Law Firm Management

Herbert Smith Freehills launches management elections as co-CEOs retire

By Anna Reynolds | September 24, 2013

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has kicked off the process to appoint new leadership with current joint CEOs David Willis and Gavin Bell retiring from the firm. Willis and Bell, who have been in the roles since the legacy firms Herbert Smith and Freehills merged in October 2012, will step down in April 2014. The Herbert Smith Freehills Global Council - the firm's governance body - will decide whether the dual role will be replaced by a single CEO or whether the role will continue to be undertaken jointly, with the appointments process expected to be completed by the end of the year. Before merger talks between Herbert Smith and Freehills began, Willis' term as managing partner of Herbert Smith had been due to end in April 2013. He agreed to a 1-year extension because of the merger.

1 minute read

Candidates emerge as Ashurst prepares for chairman elections

By Anna Reynolds | September 23, 2013

Ashurst's dispute resolution partner Ben Tidswell and legacy Blakes competition and consumer protection partner Peter Armitage will run against current senior partner Charlie Geffen for the role of chairman. Partners were informed this morning that Geffen, Tidswell and Armitage had come forward as contenders for the role, which will replace the senior partner position.

1 minute read

In depth: Dentons

By Legal Week | September 19, 2013

Formed by a rapid succession of cross-border mergers, Alex Newman asks whether Dentons will defy critics to become more than the sum of its parts

1 minute read

In-depth: Switzerland

By Legal Week | September 19, 2013

Switzerland's legal and financial markets are undergoing rapid change, but local practitioners are taking developments in their stride

1 minute read

Dentons' former chief executive Morris resigns

By Alex Newman | September 19, 2013

Dentons' former chief executive Howard Morris has resigned from the firm after 22 years as a partner. Morris recently returned to London from New York, where he spent the past two years as the firm's global integration and client development partner. It is understood Dentons partners were informed of his decision to leave the firm last week. His future plans are not known.

1 minute read

Will Dentons deliver? After a succession of mergers does Dentons add up to more than the sum of its parts?

By Alex Newman | September 19, 2013

If this year's three-way mega-deal between SNR Denton, Salans and Canada's Fraser Milner Casgrain (FMC) still generates a large dose of scepticism among rivals, it does not seem to have knocked the confidence of the merged firm's chairman. Indeed, in an interview with Legal Week, Joe Andrew, an approachable American corporate lawyer, says that far from being the 'merger of weakness' that critics portray, his new 'polycentric' firm should be a blueprint for the world's leading legal practices.

1 minute read

Hong Kong Law Society urges Taiwan to open legal market to local firms

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong | September 19, 2013

Hong Kong law firms could soon be permitted to open offices in Taiwan following a campaign by the city's law society to encourage fair treatment of foreign outfits in the country. Firms based in Hong Kong are not currently allowed to launch in Taiwan or advise on Taiwanese law, despite an absence of such restrictions on firms from the UK and US.

1 minute read

Sitting comfortably – Swiss lawyers benefit as Gnomes of Zurich come under attack

By Legal Week | September 19, 2013

It is no exaggeration to say that the Swiss financial market – including corporate lawyers – has had the jitters of late. The fall of the private bank Wegelin, coupled with the indictment by the US authorities of former Niederer Kraft & Frey partner Edgar Paltzer, has certainly caused a stir, especially in the banking sector. The once fabled image of private Swiss banks ready to cut favourable deals and hide the money of the rich and famous from prying eyes and international tax authorities is without doubt crumbling. So where does this leave Switzerland's legal powerhouses?

1 minute read

Simmons rejigs board with two new partners elected

By Pui-Guan Man | September 18, 2013

Simmons & Simmons has rejigged its management board, with Germany head of disputes Peter Meyer and City ICT partner Alex Brown taking spots. Amsterdam partner Leo Verhoeff has meanwhile been reappointed to the board for another term. He has been a board member since 2010. The new roles came into effect at the beginning of the week (16 September).

1 minute read

Kirkland & Ellis opens third base in Asia with Beijing launch

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong | September 16, 2013

Kirkland & Ellis has opened an office in Beijing, giving the firm its third base in Asia. The Chicago-based outfit, whose focus in Asia has been predominantly on M&A, private equity and capital markets work, has fielded corporate partner David Zhang, who has 20 years' experience in China, and Chuan Li, who is currently chief representative of its Shanghai office, to lead the base.

1 minute read

International

Shearman & Sterling to Open Seoul Office

By John Kang | September 19, 2018

The firm will enter Asia's fourth-largest economy as U.S. rival Simpson Thacher & Bartlett prepares to exit by year's end.

1 minute read

The Legal Intelligencer

How Holland & Knight Built a Philadelphia Office on Reed Smith Talent

By Lizzy McLellan | September 19, 2018

The firm capitalized on Reed Smith's shifting priorities to grow from zero to more than 30 lawyers in Philadelphia in a flash.

1 minute read

Daily Report Online

Jury Selected in Hardwick Embezzlement Trial Over Defunct Atlanta Firm

By Meredith Hobbs | September 18, 2018

Opening statements will start on Thursday morning after a break on Wednesday in observance of Yom Kippur.

1 minute read

The American Lawyer

Mintz Adds Ex-Prosecutors in Boston, New York

By Meghan Tribe | September 18, 2018

The firm is beefing up its stable of former prosecutors in the Northeast with former SDNY prosecutor Jason Halperin and ex-Boston DA Daniel Conley.

1 minute read

New York Law Journal

Experts See Few Parallels as Skadden's Ukraine Work Comes Under Fire

By Christine Simmons | September 18, 2018

The controversy surrounding former partner Gregory Craig is bringing new attention to lawyers and law firms' obligations under the eight-decade-old Foreign Agents Registration Act.

1 minute read

International Edition

Trio of law firms buck trend of Big Four threat with EY hires

By Krishnan Nair | September 18, 2018

Simmons, Gowling WLG and Brodies bring in EY talent

1 minute read

The Recorder

With Eyes on L.A. Expansion, Baker McKenzie Sets Sights on US Merger

By Rose Walker | September 18, 2018

“We are looking for a merger partner in the U.S.," global chairman Paul Rawlinson said. "It's a question of when, not if."

1 minute read

International Edition

'It's a question of when, not if' – Baker McKenzie sets sights on US merger

By Rose Walker | September 18, 2018

Firm targets growth on east and west coasts amid interest from several domestic firms

1 minute read

The American Lawyer

Can a Big Law Private Equity Practice Play Matchmaker?

By Roy Strom | September 17, 2018

Holland & Knight is taking a page out of an investment banker's playbook.

1 minute read

The American Lawyer

Amid Sanctions, Global Law Firms Face Russian Reckoning

By Dan Packel | September 17, 2018

International firms are finding themselves cut off from key Russian clients, and they're coping with increasing homegrown competition. But some are equipped to ride out the storm.

1 minute read