Ashurst and Ashurst Australia partners this morning (26 September) voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of the firm’s full financial tie-up. It is a monumental move that has been two years in the making. Here’s how they did it. 24 June 2011 After assessing its options in Australia, the news emerged that Ashurst had held exploratory discussions […]
Lord Justice Leveson, the judge who became a household name last year after being put in charge of an inquiry into media practices, has been named president of the Queen’s Bench Division (QBD). Leveson LJ will take up the position from 1 October replacing Sir John Thomas, who succeeds Lord Justice Judge as Lord Chief Justice […]
DLA Piper, CMS Cameron McKenna and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are among the firms to have been appointed to AIG’s new-look EMEA legal panel following a review. The latest review is connected to the fact that AIG merged its European and UK businesses in December last year, transforming it into more of a Continent-wide operation. The review […]
Pannone partners have voted in favour of the proposed sell-off of the firm’s consumer business to Slater & Gordon. The Lawyer revealed last week that Slater & Gordon has been circling Manchester-based Pannone with the intention of making the consumer business its next strategic acquisition (20 September 2013). A formal announcement is not expected to […]
Truro-headquartered Follett Stock has been served with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) after failing to pay an outstanding tax bill, The Lawyer has learned. The notice was served on the firm in August and Follett Stock has until Monday (30 September) to settle the bill or it will be forced to […]
If your legal budget is starting to resemble a grape in the sun, what you need is a go-getting GC to teach you how to make wine out of raisins. Today’s inspiration is Aviva Group’s GC Monica Risam, who had been in the post for less than 18 months when she kicked off the insurance […]
Aviva’s long-awaited panel review had half the City on tenterhooks. We reveal the story behind the process and how GC Monica Risam got what she wanted. Also adding value to their business was Standard Life GC Malcolm Wood, who not only emerged victorious from hard-fought litigation but managed to get a good deal on a […]
Ashurst partners are set to vote on the full financial integration between Ashurst and Ashurst Australia but it is the battle for the top managerial job that is really getting partners talking. There’s election fever at Ashurst, as partners prepare for a raft of groundbreaking votes on the firm’s future. We’d imagine that current senior […]
Mansfield is one of the most prolific of the campaigning silks at the bar, having represented a string of high-profile clients. He has been involved in the inquests into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Hillsborough disaster and the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. Mansfield was also involved in the successful appeals of the Birmingham […]
Another financial year, another attempt to reboot financial growth at Manches. This time around the firm wants to expand its London base through a merger with South East firm Penningtons. Revenues have been falling at Manches for a decadeand the firm has tried several times to reverse the trend. Back in 2009 it came close […]
By Pattie Walsh and Naveen Qureshi While an employer might feel compelled to immediately dismiss an employee in situations of perceived gross misconduct, employers should exercise caution following the recent case of Grant David Vincent Williams v Jefferies Hong Kong Ltd [2013] HKEC 1084, where the employer, who was found to have wrongfully terminated the employment […]
Although the political world in Washington is focused almost entirely on the impending 1 October deadline for an agreement over spending for fiscal year 2014 and the mid-October deadline for the president’s requested increase in the authority for the US to borrow, the tax-writing committee chairs continue their efforts to move comprehensive tax reform legislation […]