Pompous, paranoid, deluded – just three of the things we managing partners definitely are not. But that doesn’t stop you all talking behind our backs… Are there souls in modern life more misunderstood than law firm managing partners? Flogged by the legal press and unappreciated by partners, many say we’re full of blarney and possess […]
For both SJ Berwin and Ashurst the lure of an Asia deal was irresistible. Between them, they had been involved in numerous US merger talks, but the rise of the Asian economies after the financial crisis saw them being drawn east. We’ll see whether that was the right economic move in a decade or so. What this week’s in-depth […]
A diverse range of law firms are now battling for work in the former French bastion The balance of power in the Moroccan legal market has shifted. Whereas the jurisdiction was once the fiefdom of the French, exploiting historic links with the Francophone North African kingdom, it has developed into a multi-tiered market where Anglo-Saxon […]
Given the growth in the amount of data businesses create and store, it’s a good point in time to determine how companies and law firms are working with eDiscovery and computer forensics. in association with The Lawyer Research Service and Grant Thornton teamed up to survey over 300 private practice lawyers and in-house counsel in […]
Ashurst and SJ Berwin both chased Asia mergers. But did they really benefit their corporate practices? It has been precisely 12 months since the legal market witnessed two monumental mergers. One resulted in legacy SJ Berwin being consumed by Sino Pacific giant King & Wood Mallesons (KWM). The other took the form of Ashurst’s full […]
Several billion-dollar deals and a number of landmark cases characterised workflows for offshore firms in the third quarter of 2014 CORPORATE Bermuda Canada Pension Plan acquisition of Wilton Re 31 August 2014 Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired Wilton Re Ltd Holdings and its subsidiaries for total cash and consideration of $1.8bn (£1.1bn). The transaction […]
They cost up to £20,000 and put firms at risk of losing their preferred candidate yet more are taking up the service. There is a growing tendency among law firms to undertake independent due diligence on their lateral partner hires. It works like this: at offer stage, the firm will pay an outside organisation, usually […]
It’s getting tougher for legal departments to keep on top of risks such as data protection, technology and the ever-rising tide of regulation Q: What are the biggest issues facing in-house legal departments when it comes to risk management? Michael Ellis, group general counsel, Abercrombie & Kent: Volume and size. The length and breadth of the […]
Offshore players have high hopes of Singapore but for now the work is limited, so increased competition could stymie firms’ growth Compared with Hong Kong, Singapore has a small number of offshore firms. Although it is 13 years since the first offshore player, Conyers Dill & Pearman, opened in the jurisdiction, there are still just […]
Move of the week Private equity heavyweight Charlie Geffen has moved to Gibson Dunn & Crutcher in a bid to enhance the firm’s English law capabilities. He was formerly senior partner at Ashurst, the firm at which he trained. UK London Ropes & Gray’s London office has hired counsel Anna Lawry. She joins the firm’s […]
Far from being hindered by the sanctions on Russia, Kazakhstan is benefiting Kazakhstan is one of the fastest growing countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), with a 6 per cent GDP growth in 2013. In the past year it has also been the target of interest by foreign law firms, with launches by […]
Last week The Lawyer UK 200 premiered the first integrated table of US and UK firm revenues, which showed the extent to which American firms have penetrated the City. This week’s issue of The Lawyer is running two analyses that explore the transatlantic dynamic further. The first is an interview with Charlie Geffen, former Ashurst senior […]