Law Firm Management

Simmons gears up for Singapore launch with Norton Rose hire

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong | March 3, 2013

Simmons & Simmons has hired a banking and finance partner from Norton Rose in Sydney as it gears up to launch in Singapore. Dan Marjanovic will initially be based in Simmons' Hong Kong office but will move over to Singapore to help launch the firm's office there once it receives regulatory approval, which is expected to come through later this spring.

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DWF's Leaitherland: Cobbetts equity partners ring-fenced as firm beds in £200m merger

By Gerard Starkey | March 1, 2013

None of the Cobbetts' partners joining DWF as part of last month's pre-pack deal will hold equity in DWF for at least 12 months, Legal Week can reveal. Around 70 partners, including managing partner Nick Carr and senior partner Stephen Benson have made the move to DWF after the firm agreed to purchase Cobbetts' debts and work in progress (WIP) for a guaranteed £3.8m

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The Middle East

By Legal Week | February 28, 2013

Grant Murgatroyd looks at how the region is bouncing back after a period of retrenchment, and Habib Al Mulla argues the case for clearer and up-to-date laws to better regulate the UAE's markets.

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Cleared for take-off – the new shape of the Middle East legal market

By Legal Week | February 28, 2013

Dubai's detractors have had a field day in recent years. The wise man, they pointed out, did not build his house upon the sand. From its heyday in the 2000s, doomsayers forecast the city would collapse and be swallowed up by the desert. That has not happened and, after a painful retrenchment, the Middle East's leading hub is back on the path to growth. With the opening of Terminal 3, Dubai's airport expects 75 million international passengers in 2013, rising to 90 million in 2015. This would catapult it into the lead as the world's busiest airport, dwarfing its closest rivals London Heathrow (65 million), Paris Charles De Gaulle (56 million) and Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok (53 million).

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Field Fisher launches strategy review with focus on sectors and international expansion

By Pui-Guan Man | February 28, 2013

Field Fisher Waterhouse has started a strategic review, as the firm's incoming management team sets about trying to refocus the business to ensure it is the right shape for the future. Managing partner Michael Chissick (pictured) and senior partner Matthew Lohn outlined details of the review to partners at the firm's annual partner conference late last month, with a consultation on the review expected to end in May. The new strategy is expected to encompass topics including Field Fisher's recently revamped sector focus, which last summer was scaled back from 11 industry specialisms to five, and international expansion, as well as options for re-engineering under-utilised practice areas.

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Beijing-bound firms face culture challenge as global elite flock to Chinese capital

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong | February 28, 2013

Home to cash-rich state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and a huge urban population, Beijing – like Singapore, Hong Kong and, more latterly, Korea – has long been a focus for international law firms. This year in particular looks set to see a raft of firms open up in the Chinese capital, with Berwin Leighton Paisner last month announcing plans to launch there in May, while a string of other firms – including Ashurst, Kirkland & Ellis, Eversheds, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Clyde & Co – also expect to receive their licences to practise in the coming months. Those that already have offices on the ground have also been busy ramping up their offerings. DLA Piper announced in January that it had hired a five-strong King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) team for Beijing, including projects partner Carolyn Dong. Norton Rose has brought in three new Beijing partners since March 2012: banking partner Li Jinnan from KWM, corporate partner Jing Wang from Allen & Overy and corporate partner Barbara Li from Baker & McKenzie.

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CC revamps partnership council with Beijing and US members elected

By Pui-Guan Man | February 22, 2013

Clifford Chance (CC) has elected two new members to its partnership council, with Washington DC banking and finance partner Catherine McCarthy and Beijing M&A corporate partner Tim Wang joining the group. The pair will succeed Asia disputes partner Martin Rogers and Frankfurt corporate partner Daniela Weber-Rey and will serve a three-year term kicking off on 19 March 2013.

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Cravath splits global M&A leadership as former chief heads for UK

By Alex Newman | February 21, 2013

Cravath Swaine & Moore has split the management of its global M&A practice ahead of the imminent relocation of former global M&A head Richard Hall to London to bolster the firm's European footprint. The firm's Americas M&A practice will now be jointly led by New York partners Robert Townsend and Faiza Saeed. Recent high-profile roles for Townsend have included acting for pharma giant Johnson & Johnson on its $19.7bn (£12.9bn) acquisition of Synthes in 2012, while Saeed counts major corporates such as Kraft Foods, Morgan Stanley and Time Warner among her key clients.

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Herbert Smith faces fierce competition in 'over-lawyered' German market

By Pui-Guan Man | February 21, 2013

The news that Herbert Smith Freehills is set to launch in Germany later this year has been met with a mixed response from the local market, with lawyers questioning whether the firm will be able to come close to matching the strength offered through its former alliance with Gleiss Lutz. The firm last week confirmed it is opening an office in Frankfurt in the second quarter of 2013 with the hire of Ralf Thaeter, who was head of corporate and M&A at Gleiss. The office will initially focus on M&A, corporate, disputes and finance work, with a view to expanding to a full-service offering. The firm was not able to open in the country earlier than January 2013 due to the wind-down terms of its alliance with Gleiss and Benelux firm Stibbe, which broke down in December 2011.

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Throwing down the gauntlet – GCs are piling pressure on law firms to adapt their fee arrangements

By Legal Week | February 21, 2013

General counsel have always battled with their external lawyers over costs. But as the post-Legal Services Act market opens up to new players, these power struggles are taking on an entirely new dimension. GCs, under more pressure than ever to cut spending, are sensing serious opportunities to look for new solutions to address the old problems of – what many perceive as – over-lawyered, over-priced legal services. Thomas Crane, GC of the Home & Savings Bank, says: "There are new entrants to the market and companies really do have new opportunities to speak to other firms. Legal work is of a high quality from a large number of firms."

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New Jersey Law Journal

Stressed Out? Tell Us About It

By David Gialanella | July 31, 2018

Publications from around the ALM family are engaging readers on the important issue of stress in the workplace, and we want to hear from you.

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Texas Lawyer

Employing Healthy Billing Practices

By Shari Klevens and Alanna Clair | July 31, 2018

Lawyers often complain about the business side of running a law practice, particularly when it comes to issuing invoices and collecting fees. Some…

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Daily Report Online

What Lawyers and Firms Should Do to Balance Law and Family

By Pamela Newsom Lee and Crystal Stevens McElrath | July 31, 2018

We make time for the things that matter most, so deciding what matters most on any given day and at different stages of your career and children's lives is key.

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International Edition

O'Melveny management jets into London as Allen & Overy merger talks heat up

By Rose Walker | July 31, 2018

O'Melveny chairman Bradley Butwin meets A&O leaders as talks reach due diligence phase

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The American Lawyer

Law Firm Marketers Catching Up With 'New Normal,' Survey Shows

By Dan Packel | July 31, 2018

New business development strategies are taking hold in the legal industry, but turning lawyers into better marketers remains a challenge.

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Law.com

Why You Should Take a Vacation From Your Phone. And Why You Probably Won't.

By Angela Morris | July 31, 2018

There's a wider recognition within the legal profession that true downtime for lawyers is crucial. The trick is to actually take it.

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The American Lawyer

Firms Find Fertile Ground for Growth in Smaller Markets

By Lizzy McLellan | July 30, 2018

Certain Midwest and second-tier markets, in terms of population, have garnered interest from large law firms, especially those that serve middle-market clients.

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The American Lawyer

Weil Holding Departing Dallas Counsel to 6-Month Notice Period

By Roy Strom | July 30, 2018

A newly promoted counsel at Weil, Gotshal & Manges is effectively on “garden leave” as the firm takes the unusual position of enforcing a notice period that exists in its employment agreement with certain lawyers.

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The American Lawyer

Betting on Canada Growth, Dentons Gobbles Toronto Boutique

By Meghan Tribe | July 27, 2018

Dentons says adding a quintet from real estate boutique McLean & Kerr is just part of its plan to beef up north of the border.

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National Law Journal

Washington Wrap: Facebook Farewell; Shook Slapdown; DC Moves

By Ryan Lovelace | July 27, 2018

During a rough period for Facebook, Colin Stretch said his D.C. base of operations meant his tenure at the company couldn't last.

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