Australian firm Clayton Utz and its Hong Kong association firm Haley & Co have broken off their relationship, with the former retrenching to focus on its domestic market. The association will formally end on 30 June 2014, four years after the two entered into a formal association. Clayton Utz chief executive partner Darryl McDonough said the […]
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) structured finance partner Lucy Oddy has resigned for Latham & Watkins, the third departure to hit the mid-market firm in a week. The move follows yesterday’s resignation of BLP real estate finance duo Andrew Flemming and Jo Solomon, who are currently in advanced negotiations with Hogan Lovells. Partners are expected to […]
Who is the greatest silk of them all? You wouldn’t be far wrong if you said it was Dinah Rose QC. The Lawyer’s research shows that she’s the lawyers’ favourite for Supreme Court cases. Is Rose the new Sumption? Litigation: The Supersilks Focus: Dinah Rose QC Client Earth pollution case goes to Europe after Supreme […]
Peter Rees QC, the former legal director of Royal Dutch Shell, is joining Thirty Nine Essex Street as a counsel with immediate effect. In a statement the London chambers confirmed the arrival of arbitration specialist Rees, with joint head of chambers Stephen Tromans QC claiming his arrival would add “a great deal of further experience” […]
Chinese firm Zhong Lun has bolstered its domestic practice through the acquisition of legacy Beijing firm Kaiwen, two years after the firm agreed a merger with Beijing-based capital markets boutique Grandway. The large-scale bolt-on was approved by Zhong Lun’s partnership during its annual partnership conference earlier this month and will add a team of 22 partners […]
The SRA has attended a meeting with local authority legal heads over the processing of their ABS applications, with public sector chiefs complaining that the process is slow and bureaucratic. The watchdog is under fire over ABS delays with sources arguing that the process is only suited to private companies. “We’re effectively being judged like […]
Offshore firm Ogier is piloting a scheme to use paralegal roles as a potential stepping-stone to qualifying as a lawyer. For the first time this year the firm has recruited half a dozen paralegals on a 12-month fixed-term contract, with an eye to offering them training contracts should they prove suitable candidates. One of the […]
Ashfords has expanded its real estate team with the hire of two lawyers from Allen and Overy (A&O) and Gordon Dadds. A&O senior associate Jon Bola and Gordon Dadds partner Paul Barnes will join the firm in its new office in Fetter Lane, which houses commercial, real estate and private client teams. The addition of […]
Clifford Chance and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have advised Temasek and AS Watson respectively, as the Singaporean sovereign fund buys a near 25 per cent stake in Asian Tycoon Li Ka-shing’s retail chain for $5.6bn (£3.5bn). The deal comes after the planned IPO of Watson took a sharp turn. Prior to the announcement of Temasek’s investment, […]
PricewaterhouseCooper’s legal arm, PwC Legal, has set out ambitions to become a global top-20 legal services player within the next five years, putting growth in Asia at the top of the expansion tree “We’re keen on opportunities in Asia and Africa,” legal services chief Leon Flavell says. “This is largely to do with businesses coming […]
Shoosmiths’ Edinburgh team has been named Private Client Team of the Year and was a finalist in the Litigation Team of the Year and Rising Star of the Year categories at the Scottish Legal Awards 2014. The finalists came from 33 different firms across Scotland, with 61 entries making the shortlist in various categories contested […]
Feel that bounce in your step, a sense that spring is in the air? It’s not just you. As the weather warms up, Thomson Reuters has arrived with some good news for corporate lawyers. The data provider’s preliminary M&A tables for the first quarter of 2014 show a massive year-on-year rise in activity. The European […]