As you read this, the finishing touches are being put on the 2014 edition of The Lawyer European 100. It’s the fifth year we have published the European 100 – the only turnover ranking of Europe’s independent law firms across the whole continent. As a result, this year there is enough historical data to look […]
The High Court has quashed (for the second time) a planning permission for a single dwelling on the edge of Hazelwood in Derbyshire. Jenny Wigley represented the claimant, Royston Potter, in the judicial review claim against Amber Valley Borough Council. The planning permission had been granted by the council’s planning board contrary to the officer’s advice. That advice included […]
DLA Piper has promoted 45 lawyers to the firm’s global partnership with effect from the 1 January 2014 in the US and today in the UK. DLA Piper’s latest promotions round is up 32 per cent on 2013 when 34 were promoted, with the bulk of the new partners in the US for the second […]
Eleven men have been handed prison sentences or periods in youth custody for their role in a large-scale conspiracy selling drugs in Telford in a case in which Michael Duck QC and Michelle Heeley of No5 Chambers were prosecuting. Birmingham Crown Court heard that heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis were sold by the group to hundreds […]
The clinking of champagne glasses is likely to resonate around the City tonight, as four newly merged firms celebrate formal tie-ups. The new financial year welcomes the newly combined Berrymans Lace Mawer and HBM Sayers, a move that coincides with the old brands being dropped in favour of BLM and the introduction of a new […]
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed Simon Marchant and Simon Priddis as its new corporate and competition heads. Marchant today (1 May) replaces former corporate chief Julian Long, who is stepping down to take up the new role of Freshfields’ London managing partner (4 March 2014). Meanwhile, Priddis is succeeding competition head Rod Carlton who has […]
Berrymans Lace Mawer has scrapped its brand in favour of BLM as the insurance firm completes the takeover of Scottish firm HBM Sayers today. The acquisition was announced in March and will give BLM its first presence in Scotland with the addition of HBM’s offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh. HBM’s small London office will also […]
The combination of LG and Wragge & Co will go live today with the new partners admitted to the combined equity. The new entity will be known as Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co, although as Lucy Burton discovers, this is a name that will be kept under review. Lawrence Graham (LG) officially merges with Wragge […]
HowardKennedyFsi (HKFsi) has bolted on boutique firm CKFT, in a move that will boost its revenues from £40m to £45m. It emerged that the two firms were in talks in February at which point HKFsi had been in discussions with the North London firm for a number of weeks (25 February 2014). The completion of […]
Schoenherr has advised a group of shareholders of Slovenia’s Helios Domžale and pledgees in Helios shares (the sellers) in the sale of a majority stake in Helios to Ring International Holding (RIH), a Vienna-based industrial group. Following the closing of the transaction in April, RIH through its subsidiary Remho Beteiligungs held 77.93 per cent of […]
Linklaters has appointed partner Sarah Wiggins to lead the City corporate practice, as predecessor Shane Griffin’s four-year term comes to an end. Wiggins, who takes up her new position today (1 May), was appointed to the role by the firm’s global corporate head Jeremy Parr. Wiggins already has a raft of leadership positions within the […]
Ben Jones, tax expert at Eversheds, has commented on the anticipated release of the decision of European Court of Justice (ECJ) in respect of the legal challenge raised by the UK to the proposed EU financial transaction tax (FTT). Jones said that rather than provide a definitive outcome, the court’s decision is likely only to […]