Michael Conroy Harris, construction expert at Eversheds, has commented on the construction industry’s hopes for the 2014 Budget. Conroy Harris said that the chancellor would have a ‘fresh vantage point’ due to looking at growth, rather than ‘down the barrel of a triple-dip recession’, and that ’there will no doubt be a weather eye on the general […]
No5 Chambers barrister Dean Kershaw has defended a recent Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) appeal case. Sajid Ali, 41, of Aston, had his conviction of rape quashed after three Court of Appeal judges heard that jurors were not told the alleged victim had made a previous false claim of indecent assault. The CCRC discovered the […]
Collyer Bristow has recruited experienced international private client tax specialist William Hancock from Speechly Bircham, where he has been a partner since 1999. Hancock is the latest in a series of partner-level hires to join the firm in recent months. His appointment commenced on 17 March 2014. Hancock advises a range of wealthy individuals, trusts, […]
No5 Chambers is sponsoring this year’s Child Brain Injury Trust Conference and Exhibition, which is due to take place on 26 March at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Major changes to how children and young people with brain injuries are supported and cared for are due to come into effect, with the Children and Families […]
A quartet of partners from Bird & Bird in Sweden have left the firm along with six other lawyers to launch a boutique focused on emerging companies. Partners Andreas Börjesson, Jim Runsten, Sara Sparring and Johan Tydén launched the new firm, Synch, on 1 March. The partners are joined by six other Bird & Bird […]
If the news that the Big Four accountancy firms are ramping up their legal arms sounds like something you’ve read before, you’re not far wrong. In the pre-Enron days, the likes of KLegal and Andersen Legal, closely associated with the auditors, were major players in the UK mid-market. Now PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is setting its stall […]
Stephenson Harwood has appointed partner Andrew Edge to head up its corporate practice in London. Edge will replace the firm’s chief executive Sharon White, who was re-elected into the firm’s top position earlier this month (7 March 2014). She has stepped down from the corporate chief role, which she has held since 2004, to focus […]
Despite a rocky domestic market, Portuguese firms are spreading their wings internationally. Mozambique and Angola have long been areas of interest for historical reasons, but there have also been forays into Cameroon and East Timor Portugal: First rays of the new rising sun Top-tier Portuguese firm opens doors in East Timor Angola/Mozambique: Power lions Portugal’s […]
Atlanta and Washington DC-based US firm Sutherland Asbill & Brennan is entering the UK market through a merger with London commodities boutique Arbis. The combination of Sutherland and Arbis will go live today (Tuesday) as the US firm becomes the latest practice to target the energy and commodities market. Arbis will rebrand as Arbis Sutherland […]
Last September, China’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, Shanghai, launched an ambitious new free trade zone. The so-called Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) aims to test-run an opening up of its financial system, easing restrictions in foreign and private investment and loosening controls on its currency. For international and domestic law firms based in […]
The head of PricewaterhouseCooper’s legal arm (PwC Legal) has set out the firm’s ambitions to become a global top-20 legal services player within the next five years. PwC Legal global legal services leader Leon Flavell told The Lawyer that the firm was targeting revenues of $1bn – doubling from 2013’s almost-$500m across the firm’s legal […]
Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) has made up six to its partnership in a round of promotions that will be effective from 1 April. Promotions are down by a third at the firm compared to last year’s nine promotions, which were focused mainly on its foreign offices (17 April 2013). This year all but one of […]