Law Firm Management

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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DLA Piper cuts 10 Hong Kong jobs in capital markets amid IPO slump

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong | February 21, 2013

DLA Piper has made around 10 job cuts in Hong Kong amid an ongoing drop-off in capital markets work in the region. The group, which comprises associates and legal assistants in the firm's regional capital markets practice, is understood to have been laid off last month after news emerged in December that the firm planned to make a small number of redundancies across its Asia Pacific offices.

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DLA's Angel joins David Cameron's trade delegation to India

By Pui-Guan Man | February 18, 2013

DLA Piper global co-chairman Tony Angel is joining Prime Minister David Cameron on his high-profile business delegation to India. The former Linklaters chief has been invited by the Government to join Cameron on the three-day trade-focused visit this week - the largest single business delegation taken to any country by the UK to date.

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Iberia

By Legal Week | February 14, 2013

Caroline Hill asks whether Spain's new 'bad bank' will help boost its economy, while Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer looks at China's growing interest in Spanish companies

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Axiom sends legal work for key client EA to India as firm opens up new base

By Gerard Starkey | February 14, 2013

Alternative legal services provider Axiom is officially opening its new India base for business on Monday (18 February), with video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) on board as the office's first client. The formal launch comes after Legal Week revealed last August that Axiom was in the process of establishing a 5,500 sq ft base in Gurgaon to offer its clients a more cost-effective service in the region.

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Crunch time – the real work is just beginning for Norton Rose

By Georgina Stanley | February 14, 2013

Five quick-fire international mergers and three-and-a-half years are all it will have taken Norton Rose to transform its business from struggling UK mid-tier practice to global giant by the time its merger with Fulbright & Jaworski goes live this summer. Any way you look at it, the scale of what the firm has achieved is impressive, as our analysis this week illustrates. Even rivals – usually quick to criticise – readily concede that the mergers Norton Rose has pushed through are hard to knock.

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And now for the hard part – after five mergers, can Norton Rose's CEO tackle his biggest challenge yet?

By Georgina Stanley | February 14, 2013

When Norton Rose's merger with US firm Fulbright & Jaworski goes live on 1 June, it will have completed its fifth tie-up in just three-and-a-half years. Given that even one merger is beyond the ability of many of the UK's leading players, the achievement cannot be underestimated. The unions mean that in just 42 months, Norton Rose will have transformed itself from an also-ran UK law firm with a smattering of international offices and turnover of £314m into a global giant operating in 55 locations around the world with revenues approaching £1.3bn.

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International Edition

Crunch time – the real work is just beginning for Norton Rose

By Georgina Stanley | February 14, 2013

Five quick-fire international mergers and three-and-a-half years are all it will have taken Norton Rose to transform its business from struggling UK mid-tier practice to global giant by the time its merger with Fulbright & Jaworski goes live this summer. Any way you look at it, the scale of what the firm has achieved is impressive, as our analysis this week illustrates. Even rivals – usually quick to criticise – readily concede that the mergers Norton Rose has pushed through are hard to knock.

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Firms tackle debt conundrum as LLP accounts expose borrowing burden

By Pui-Guan Man | February 14, 2013

Half of the UK's 20 largest law firms are carrying some degree of bank borrowing, limited liability partnership (LLP) accounts have revealed, as law firm debt comes increasingly into focus in the wake of the recent collapse of Cobbetts. Accounts filed with Companies House for the 2011-12 financial year show that 10 of the UK top 20 are carrying debts, with seven seeing their debt increase since the 2010-11 financial year: DLA Piper, Herbert Smith Freehills, Clyde & Co, Simmons & Simmons, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Irwin Mitchell and SJ Berwin.

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The American Lawyer

Law Firm Merger Rush Continues With Nelson Mullins Tie-Up

By Dan Packel | August 1, 2018

A finalized union with Florida's Broad and Cassel supercharges the Southeast-focused Am Law 100 firm, which now boasts 25 offices up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

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Pro Mid Market

Harter Secrest & Emery: How a Midsize Upstate NY Law Firm Competes With Big Law

By Susan DeSantis | August 1, 2018

Craig Wittlin, managing partner of Harter Secrest & Emery in upstate New York, discusses his firm's competitive advantages: its partnership structure, low overhead and meaningful work for younger associates.

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Corporate Counsel

For Managing Partners, a Move In-House Isn't Always Easy

By Stephanie Forshee and Ben Seal | August 1, 2018

Law firm managing partners who have become general counsel say the transition is more challenging than it may appear.

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International

O'Melveny Management Jets Into London as Allen & Overy Merger Talks Continue

By Rose Walker | July 31, 2018

O'Melveny chairman Bradley Butwin met in London with Allen & Overy leaders last week.

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The American Lawyer

Chasing M&A Dominance, Cadwalader Adds Sidley Austin Antitrust Co-Leader

By Meghan Tribe | July 31, 2018

Cadwalader "is poised to be one of the firms that is going to really be in control of the next M&A cycle,” said new partner Joel Mitnick in New York, who was global co-head of Sidley Austin's antitrust group.

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The American Lawyer

Women Exit Ogletree Deakins in Wake of Gender Bias Allegations

By Miriam Rozen | July 31, 2018

“A lot of my good friends had left. I looked around and said, 'Why am I still here?'” said a former nonequity partner at Ogletree Deakins, a national labor and employment firm facing a $300 million gender bias suit.

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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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