The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has gained approval from the Legal Services Board (LSB) to become a licensing authority for alternative business structures (ABS) almost two years after it announced its intention to obtain a licence.
Continue reading “Bar regulator gets green light to approve alternative business structures”
One Essex Court has hired banking silk duo Adrian Beltrami QC and Sonia Tolaney QC from 3 Verulam Buildings (3VB), just weeks after announcing Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer disputes veteran Ian Terry will also join the set.
Continue reading “One Essex Court takes banking silk duo from 3VB”
In-house teams instructing the Bar has gone mainstream over the last ten years. LB assesses how far direct access can go.
Twenty years ago the idea of any person instructing the Bar other than a private practice solicitor was frowned upon. Although as qualified solicitors in-house counsel always had the right to instruct barristers, convention dictated private practice lawyers acted as gatekeepers of the Bar for companies seeking advice on litigation. But, as the rules have changed and in-house lawyers have expanded their remits, corporate legal teams have come to appreciate the benefits of direct interaction with barristers.
Continue reading “Straight to the source – the pros and occasional cons of direct access”
The bitter dispute between Zamin Ferrous, the mining company run by Indian billionaire Pramod Agarwal, and embattled natural resources group ENRC over a Brazilian mine has taken another turn with Zamin drafting in barristers from Brick Court Chambers to replace existing counsel XXIV Old Buildings.
I’ve had a happy time. My wife said at school I spent most of my time in the library. I came to 4 Essex Court in 1975. This is my home. In those days, 4 Essex Court was the number one set of chambers for commercial work and I met the head Bob MacCrindle. He was Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Obama, Putin… a mixture… it was like getting a part in a Hollywood film because no one got into 4 Essex Court in those days.
I remember Bob saying: ‘I’ll tell you three things. One, I’m leaving’. He went to Shearman & Sterling in Paris around the time tax rates were 98% or something like that. Second, he said, ‘you’re going to buy my chair and table’. I was 22, didn’t have any money and he said ‘that will be £100’. I said ‘okay’. I still have that furniture. Thirdly, he gave me some advice and said: ‘If you don’t have to say anything, don’t.’ That stayed with me. I’ve been incredibly short in my judgments.
Jasbir Dhillon QC
Brick Court Chambers
A frequently encountered problem for any claimant in international arbitration arises where the respondent seeks to make enforcement of any arbitral award against their assets difficult or impossible. In this article, I describe two forms of injunction available from the English court that provide an effective remedy for this widespread problem.
Wilberforce Chambers continues to expand, adding Fenner Moeran QC and Andrew Child from 3 Stone Buildings, just weeks after bringing three silks and five junior barristers from soon-to-dissolve London commercial and chancery set 11 Stone Buildings (11SB).
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is proposing to make it easier for barristers to work through agencies and corporate vehicles, and has launched a consultation on its reforms.
The UK legal market now offers more choice than ever, and this is reflected in the 2015 edition of The Legal 500, which has never seen more movement.
Specialist outfits with non-traditional business models are a credible alternative to classic full-service rivals. In dispute resolution, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Stewarts Law and Enyo Law have all moved up the rankings. Employment boutique Brahams Dutt Badrick French moves into tier one for senior executive work; tech and media-focused Cooley enters the rankings after its dramatic launch this year – while arbitration boutique Three Crowns ranks strongly again.
Continue reading “The Legal 500 view: more choice and competition defines market”
Wilberforce Chambers has taken silks Lexa Hilliard QC, Alan Gourgey QC and Marcia Shekerdemian QC from 11 Stone Buildings (11SB) alongside five junior barristers, following the news last week that the London commercial and chancery set will dissolve on 30 October.
