Whitewater independent counsel Ken Starr is fond of using themes when he tells stories. In the Whitewater investigation, a matter that can be as perplexing as it is complicated, he says the story is all about the truth. “Ultimately, Whitewater is about truth-telling in connection with loans made in the 1980s as well as with […]
Inept or malicious district auditors should be able to be sued if it is proved they have damaged the career of an individual, a barrister specialising in local government has claimed. Elizabeth Andrew, a tenant at Devereux Chambers, says that while a council can sue for a negligent audit, an individual whose reputation is soiled […]
Coopers & Lybrand has appointed Inland Revenue stamp duty solicitor Michael Quinlan to head its stamp duty group following a series of departures from its law team. Coopers had been planning to follow Arthur Andersen and Price Waterhouse in setting up a standalone law firm with Peter Preston, a former Theodore Goddard partner, at its […]
Fountain Court Chambers celebrated an unprecedented year of judicial appointments with a party at the Wallace Collection. It was hosted by head of chambers Peter Scott QC (front). Among the appointees were: (l to r) Charles Gibson QC (Circuit bench); Lord Justice Potter (Lord Justice of Appeal); Timothy Walker QC, (High Court); Lord Justice Brooke […]
Multidisciplinary corrals and online advice sessions are two developments of the Internet that could benefit law firms, according to Liam McNeive, a partner at Masons. Addressing a conference on the Internet for Professional Services last week, McNeive said lawyers should not ignore the Internet as a potential source of income. He said the Net could […]
Fast-growing Garrett & Co and its Scottish associate firm Dorman Jeffrey & Co have revealed their fee income for the first time. Together they earned £14.9m in the year ended August 31, a respectable but not dazzling performance for a Top 100 firm now ranking around 50 in terms of size. The figures, released by […]
More than 50 per cent of professional partnerships are considering ways of limiting their liability, according to a survey by chartered accountants Smith & Williamson. The telephone survey of over 90 professional partnerships, of which 60 per cent were solicitors firms, also found strong support for mergers. Eighty per cent of solicitors firms said they […]
Around 25 lawyers from four City law firms took just under a week to put together the complex £5bn merger of Cable & Wireless telecoms subsidiary Mercury and three cable companies. The merger deal, signed on 23 October, is one of the largest and most complex put together in the UK, and represents one of […]
Further education colleges and government agencies are risking court action because of ignorance of their legal duties towards students with disabilities and learning difficulties, according to Beachcroft Stanley’s education unit. The City firm has been commissioned to write a report, Duties and Powers, on the laws governing provision of further education to people with learning […]
Reading the Native Title Act is “like reading porridge”, according to one Australian businessman. Robyn Glindemann, a lawyer at Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks, is more respectful, describing it as “a very intricately drafted piece of legislation” – and one that, since its introduction in 1993, has been rarely out of the news. The Act was […]
Opinion is divided on White & Case’s move to hike London newly-qualified salaries to New York levels, reports Helen Sage News that US firm White & Case is to start paying New York-level salaries to newly qualified lawyers in London has been met with confusion by the City. UK City firms suggest they may be […]
The British Virgin Islands is a good example of a successful co-operation between a local financial community and a pragmatic government intent on retaining the distinctive nature of island life. This year, the Financial Services Department has been active in widening the palette of financial options. The BVI government is keen to promote financial services, […]