This week we publish our annual survey of the top 30 international firms in London. Until now ‘international’ has been a bit of a euphemism, since historically the firms in our survey have always been American. This year, though, the terminology is correct. Straight in at number 20 is Australia-listed Slater & Gordon, which appears […]
Firm points out a close reading of its accounts shows a healthy debt position In last week’s debt feature we highlighted Wright Hassall, flagging up a net debt figure of £3,562,991 and a net debt to capital ratio of 880.41 per cent. We also stated that the firm had £237,533 net debt per each of […]
Top law firms are promoting more partners in Asia Pacific Asia partner promotion statistics from eight international firms over the past four years suggest local senior lawyers stand a good chance of being made up. Last week Linklaters confirmed that its promotions had fallen to 21 from 24, following news from Allen & Overy (A&O) […]
Commitment to Asia as senior partner relocates to Singapore on a permanent basis As the importance of the Asia Pacific region grows it is starting to change the shape and structure of global law firms’ management. A growing number of firms have been sending global practice heads to Asia in recent years in a bid […]
Bar Barometer fails to define the diversity battleground According to the Bar Barometer, recently released by the Bar Standards Board and the Bar Council, more pupil barristers went to Oxford or Cambridge than non-Russell Group institutions in 2011/12 (28 per cent vs 25 per cent). If that statistic makes you shrug with indifference, well done, […]
This year’s Budget introduced yet more changes to the way pensions operate. Will this squeeze out the specialist in-housers even more? There’s a new buzz around pensions. Chancellor George Osborne’s so-called ‘pensions revolution’, outlined in the recent Budget, and developments such as auto-enrolment have blown the dust off the topic and thrust it into the spotlight. […]
London Mining GC Rohit Bhoothalingam had to show his grit last year for a legal battle worth more than the company itself Digging holes is what mining companies do best. But London Mining general counsel Rohit Bhoothalingam must have felt he had landed in one last year when he took up a legal battle worth […]
A new breed of lawyer is smoothing the path for companies entering emerging or unstable jurisdictions Risk is the commercial buzzword of our times. Health risk, reputational risk, data risk; the word means different things to different sectors, but even those with the healthiest appetite for risk will be looking for ways to mitigate it […]
The 1980s/90s image of estate agents as spivvy wide-boys bedecked in red braces over check shirts that clashed violently with pinstripe suits was perhaps a bit harsh, as it depicted a character type that frequently engaged in sharp practices of the Only Fools and Horses variety. Or perhaps it wasn’t that unfair. Lawyers from regional […]
DLA Piper has announced that Ashley R Altschuler will join the firm’s litigation practice as a partner in Wilmington, Delaware, with an office also in New York. Altschuler is a seasoned practitioner with more than 15 years of experience litigating corporate, securities and complex business matters at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal […]
Allen & Overy, in association with local law firm Zeyad S Khoshaim Law Firm, has advised Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the Gulf’s largest utility company, on its record-breaking $2.5bn (£1.5bn) sukuk, the largest-ever Rule 144A sukuk offering. The sukuk consists of two separate series of sukuk certificates: a $1.5bn 10-year series and a $1bn 30-year series priced at four […]
Best Lawyers Australia 2014 has recognised 56 DLA Piper lawyers across 36 practice areas, with 24 lawyers listed across multiple categories. Best Lawyers is one of the most respected peer-review publications in the legal profession. The DLA Piper lawyers recognised are: Norman Abrams Katherine Armytage Caroline Atkins Simon Bailey Toby Barrie Gerry Bean Rohan Bennett […]