legalweek
SJ Berwin senior partner Jonathan Blake will not stand for a third term at the firm’s helm, he confirmed earlier today (3 February). Blake told partners today that he will step down from the role when his term closes on 30 April this year, ending months of [...]
SJ Berwin senior partner Blake to step down from top role in April
Judge bans tweeting from Redknapp tax trial after reporting breach
legalweek
The judge in Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp’s tax trial has banned the use of Twitter in court after a breach of reporting restrictions.
Redknapp is currently appearing at Southwark Crown Court in relation to tax evasion charges.
[...]
Mayer Brown set to see five partner departures from City base
legalweek
Mayer Brown is set to see five partner departures from its London office in the coming weeks, with the outgoing partners joining firms including White & Case and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Commercial litigators Simon Willis and Matthew Lawson are departing from the US firm to join [...]
A&O global corporate co-head Hepkema to retire from partnership
legalweek
Allen & Overy (A&O) global corporate co-head Sietze Hepkema is set to retire from the partnership in January and take on an of counsel position at the firm.
Hepkema, who has played a significant role in the firm’s global management for more than ten years, will now work [...]
Quinn Emanuel City litigation partner set for return from conflict exile
legalweek
Former Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan London partner Marc Becker could be set for a return to the firm after a US judge dismissed a motion filed by Bank of America (BoA) to disqualify the firm from a multibillion-dollar litigation case.
The US firm is now set to [...]
SRA gets go-ahead for ABS licensing from New Year
legalweek
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is to start accepting applications for alternative business structures (ABS) in the New Year, with its first ABSs potentially going live towards the end of February 2012.
[...]
Law Soc chief exec sees Solicitors from Hell slander charge thrown out
legalweek
A claim of alleged slander brought by Solicitors from Hell owner Rick Kordowski against Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson has been struck out of court.
Kordowski had claimed Hudson slandered him in comments he allegedly made to Professor John Flood of the University of Westminster in which, [...]
QualitySolicitors secures majority investment from private equity firm
legalweek
QualitySolicitors has become one of the first legal organisations to secure private equity backing, with Palamon Capital Partners becoming the majority shareholder in the high street law franchise.
The size of the investment – which has seen Palamon take a majority stake in QualitySolicitors’ holding company – is [...]
Quinn Emanuel set for Moscow with hire of ex-CC duo from Dechert
legalweek
Quinn Emanuel is set to launch an office in Moscow with the hire of two senior litigation partners from Dechert.
Ivan Marisin and Vasily Kuznetsov, who are set to join Quinn later this year, both joined Dechert’s Moscow office from Clifford Chance (CC) last year. The number of [...]
‘Draconian’ Vickers banking reforms face criticism from City lawyers
legalweek
City finance partners have slated Government plans to push ahead with proposals that will force Britain’s banks to ring-fence their retail banking operations from the investment banking arms within the next eight years.
Banks will have until 2019 to implement proposals in Sir John Vickers’ Independent Commission on [...]