Six months into the UK’s largest ever legal merger, CMS has signed deals to sublet most of legacy Nabarro and Olswang’s London offices.
Lloyds Bank has today moved into Nabarro’s former premises at 125 London Wall, while University College London (UCL) and US law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan have taken four of Olswang’s five floors at 90 High Holborn. Continue reading “‘Rationalisation and upgrade’: CMS UK sublets legacy Nabarro and Olswang headquarters”
Making Baker McKenzie stand out was once a simple business. The day in 1948 Russell Baker met John McKenzie by chance in a cab, he had already conceived the notion of an international law firm. Formed in 1949, its first international office was added six years later in Caracas, Venezuela. In the decades to follow, the Chicago-bred firm stood out as a genuinely global operator in a profession that remained largely a domestic concern.
True, having been stitched together from a series of financially separate offices, Bakers never worried the legal elite in New York and London, being dismissed by some as a mid-market franchise thanks to a multi-partnership model that was then unheard of. But Bakers could point to global coverage well beyond any peer, including market-leading practices in many jurisdictions where few rivals dared venture. Passing the $1bn mark in 2001, Bakers turned over more than $2bn just seven years later, making it one of the largest firms in the world. Continue reading “Waking the giant”
Following the recent decision to relocate Ince & Co senior partner Jan Heuvels to Hong Kong, the firm has appointed HR director Andrew Jameson in the new role as head of the London office.
Heuvels, one of Ince’s batch of ‘superstar’ insurance partners who became senior partner in 2014, will depart for the firm’s Hong Kong office next month. Continue reading “Ince & Co creates London head role as senior partner Heuvels makes Hong Kong move”
Three UK partners at Eversheds Sutherland, including the Manchester senior partner, will vie for the role of chair after Leeds litigator Paul Smith’s four-year term comes to an end later this year.
The partners who plan to stand for election are joint head of energy and infrastructure Robert Pitcher, joint UK financial services head Pamela Thompson and Manchester senior partner Michael Clavell-Bate.
It is understood that the election is due to kick off within the next week although there are no official candidates at this stage. Continue reading “Hats in the ring: candidates emerge for Eversheds Sutherland chair contest”
Having already been one of the longest-serving leaders at a major City law firm, Peter Martyr looks to be taking a crack at the industry’s record books after having been re-appointed for a sixth term as chief executive of Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF).
A spokesperson confirmed that Martyr will begin his new three-year term in January 2018, taking him until the end of 2020, by which point he will have had approaching 20 years at the head of the firm. Continue reading “Martyr closes in on 20 years at helm as Norton Rose Fulbright chief gets a sixth term”
Bristows has become the latest Legal Business 100 firm to elect a female leader, today (20 September) appointing life sciences co-head Liz Cohen as its new joint managing partner.
The appointment of Cohen (pictured), who joined the firm as a trainee in 1999 and made partner in 2008, follows the passing of the hugely popular Theo Savvides in a cycling accident in July and sees her link-up with joint managing partner and corporate specialist Marek Petecki. Despite her promotion, she will continue to advise her clients on patent litigation in the English courts, for which she has a leading reputation. Continue reading “‘Big shoes to fill’: Bristows appoints Cohen as new joint managing partner”
It remains extremely rare for law firm leaders to re-emerge at another practice, but then Sir Nigel Knowles has always been one to do things his own way in more than 30 years in the profession.
Knowles today (7 September) announced his return to law after retiring last year from the global giant DLA Piper to become chair of DWF, an ambitious UK player that has long modelled itself on Knowles’ former parish. Continue reading “He’s back – DWF signs up Sir Nigel Knowles as chair in rare c-suite shuffle for the profession”
Reed Smith has re-elected its global managing partner Alexander ‘Sandy’ Thomas for another three-year term following an uncontested election.
The partnership vote drew to a close on 9 June and the firm confirmed his election this month, as he formally started his four-year tenure. Thomas has been managing partner of the firm for four years. Continue reading “‘Careful and diligent’: Reed Smith re-appoints global managing partner Thomas in uncontested election”
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer‘s joint managing partner Chris Pugh (pictured) is stepping down less than half way into his term, the second person to vacate the position early in four years and the firm’s third unscheduled c-suite departure since 2013.
Former disputes head Pugh will leave the role but remain at the firm, continuing his client-facing work. He took up the role, which carries a five-year term, in January 2016 after a three-month transition period. Continue reading “Freshfields co-managing partner Pugh steps down a year and a half into role”
Linklaters is to renew its focus on the US and Asia following its appointment of a new global head of US practice, Tom Shropshire, and an Asia regional managing partner, Nathalie Hobbs, to its executive committee in a shakeup of the firm’s top management group.
Shropshire replaced Scott Bowie to lead the New York and Washington DC offices and is now responsible for further developing the firm’s global US practice. Bowie is due to leave Linklaters at the end of July. Continue reading “US and Asia focus: Linklaters’ new executive committee shakeup brings fresh regional targets”
