While UK firms dither about whether to set up in South Africa, South African firms have been operating quietly in London for several years. The most established is Maitland & Co, which has four partners and four assistants. Partner John Herholdt says: “In Europe our activities are of necessity largely corporate and commercial and we […]
TWO US intellectual property firms are to merge in a move they claim will put them in the top 10 list of firms ranked by the number of US trade marks issued. Minneapolis-based Oppenheimer Wolf & Donnelly will join forces with niche intellectual property practice Poms, Smith, Lande & Rose, of California in January. The […]
A NICHE Surrey private-client firm has been taken over following the retirement through ill health of its senior partner, Theo Pike. Chertsey-based Paine & Brettell has been swallowed up by Guildford commercial and litigation firm Barlows. Although the takeover will not add any partners to Barlows’ 11-strong team, it will provide its Chertsey office with […]
Family lawyers’ concerns over standard fees will be aired this week by Nigel Shepherd, chair of the Solicitors Family Law Association, when he meets Gary Streeter, parliamentary secretary at the Lord Chancellor’s Department. The meeting is part of a continuing dialogue between family lawyers and the Government over proposals to introduce standard fees for civil […]
SIMMONS & Simmons has recruited a senior in-house communications lawyer to head its UK telecommunications group. Tom Wheadon joins the firm after spending a year working for the in-house legal team at cable company Videotron. Wheadon joins a London-based team of 16 lawyers, including six partners. The firm’s recent transactions include the flotations in London […]
Hounslow council has slated its local law centre over its handling of an internal disciplinary hearing in a confidential report seen by The Lawyer. The report, on a disciplinary hearing involving the conduct of housing and family solicitor Yvonne Patterson, said the hearing breached good employment practice guidelines. In a note accompanying the report, the […]
Lay magistrates and tribunal chairmen are to receive training on ethnic minority issues under a training initiative of the Judicial Studies Board. Presenting the fourth annual report of the board’s Ethnic Minorities Advisory Committee, chair Mr Justice Dyson said training seminars on ethnic issues for judges and stipendiary magistrates had been well received, but now […]
A founder of recruitment consultants Badenoch & Clarke has set up a head-hunting agency. JCL, established by ex-Wasps rugby player John Cullen, will provide search and selection services for the legal profession. “Now that certain firms are grasping the concept of search, we will provide a tailor-made service,” Cullen said. He added that the company […]
Helen Sage reports Michael Mousdale has left his job as principal solicitor at Bristol City Council to join Eversheds of Leeds. In his first private practice post he will be in charge of the firm’s public sector unit, which will involve advising local authorities on CCT, PFI and TUPE matters. His work will involve advising […]
Martin Mears has attacked the Law Society for paying for two former members of staff and one of their spouses to fly out to a five-day conference in Vancouver. In a question tabled at last Wednesday’s Law Society meeting, Mears asked why the society felt it necessary to subsidise the trips to the Commonwealth Law […]
A BLUEPRINT for an efficient, approachable and united Law Society was unveiled last week. During what one senior member described as the most constructive council meeting he had ever attended, members unveiled a 20-point programme for the coming year. It was compiled by a new policy-making think-tank made up of senior council members whose task […]
Helen Sage reports Local authority specialist Sarah Frith has joined Hampshire firm Blake Lapthorn from the London Borough of Brent to help develop the firm’s local authority department. Frith spent three years at Brent as a procurement specialist. She helped create the largest externalised revenue and benefit contract in the UK and was legal adviser […]