice, bringing in former Mishcon de Reya partner and head of civil litigation and white collar defence Joshua Sohn. Sohn has 20 years’ experience in commercial and regulatory issues and brings a team of three associates with him to WFW.

matthew.field@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

RPC targets in-house lawyers with second management consultancy business

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Innovation RPC
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RPC has launched a management consultancy business in a bid to ‘help senior in-house lawyers improve their operational efficiency and personal effectiveness.’

Dubbed RPC Perform, the consultancy is headed by Julia Chain, who joined the firm last year from JSC Associates and is formerly managing director of Huron Consulting. Prior to that Chain served as general counsel of T-Mobile.

The new venture, based in the London office, will offer three core services to in-house lawyers including strategic and operational efficiency, managing relationships with external law firms, and soft skills, including team, personal and leadership development.

In what was a rare move by a LB100 firm last year RPC established a new management consultancy business to target core insurance sector clients, and hired Rory O’Brien, the former global head of risk consulting and software at Towers Watson, to spearhead the venture.

Chain (pictured) told Legal Business she was surprised at how interested GCs are in getting the relevant support.

She added: ‘The differentiator is we are separate from the law firm. Although we work on multi-disciplinary projects we are independent. We practice what we preach – I always rally against hourly fees and am for a fixed or capped fee.’

‘The role of GC is currently so diverse – the real challenge is the role – which is a hotchpotch to date – is beginning to coalesce into something that manages enterprise risk, guiding the c-suite through choppy waters and really focusing on the strategic issues facing the business. GCs are now saying we need teams that can cope with the new responsibilities and add real value.’

Managing partner Jonathan Watmough added: ‘What’s clear is that, in an increasingly regulated and complex global risk environment, the role of the GC has changed immeasurably, with in-house lawyers these days needing to perform at a much higher level and across a significantly broader business landscape than before.’

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Promotions 2016: Holman Fenwick goes global in nine-strong partner round as RPC makes up City trio

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Partnership promotions Holman Fenwick WillanRPC
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With promotions season in full swing, Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) and City law firm RPC  are the latest to announce their numbers, with HFW electing nine new partners to ‘drive international expansion’.

The 427-lawyer firm has boosted its partner ranks within its aviation, commodities, insurance, shipping, corporate, and employment practices across London, Geneva, Paris, Singapore and Shanghai. It is a notable increase on last year’s promotion round of four, while six of the 2016 promotions are in HFW’s foreign offices. The nine-strong round includes four female partners. HFW senior partner Richard Crump said: ‘We continue to invest in our strategy of international growth in our core sectors.’

Meanwhile, RPC’s new partners include corporate specialist Nigel Collins, who serves as head of the firm’s Japan desk; IP and technology lawyer Ciara Cullen, who focuses on brand protection, licensing and sponsorship arrangements, and construction and engineering lawyer Jonathan Hutt. The promotions take effect on 1 May.

RPC operates an all-equity model and has 75 partners and over 300 other lawyers. Other investments in 2016 by RPC – which last year promoted four new partners – include a tie-up with Singapore firm Premier Law as it targets claims against major banks.

On the latest promotions, RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough (pictured) said: ‘Nigel, Ciara and Jonathan bring with them an enthusiasm and commitment to RPC’s future. With an all-equity model, we welcome them as genuine owners of the business.’

Other firms to announce promotions in recent weeks include Irwin Mitchell, which appointed six females partners in a 13-strong round; as well as Olswang, which made up two partners firm-wide including one in the City. Nabarro, meanwhile, promoted five partners.

Sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

 

Holman Fenwick Willan promotions:

  • Pauline Arroyo, insurance, Paris
  • Simon Clark, employment, London
  • Trevor Fox, shipping, Shanghai
  • Matthew Gore, corporate, London
  • Sarah Hunt, commodities, Geneva
  • Angie Lo, shipping, Hong Kong
  • Scott Pilkington, shipping, Singapore
  • Kate Seaton, aviation, Singapore
  • Zohar Zik, aviation, London

RPC promotions:

  • Nigel Collins, corporate
  • Ciara Cullen, IP & technology
  • Jonathan Hutt, construction & projects
Legal Business

Access to Asia: RPC seals Singapore tie-up as it targets banking litigation

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Asia RPC
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UK law firm RPC has agreed a tie-up with Singapore firm Premier Law as it seeks out claims against the major banks. The joint venture is to go live on 1 May this year. 

The new venture, called RPC Premier Law, will handle banking and financial dispute resolution, M&A, insurance, marine and restructuring work in Singapore. The joint venture, which allows RPC to practise Singapore law for the first time, takes the firm up to 17 lawyers in the city-state.

RPC had a two-partner outpost in Singapore before the tie-up, after launching an office in early 2012. It will combine with Premier Law, which launched in 2007, and also has two partners.

Premier Law is run by corporate disputes partner Siraj Omar, who started his career at well-regarded Singapore firm Drew & Napier, and corporate restructuring lawyer Tandip Singh. The pair were working together at DLA Piper before launching Premier Law.

RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough said: ‘We have spent several years looking for the final piece in an evolving puzzle. In Premier Law we have found the right strategic partner to allow us to offer the full suite of dispute resolution, transactional and insurance services across three of the leading financial centres in the world – London, Singapore and Hong Kong.

‘Our disputes practices are very closely aligned both in Asia and further afield – particularly when it comes to acting adverse to the major banks – and the combination of Premier’s corporate and commercial capability with our existing presence in Hong Kong will give us the critical mass to take on new and larger deals. The combination will also allow our insurance and marine practices to advise on Singapore law – a critical development for clients as the importance of Singapore continues to grow in these sectors.’

tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

The panel that refreshes: Ashurst, RPC and Devereux take spots on Coke’s national roster

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Adviser reviews AshurstDevereux ChambersRPC
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Ashurst and RPC are among a quartet of firms that have won places on Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE)’s UK legal panel, with the drinks company also selecting Devereux Chambers as its preferred barristers’ set ahead of a review of its internal legal function.

CCE vice president for legal Paul van Reesch said after conducting a ‘deep review’ of its external counsel, Ashurst, RPC, Lewis Silkin and Shoosmiths have been allocated spots, following a competitive tender process between an estimated 35 law firms.

Van Reesch, who predicts CCE’s legal budget, ranging between £500,000 and £1m, will reduce by 10% over the next year, said: ‘We wanted a strong offering in three or four key areas. We tried to get a sense of how firms are thinking about our industry and the business, as well as the best fees they could offer, without it being a race to the bottom.’

Notably van Reesch also awarded commercial set Devereux Chambers a spot as its preferred legal provider at the Bar, after inviting several sets to tender, in a bid ‘to drive value through direct access to the Bar’. The drinks brand also recently finalised its three-year plan for the legal function in Europe in October, in an exercise led by van Reesch.

Part of that plan will see van Reesch conduct a strategic review of its legal function in a bid to bring its team closer to the business. He also plans to scope ‘how best to take advantage of technology changes in the marketplace’ as well as the potential for legal process outsourcing to allow the team to focus on more complex matters.

Commencement of the strategic review has been delayed by CCE’s $31bn proposed merger in September to create the world’s largest independent bottler for the soft-drink maker in what will be one of the region’s largest ever consumer products deals.

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

For an in-depth interview with Coke’s vice president for legal Paul van Reesch, subscribers can read this month’s Client Profile here. 

Legal Business

The panel that refreshes: Ashurst, RPC and Devereux take spots on Coke’s national roster

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Adviser reviews AshurstDevereux ChambersRPC
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Ashurst and RPC are among a quartet of firms that have won places on Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE)’s UK legal panel, with the drinks company also selecting Devereux Chambers as its preferred barristers’ set ahead of a review of its internal legal function.

CCE vice president for legal, Paul van Reesch, said after conducting a ‘deep review’ of its external counsel, Ashurst, RPC, Lewis Silkin and Shoosmiths have been allocated spots, following a competitive tender process between an estimated 35 law firms.

Legal Business

RPC makes key finance hire with former Worldpay corporate GC

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Strategic recruitment RPC
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City firm RPC has hired former Worldpay corporate general counsel Matthew Griffith as a partner in its corporate insurance and financial services team, in a bid to ‘sharpen client focus’ in the sector.

Griffith led the corporate team at payment services group Worldpay and was responsible for providing support and advice while focusing on UK and international M&A and corporate finance. He gave support to the company’s main board and operating committee and collaborated with central business lines including HR, tax, finance, risk, internal audit and technology.

He also supported the business on re financing to simplify its debt structure, fund acquisitions and deliver a significant reduction in the cost of debt, and further carried out a review of its corporate governance structure.

Prior to his role in-house, Griffith was a partner at US firm Sidley Austin for more than two years until 2012, and spent nearly six years at Pinsent Masons.

RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough said: ‘The combination of [Matthew’s] time in house at Worldpay and his previous experience in private practice means he really understands what goes into building long-term mutually beneficial relationships – we’re looking forward to using his insight to help us sharpen our client focus even further.’

Corporate insurance and financial services head James Mee added: ‘We have stated our ambition to become the go-to transactional and advisory law firm for insurance and wider financial services matters. Over the past few years clients have supported us towards achieving that, both for general insurance and, more recently, life insurance.’

The hire follows RPC’s foray into consultancy earlier this year when it launched a business to target core insurance sector clients with the hire of Rory O’Brien, the former global head of risk consulting and software at Towers Watson, to spearhead the venture.

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

‘A broad-based City professional services firm’: RPC breaks into insurance and financial consulting with software business buy

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Innovation RPC
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In a move to widen it offering to its insurance clients, RPC’s consulting arm has branched out from a legal and management focus and into insurance and financial consultancy work with the purchase of UK-based software business Marriott Sinclair.

Founded in 2012, Marriott Sinclair’s main product is a financial modelling tool called tyche that assesses uncertainties affecting the financial outcome of projects, strategies, or business opportunities. The deal will also see three of the business’ principals including Alun Marriott, Mark Sinclair-McGarvie and Jonathan Broughton become partners of RPC Consulting.

In a statement RPC said: ‘Unlike anything the legal sector has seen, no firms to our knowledge have tapped into the financial analyst and insurance management consultancy markets previously. The three principals come from impressive backgrounds in banking, quant finance, systems engineering, and actuarial science.’

The deal will also see RPC Consulting gain access to a research and development base in Cambridge with the arm eyeing further tech products down the line.

The firm launched its consultancy business in February to target its core insurance sector clients, and hired Rory O’Brien, the former global head of risk consulting and software at Towers Watson to spearhead the venture.

On the deal with Marriott Sinclair, managing partner Jonathan Watmough said: ‘This is the next stage in the development of our consulting business and in RPC becoming a broad-based City professional services firm. While a number of others have entered into the management consultancy market, this is the first time a commercial law firm has provided insurance clients with a full menu of actuarial, risk and management consulting services, including the use of a technology solution like tyche.’

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Strong run resumed as RPC posts double-digit revenue and profit growth

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Financial results 2015 RPC
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One of the most consistent success stories of the UK legal market in recent years, RPC has revealed impressive growth for 2014/15 as its revenues rose 12% to £94m, while profit per equity partner (PEP) at the firm soared 19% to £403,000.

The results mark a significant increase on last year, when the City-headquartered firm posted a rare flat performance, with revenue  only slightly up by 2%, while PEP fell by 9% to £338,000. However, over the last five years, the firm has managed an average five year compound revenue and profit growth of 11.5%.

RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough (pictured) said: ‘We’re clearly very happy with last year’s results, but it’s the story of sustained performance year on year that I’m most pleased with. Posting sustained growth throughout the recession without recourse to merger is a significant achievement. We remain fiercely independent and hugely protective of our culture – we wouldn’t let anything compromise that.

‘We’ve invested heavily in recruiting and developing people, listening to and understanding clients, and upgrading our systems and processes. Last year we saw the results of that investment bearing further fruit, and are confident that that trend will continue into FY16.’

The firm moved into non-legal consultancy earlier this year when it unveiled a new insurance sector consultancy business, focusing on management issues with the hire of Rory O’Brien, the former global head of risk consulting and software at Towers Watson.

Jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

CMA seeks permission to appeal after RPC-client’s victory in Eurotunnel case

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Litigation Hogan LovellsRPC
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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said it will seek permission to appeal a decision by the Court of Appeal last Friday (15 May) which overturned a ban on Eurotunnel-owned and RPC-client MyFerryLink’s right to operate between Dover and Calais.

The company was told in January it must quit the cross-Channel ferry market following a ruling by the Competition Appeal Tribunal on the basis that its acquisition of the former SeaFrance operation in 2013 would damage competition.

Last Friday (15 May) in a two to one majority decision, the court ruled the CMA, which is responsible for the control of mergers in the UK, does not have jurisdiction over Eurotunnel’s acquisition of the former SeaFrance operation between Dover and Calais.

Representing the appellant on Friday was Monckton Chambers’ duo Daniel Beard QC and Rob Williams who were instructed by RPC for Société Coopérative de Production SeaFrance.

Monckton Chambers’ Paul Harris QC and Ben Rayment represented the CMA, and finally Monckton Chambers’ Meredith Pickford QC and Ligia Osepciu were instructed by Hogan Lovells for the second respondent DFDS Seaways, a competitor of MyFerryLink which operates ferries to France and Holland.

The CMA argues it should protect the interests of passengers and freight customers given that Eurotunnel runs a ferry service on the short sea route as well as a competing rail link. The CMA is also seeking greater legal clarity ‘for the wider benefit of the UK merger regime’.

In a statement myferrylinks said: “We continue fundamentally to disagree with the CMA on a number of critical points. First and foremost we do not consider that the CMA has jurisdiction to review the transaction as a matter of UK merger law. It is also manifestly the case that the CMA’s decision, which will reduce choice, is bad for consumers, bad for competition and bad for all those involved in cross-Channel operations (staff, employees, customers and the wider regions in both Dover and Calais).”

The application will be made to the Court of Appeal although if granted the appeal would be heard in the Supreme Court.

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk