Into the light
Still demonised by Western governments for aiding tax evasion, major offshore centres have in recent years ushered in substantive moves…
Legal affairs
Through the maze
Complex and controversial, the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive has finally emerged, with huge regulatory implications for global funds. Legal…
Legal aid cuts blamed by Tooks Chambers as set announces its dissolution
Leading civil liberties and human rights set Tooks Chambers has announced today (23 Sept) that it is to wind up its…
Dysfunctional, inefficient and expensive: City Law Society responds to MoJ consultation on regulation
The City of London Law Society (CLLS) has responded to the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) call for evidence over concerns…
Guest post: A fight to the death- can the Law Society and its regulatory arm continue as now?
‘My terms of reference include a requirement to propose a framework that promotes the public and consumer interest, promotes competition,…
Outrageous fortune – how Ireland’s legal elite has stood up to five punishing years of austerity
Bought by the Central Bank in 2012 from lender and toxic loans body the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) for…
Ropes & Gray lands marquee role in GSK Chinese bribery investigation
Even in an age in which corporate investigations have become some of the most sought after work for legal advisers,…
Guest post: Abu Qatada – a victory for pragmatism and the rule of law
Only a matter of weeks ago, politicians were seriously discussing the possibility that the UK might need to withdraw from…
Guest post: Criminalising corporate law – proposed UK fraud penalties take a leaf out of the US sentencing guidelines
Tough new proposed sentencing guidelines for bribery have been published in a consultation which closes in early October. The proposals…
In the game – will new rules on success fees see litigators take a gamble?
Three years after the Jackson review, reforms to litigation costs have finally arrived. But one change in particular, damages-based agreements,…
All or nothing: Only a handful of DBAs entered into as confusion reigns over hybrid model
‘It’s an extraordinary thing – hundreds of lawyers should have entered into Damages-Based Agreements (DBAs) by now.’ So says Leslie…
We’ve implemented the Legal Services Act – how about another review of legal regulation?
One man’s slashing red tape is another’s endless tinkering. Either way, the much-meddled field of legal regulation may face more…
Partner retirement policies withstand latest challenge but pressure remains for law firms to cross the tees
Expectations that law firms would come under mounting pressure to avoid compulsory retirement of partners have been once again upset…
Guest post: Quality in law – endlessly invoked yet never defined
Here’s a question that’s been bothering me of late – what, exactly, is a quality legal service? You’ll have noticed…
Smoke, mirrors and grease – government signals review of controversial Bribery Act
It was the most controversial piece of legislation aimed at corporates to emerge in the last decade and, in a…
CoA makes up three women in recent justice appointments
Three female judges have been appointed to the Court of Appeal (CoA) in the latest round of promotions, which has…
Litigation market polarised as Jackson reforms take effect
With the Jackson reforms recently instigated, the market is divided about how the introduction of damages-based agreements (DBAs) will impact…
Getting more with less
There’s good news and bad news for law firms in our first-ever survey of in-house counsel this month. The good…
Eastern Rivals
The financial crisis has done more than stall investment in Central and Eastern Europe. It has caused a remarkable sea…
Portugal – Out of the ruins
As Portugal considers the implications of its recent €78bn bailout, LB assesses the impact it will have on the legal…