In a move unlikely to inspire mirth from Middle Temple, the Bar Council is seeking to establish new top-tier pay grades for the practising certificate fee (PCF).
As set out in a recent consultation, the Bar Council wants to introduce two new payment bands: Band 7 and Band 8, for high-earning barristers. Continue reading “Bar Council seeks further PC fee hike as new figures uncover the millionaire barristers”
Richard Lissack QC: David, why a career in the law?
Lord Neuberger: It was after cancelling out other possibilities. I was a scientist at university – a chemist. I was influenced by my father, a successful scientist. I quickly proved to be an unsuccessful scientist. I went to career advisers. They said do law or go into the City. In those days the City involved no exams and law did, so I went into the City. Continue reading “The one true law – in conversation with Lord Neuberger”
Centuries of imperiousness towards the Irish could be one of England’s greatest historical mistakes, and when Legal Business set about asking Irish independents whether Dublin is a viable alternative to London for disputes work following Brexit, it felt as though this underestimation was very much alive today. However, the Irish legal elite remains defiant in the face of any English condescension.
‘Absolutely it’s viable,’ says Dillon Eustace’s managing partner Mark Thorne when asked if the Irish Bar’s initiative to promote Dublin as a global disputes centre was realistic. ‘You’re asking if the big independent firms have the talent to achieve that, and the answer is yes, absolutely.’ Continue reading “Ireland: A case to make”
With the disputes market evolving and clients becoming more discerning, it has been a phenomenal ten years for boutique law firms focused on litigation. The pressure on generalist, mid-market dispute teams has played towards this dynamic, leaving true contentious specialists increasingly going head-to-head with the traditional London elite.
A glance at the financial results of some of the main litigation specialists – Stewarts, Signature Litigation and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan – shows dramatic increases in revenue amid a string of major cases. Continue reading “Boutiques: Highly evolved”
Bird & Bird client Property Alliance Group (PAG) has lost in the Court of Appeal over a circa £20m Libor manipulation claim against The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and is currently weighing up whether to appeal the decision.
PAG alleged in the claim, which was brought in 2013, that it had been mis-sold four interest-rate swaps for three months Libor. The company argued that the swaps were mis-sold on the basis of implied representation, given previous findings of Libor manipulation against RBS. Continue reading “Appeal hope remains for property investor despite losing £20m Libor claim against RBS”
