DLA Piper has advised Nam Kwong Group Company, a state-owned enterprise, and its wholly-owned subsidiary Nam Kwong Development (HK) on the acquisition of a 90 per cent interest in Sino-French Energy Development Company (SFED) from Sino-French Holdings (Hong Kong) (SFH) for $612m (£364m). SFED is a special-purpose vehicle, 90 per cent of which is held […]
Robin Johnson, head of diversified industrials at Eversheds, has commented on the CBI Industrial Trends figures for May. Johnson said: ‘Reflecting the strong outlook for the sector identified by the CBI, the feedback from our clients on the health of UK manufacturing is one of renewed optimism. ‘There is an increase in capital expenditure on […]
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is to lift its pay freezes in Australia after cancelling an annual salary review in 2013. Permanent staff in Australia will be told about their salary increases in July, with employees expected to be reviewed based on performance. The initial pay freeze was isolated to staff in Australia, with the firm […]
A EU court has backed the “right to be forgotten”, but what does this mean for freedom of expression? In today’s highly networked age, few can doubt the power of the internet to shape our public identities and biographies. We may delude ourselves that we control what is said about us online but the truth […]
Asia may not be the high-growth region that some may have hoped for, but legal talent is still flocking there. Its volatility means there are plenty of potential opportunities, but firms may have to play the long game. Shanghai pioneers in liberalising China’s legal market Asia Pacific associates see partnership promo prospects rise Jun He […]
First the big news. Bowing to popular demand, as one does, the deadline for entries to this year’s The Lawyer Management Awards has been extended by two weeks to Friday 6 June. As we highlighted last week, these awards are the one place where business services professionals can get the chance to be recognised for […]
The Government has successfully defended the judicial review claim brought by Leeds firm Gordons on behalf of the “descendants” of Richard III, meaning the remains of the last Plantagenet king will be buried in Leicester. In a judgment handed down this morning (23 May) Lady Justice Hallett and Mr Justices Ouseley and Haddon-Cave rejected the claim, […]
LOD’s Tim Bratton puts the case for GCs as the biggest influencers of the future of the law. Take note if you want to be inside the tent We regularly read that the legal profession is on the edge of revolution. We are told that in one corner stand the revolutionists (Reinvent Law London is […]
Insurance giant QBE has revamped its roster of external advisers for its European operations and created two distinct panels for the first time. The core panel, which handles a variety of work including employment, data protection, corporate, and regulatory matters, consists of DAC Beachcroft, Mayer Brown, Norton Rose Fulbright and RPC. Added to this is […]
Hogan Lovells is being run by a sole CEO for the first time since its 2010 merger. As former co-head of US litigation Steve Immelt steps into the job, he reveals the secret formula to doing it well. Hogan Lovells’ new CEO Steve Immelt has quite a mentor. His brother is Jeff Immelt, the CEO of […]
The news yesterday that DWF has hired Andrew Chamberlain, the mastermind behind Addleshaw Goddard’s process-mapping, low-cost initiative and Manchester-based Transactional Services Team (TST), draws attention again to DWF as one of the pioneers of process. DWF’s managing partner Andrew Leaitherland is driving efficiencies throughout the business from greater billing discipline to flexible working, even in […]
Working in the 24/7 media industry can be tough at the best of times, not least when you are the head of litigation at one of the world’s leading international broadcasters. So after two years in the chief role at the BBC, former Minter Ellison lawyer Nadia Banno is packing it in for Baker & […]