CC set to lay off up to 80 lawyers in the City

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

Clifford Chance (CC) has launched a redundancy program in its London HQ with the magic circle firm potentially set to cut around 70-80 lawyers. The consultation, which kicked off today (8 January), does not include business support services, which the firm said will be subject to a separate review. The move, which will put nearly one in 10 of CC’s London lawyers under threat, makes CC the first top London law firm to launch a formal redundancy programme in the UK in recent memory.
Ben Wheway @ 10:32 am
Filed under: General
Links takes top spot in 2008 global M&A rankings

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

Linklaters has stormed to the top of Mergermarket’s 2008 deal rankings, heading the value tables globally as well as in Europe, the UK and the Asia-Pacific region. The firm also boosted its position in the volume rankings – leading the tables in Europe and coming within the top three in the UK and globally, where DLA Piper topped the listings. The magic circle firm worked on 267 deals globally worth $728.5bn (£482.3m) to knock Sullivan & Cromwell off the top of the worldwide value ra
Ben Wheway @ 10:06 am
Filed under: General
CC asks partners to make £100k cash contribution

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

Clifford Chance (CC) has asked its partners to make a cash contribution of up to £100,000 to the business. Each member of the firm’s global partnership will now make the capital contribution in a move the firm described as a “normal part of managing its finances”. A spokesperson for the firm confirmed that the cash contribution was voted on by the partnership, stating the last time the firm had asked its partners for cash was 2006.
Ben Wheway @ 9:55 am
Filed under: General
Cleary seals hire of Citi GC for capital markets team

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has boosted its New York capital markets practice with the rehire of Edward Greene from Citi. Greene is general counsel of Citi’s institutional clients group. He joined the banking giant in 2004 from Cleary. Greene, who is currently based in London, will relocate to New York to rejoin the firm in February. His joined Cleary in 1982, prior to which he was general counsel of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as director of the Divis
Ben Wheway @ 9:52 am
Filed under: General
Freshfields names new international arbitration co-head

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed a new co-head of international arbitration to sit alongside Dubai-based co-head Jan Paulsson. New York-based partner Lucy Reed is currently head of the firm’s US international arbitration and public international law practice. She specialises in international commercial arbitration with a focus on investment treaty disputes.
Ben Wheway @ 9:50 am
Filed under: General
Ashurst adds Evans to top-level management team

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

Ashurst has elected corporate partner David Evans to its management board – effectively replacing Geoffrey Green who has stepped down as senior partner. Ashurst partners voted for Evans to take a seat on the board, with Charlie Geffen moving to the senior partner role and Green relocating to Hong Kong to launch the firm’s branch there later this year. Evans, who specialises in investment funds, has been a partner at Ashurst since 1995 and was appointed head of a dedicated real estate fu
Ben Wheway @ 9:46 am
Filed under: General
Broadcaster Five adds legal chief to exec board

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

TV broadcaster Five has promoted chief legal officer Paul Chinnery to the position of director of legal affairs and awarded the lawyer a place on the executive board. Chinnery, who has been unofficially managing the legal department for the last year, formally replaces previous director of legal affairs Colin Campbell, who retired from the role at the end of 2007. Commenting on the move, Dawn Airey, the chairman and chief executive of Five, said: “I am very pleased that Five has devel
Ben Wheway @ 9:42 am
Filed under: General
Federal Judge Pleads Not Guilty to New Criminal Charges

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent, who faces trial on Jan. 26 in Houston on three federal criminal charges, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to three additional charges just hours after they were lodged against him in a superseding indictment. After Kent pleaded not guilty before 5th Circuit Judge Edward Prado, prosecutors from the DOJ asked the judge to consider two issues at sidebar. Kent's defense attorney objected, but Prado overruled him and had the courtroom cleared for the 55-minute hearing.
Law.com - Newswire @ 4:46 am
Filed under: General
Defense Attorneys Square Off in Fee Dispute

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

A fee dispute between defense attorneys stemming from the 2004 conviction of investment manager Nathan Chapman Jr. went to trial on Monday in Baltimore. The suit pits Blank Rome and former litigation partner William Martin against a local lawyer who claims he’s owed more than $200,000 in fees for serving as behind-the-scenes co-counsel to Chapman during the latter’s trial. At issue is the extent of the relationship between Blank Rome, Martin, Chapman and plaintiff Nathaniel Jones of Jones & Associates.

Law.com - Newswire @ 3:21 am
Filed under: General
State of California Appears Favored in Attorney Conflict Case

Posted on Thursday 8 January 2009

It wasn't a good sign for attorney Stuart Somach when California Supreme Court Justice Joyce Kennard told him during oral arguments that he didn't have a single case to support his position -- except for one ruling that she seemed ready to void. Somach was arguing that staff attorneys for administrative law agencies shouldn't simultaneously serve as prosecutors in one matter while acting as advisers to the same agency in an unrelated case. The court's decision could affect attorneys within all state agencies.
Law.com - Newswire @ 3:21 am
Filed under: General
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