The Jackson Reforms are beginning to bite. Several firms have offloaded their claims groups to larger players, as it becomes increasingly challenging to make personal injury work pay. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Morgan Cole offloads claims group to DAC Beachcroft and BLM Walker Morris to close PI business putting 48 roles […]
Slater & Gordon has confirmed to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) that a sale agreement for £33m has been made with Pannone. The statement from the personal injury (PI) giant said due diligence on the merger was substantially completed. The transaction is expected to complete in late February 2014. The acquisition is made up of […]
Clifford Chance has elected global corporate head Matthew Layton as its new global chief to replace outgoing head David Childs, who retires next year. Layton was crowned global managing partner today following the close of the vote on Monday (26 November 2013). He will take up the reins as managing partner for his first four-year term […]
The newly elected managing partner of Clifford Chance, Matthew Layton, won his mandate after pledging to look at whether to reduce management committee membership from 16 to nine and investigate whether to scrap the salaried partner bands. Layton will formerly step into the role in May succeeding David Childs who is to retire from the […]
Yorkshire-based ABS Minster Law is to launch a London office of 30 people in the City. The personal injury firm was acquired by BGL Group, the owners of price comparison site comparethemarket.com, in May (31 May 2013) after Minster was given permission by the SRA to convert to an alternative business structure (ABS). BGL said […]
Australian firm Minter Ellison has hired a partner each from US firm Winston & Strawn and Gide Loyrette Nouel to strengthen its Greater China capability. Minter Ellison has appointed Jem Li, former managing partner of Winston & Strawn’s Beijing office, as a partner in Beijing. Li is a New York qualified corporate lawyer who has […]
All the latest partner hires and other appointments within Continental European firms and offices. Central & Eastern Europe Diana-Maria White has been promoted to the position of counsel at the Vienna office of Schoenherr. White is admitted to the bar in both Austria and Germany and has extensive experience in advising national and international clients, […]
No5 Chambers’ Timothy Jones was the examiner in the Cringleford Neighbourhood Plan. He has now carried out the examination, including a public hearing, and submitted a report. He commented in his report on Cringleford Parish Council’s approach to consultation, saying: ‘The consultation was significantly more than required by the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012. I am […]
Simon Rice-Birchall, partner at Eversheds, has commented on a report highlighting perceived UK deficiencies in whistleblowing protection for employees. The report was published following a whistleblowing commission by Public Concern at Work (PCAW), while a second report, a call for evidence by the government, is not expected until 2014. Rice-Birchall believes that the publication of two reviews […]
Next time you’re chomping on some egg fried rice, think about the lawyer who enabled that foil container to reach your armchair. In this week’s in-house interview, the general counsel of takeaway service Just Eat spills the (green, sautéed) beans on the legal issues his small team have to stomach. While savoury fans munch through […]
The Court of Appeal has issued a stern warning to litigators in a landmark ruling this morning, taking a hard line on lawyers that fail to comply with judicial directions. By telling Andrew Mitchell MP that his legal budget for his defamation claim against The Sun publishers News Group Newspapers would be restricted to the […]
Yorkshire firm Lupton Fawcett Lee & Priestley has sealed expansion into York through a merger with local firm Denison Till, creating an £18m outfit. The merger is the fourth bolt-on for Lupton Fawcett in four years, following the September 2012 merger with Lee & Priestley (12 September 2012) and the 2009 acquisitions of Fox Hayes’ […]