Ukrainian Legal Developments:
Linklaters to Pay Out At Least Six Months’ Salary for Displaced Russian Lawyers and Staff
Linklaters is set to pay out “generous” financial packages to its Russian-based lawyers and support staff unable to relocate roles within the firm, as the legal industry deals with the fall out from the war in Ukraine.
Greenberg Traurig Aligns with Avellum; Focused on the Future of Ukraine
Greenberg Traurig has aligned with Avellum, a Kyiv based firm. Initially, Avellum lawyers will be seconded to Greenberg Traurig offices in London, Amsterdam, and Berlin.
Linklaters to sponsor Ukrainian legal scholars at Polish universities
Linklaters has joined Weil Gotshal and Manges in contributing towards the Warsaw-based Legal Solidarity Fund.The fund was initiated by Adam Bodnar, the dean of the Law School of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, and retired Weil partner Anna Frankowska. Each contribution is valued at PLN 100,000 (£18,184.71).
The task force will also include legal experts from U.S. firm Covington & Burling LLP, led by Nikhil Gore, the French firm Sygna Partners, led by Luke Vidal, as well as the Withers firm, led by Emma Lindsay. Each of these firms is already representing Ukraine, including at the International Court of Justice.
In rejecting the leading offshore firm’s application to ‘come off the record’, Mr Justice Jack held that VTB’s right to litigate had not been curtailed by the UK’s sanctions and that Ogier’s duties to the court ‘outweigh’ other considerations including reputational damage.
Moves:
CMS boosts London IP team with hire of HSF’s former global practice head
Mark Shillito, former head of IP at Herbert Smith Freehills, has joined CMS.
Dentons UK managing director to leave firm
Lisa Sewell is expected to carry out her duties and responsibilities until the post is transitioned.
David Herlihy has joined Allen & Overy’s litigation, arbitration and investigations team from Skadden.
Retailer Very hires new GC from FTSE100 insurer
Charlotte Heiss has moved to Very Group from RSA.
Eversheds Sutherland Hires Paris Corporate Criminal Team from McDermott
Alexis Werl leads the corporate criminal team that is joining Eversheds Sutherland from McDermott Will & Emery.
Kirkland strengthens tax practice with addition of Michael Ehret as partner
Michael Ehret joins Kirkland & Ellis’ Munich office from Allen & Overy.
Linklaters partner exits in Brussels for Cooley
Jonas Kopone, competition partner, is moving to Cooley’s from Linklaters
KPMG Law Taps Bird & Bird For Warsaw Co-Managing Partner
Pawel Banjo, formerly the head of private equity at Bird & Bird, has joined KPMG.
Debevoise hires former Skadden IP litigation practice co-chair in San Francisco
John (Jay) Neukom, veteran trial lawyer, has joined Debevoise from Skadden.
Cerence hires Lenovo’s global litigation head as next GC as part of wider leadership shake-up
Jennifer Salinas has joined Cerence, an AI software company that develops voice-powered digital assistants for the car industry.
Morgan Lewis adds labor relations partner in Chicago
Mark Stolzenburg has joined Morgan Lewis from Vedder Price.
Schulte Roth & Zabel expands investment management and M&A practices
Peter Greene, Benjamin Kozinn and Eileen Overbaugh have joined Schulte Roth & Zabel’s New York office.
White & Case continues to expand its private credit capabilities in Boston
Jessica Ball and Jessica Shearer have both joined White & Case from Proskauer Rose.
Kennedys Makes Further US Strides With Team Hires Across New York, Miami
U.K.-headquartered law firm Kennedys is continuing its U.S. growth push with the addition of four lawyers, including two partners, in its Miami and New York offices.
Gowling WLG welcomes George Elvira to its intellectual property group in Montréal
George Elvira has joined Gowling’s IP team from Smart & Biggar.
Akin Gump hires four-strong disputes team from Gibson Dunn in Dubai
A team of four, led by Graham Lovett, former head of Gibson Dunn’s Middle East disputes practice, has joined Akin Gump.
Holland & Knight raids DLA Piper for Mexican capital markets team
A team of six, led by Xavier Mangino, have joined Holland & Knight from DLA Piper in Mexico City.
Promotions and Appointments:
Pinsents unveils 23-strong promotions round (thelawyer.com)
Pinsent Masons has given the nod to 17 partners in its UK offices, with a further six making the cut across Continental Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia.
Clifford Chance Re-Appoints UK Managing Partner For Second Term
Clifford Chance has re-appointed Michael Baes as its U.K. regional managing partner.
Matheson promotes four women in latest 13-strong partnership round
This round of promotions brings the partner headcount for Ireland’s largest law firm up to 105.
Mergers & Alliances:
Clydes and BLM partners say “yes” to £700m merger
Clyde & Co and BLM have agreed to a merger between the two firms in a transformational deal for the legal insurance market. The vote was last week, with the combination going live in July. Under the merger, BLM will lose its name with the merged firm coming together under Clyde & Co’s brand.
Offshore giant Ogier unveils merger with eight-partner Dublin firm
The transaction between Ogier and Leman closed on 22 March and the two firms will combine to form the Ireland-registered LLP Ogier Leman in June.
Office Openings & Closings:
Mills & Reeve to expand into Oxford as partners relocate
Mills & Reeve is opening its seventh UK office in Oxford.
Eversheds Sutherland Opens San Francisco Office With Morgan Lewis Partner
Baird Fogel has joined Eversheds to become the Partner in Charge of the new Bay area office.
Financials:
Paul Hastings’ London office shines with 41% revenue spike as global income rises 20%
Paul Hastings has seen global revenue rise 20% to reach $1.57bn, while the London office has had revenue rise 40.6%.
Contract review startup Della raises $2.5m in first seed funding round
Della, an Anglo-French contract review legal technology startup – whose clients include Mishcon de Reya, Eversheds Sutherland, and Fidal – has raised $2.5m in its first seed funding round.
Simpson Thacher’s London revenue jumps by 43 per cent
Simpson Thacher’s revenue jumped 43% to reach $333m, and their headcount has risen 18%, up to 145 qualified lawyers.
Technology & Innovation:
Skadden, Kirkland and White & Case Scoop Roles on $10B Software Deal
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Kirkland & Ellis and White & Case are among the law firms advising on private equity firm HG’s investment in cloud software vendors IFS and WorkWave.
Technology used in the justice system is outpacing scrutiny and regulation
The Justice and Home Affairs Committee publishes its report Technology rules? The advent of new technologies in the justice system. The report explores the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other advanced algorithmic tools in activities to discover, deter, rehabilitate, or punish people who breach the law in England and Wales. The report acknowledges the potential of these technologies but warns against the pace of their deployment and the absence of appropriate safeguards.
Diversity & Inclusion:
LOD Launches In-House SQE Programme
Alternative legal services provider Lawyers On Demand (LOD) has developed an in-house tailored Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam programme which will allow its trainees to train while also working at clients such as Adidas and Airbnb.
LSB will continue to focus on diversity, inclusion and innovation
The Legal Services Board (LSB) published its 2022-2023 business plan today, outlining it will continue to focus on diversity and inclusion (D&I) and technology and innovation in the profession.
Coca-Cola Scraps Diversity Policy for Outside Law Firms
The Coca-Cola Co. has officially walked away from race-based staffing requirements for law firms doing work for the company, following blowback from some investors and the removal of the executive who developed the plan.
Ukraine Legal Developments:
Quinn Emanuel acts pro bono for Ukraine in human rights proceedings over Russia invasion
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has been appointed as counsel by Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice in European human rights proceedings being brought against Russia. The proceedings, which will be brought under the European Convention on Human Rights, arise from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which the firm called ‘unprovoked, unjustified and unlawful acts of aggression’.
International law experts join campaign for ‘Nuremberg-inspired’ tribunal to investigate Putin
Justice for Ukraine calls for a tribunal modelled on the legal framework created to prosecute criminals from the Second World War in the Nuremberg trials. Its 140 signatories include Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Koleba, former prosecutor for the Nuremberg Military Tribunal Benjamin Ferencz, and former president of the European Court of Human Rights Sir Nicolas Bratza, as well as former UK prime ministers Sir John Major and Gordon Brown.
Baker McKenzie has resumed its operation in Kyiv following the earlier suspension of work resulting from the Russian attacks on Ukraine.
What Happens Next? The Practical Challenges of Leaving Russia
Whilst they think that any lawyers in either Moscow or St. Petersburg who are overseas citizens or there on secondment will most likely be relocated elsewhere, there is an issue with staff on the ground who are Russian. “Some firms will relocate their personnel to other regions, and some won’t. For the lawyers [in Russia] who don’t get relocated, the two fundamental questions for firms are—what do you pay them, and how do you pay them?”
Ukraine Has Changed the World. Has It Also Changed Law Firms?
Values. This is a topic that has come up again and again in both the corporate and legal worlds. International law firms have seen that it is no longer possible for them to sit on the fence—that they are in and of the broader world and cannot always be issue agnostic. They saw this after the murder of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. They witnessed this as Jones Day, which represented President Donald Trump in post-election lawsuits aimed at overturning the 2020 election, was targeted by protesters, in social media, and even by some of its own lawyers.
After the Moscow Exodus, Where Will Big Law Go?
But as the West takes Russia offline, several emerging economies have maintained a deafening neutrality on Ukraine as they seek to hedge against Western dependence and maintain links with governments and investors in all parts of the world. Notable countries in this camp include Saudi Arabia, the UAE and China. And for law firms faced with the twin concerns of relocating Russian lawyers, where feasible, and rethinking international strategies post-Russia, this could spell opportunity.
‘They’ve Shattered the Playbook:’ MoFo Lawyers on Response to Russian Sanctions for War on Ukraine
Morrison & Foerster partners John Smith and Brandon Van Grack, both co-chairs of the firm’s national security practice, recently spoke with Law.com about how they’re managing the crisis for clients and why the U.S. government has “shattered the playbook” in its response.
Moves:
Freshfields partner exits for Eversheds
Alex Carver moves from Freshfields to Eversheds to boost its infrastructure practice.
Withers tech builds strengths with arrival of transatlantic venture capital partner Sarah Melaney
Sarah Melaney has joined Withers’ London office from Brown Rudnick.
WFW hires first GC from UK firm
Mary Mackintosh, formerly of Gowling’s, joins WFW as their first general counsel.
DLA Piper appoints Richard Harbot as Tax partner in London
Rich Harbot, formerly of BCLP, joins DLA Piper.
Morrison & Foerster expands global competition/antitrust and UK national security capabilities
Marie-Claire Strawbridge has joined Morrison & Foerster from Freshfields, where she was a counsel.
Dentons London Partner Leaves For US Rival
Martin Sharkey, finance partner, joins Schulte Roth from Dentons.
Dechert hires leading financial crime lawyer in London from Ropes & Gray
Judith Seddon, one of the UK’s top financial crime lawyers, has joined Dechert from Ropes & Gray.
Shoosmiths Manchester corporate team builds on ambitious growth strategy
Elia Montorio, corporate partner, has joined Shoosmiths’ Manchester office from DLA Piper.
Birmingham law firm’s family team bolstered with specialist partner appointment
Aasha Choudhary has joined Shakespeare Martineau’s family team in Birmingham from Mills & Reeve.
Simmons expands investment funds team with new Bristol partner.
Dan Faundez, private funds specialist, has joined Simmons & Simmons’ Bristol office from Osborne Clarke, where he was an associate director.
Leading arbitration academic and practitioner joins Clyde & Co
Loukas Mistelis has joined Clyde & Co’s London office.
Dr Marc Jacob joins DLA Piper’s Frankfurt office from Shearman & Sterling.
Ashurst strengthens Energy & Resources offering with trio of hires in Perth
Paul Lingard, Miriam D’Souza, and Jessica Davies have joined Ashurst’s Perth office from Norton Rose Fulbright.
Prada Hires Next General Counsel from US Chocolate Maker
Cristina De Dona, international chief counsel, has moved from The Hershey Company to Prada Group.
Littler adds experienced litigator Michelle Ann Clark as a shareholder in Fresno
Michelle Anne Clark joins Littler, the worlds largest employment and labor law practice representing management, from Quinn Emanuel in Fresno.
Jones Day welcomes Jennifer Bennett as a partner in San Francisco
Jennifer Bennett, IP specialist, joins Jones Day’s San Francisco office from Dentons.
Goodwin adds venture capital funds partner Eunice Choi in San Francisco
Eunice Choi, formerly a special counsel at Cooley, joins Goodwin.
Accomplished product liability litigator Patrick Clyder joins McGuireWoods in Chicago
Patrick Clyder joins McGuireWoods from Swanson, Martin & Bell, where he co-chaired the product liability practice group.
Global finance partner Steven Rutkovsky joins Sidley in New York
Steven Rutkovsky, formerly of Ropes & Grey, has joined Sidley Austin’s New York office.
Weil adds restructuring partner Jeffrey D. Saferstein in New York
Jeffrey D Saferstein, formerly of Paul Weiss, has joined Weil Gotshal.
Paul, Weiss adds private equity M&A partner in New York
Megan Ward Spelman has joined Paul Weiss’ corporate department from Kirkland & Ellis.
National litigator joins Winston & Strawn litigation practice
Chris R.J. Pace joins Winston & Strawn’s Dallas office.
DLA Piper expands its corporate practice
James Fischer and Alexander Meiseles join from Faegre Drinker and will be based in the Short Hills office and New York City office, respectively.
Amy Jane Longo joins Ropes & Gray’s Los Angeles office from the SEC’s Los Angeles Office.
Matthew Barnett joins White & Case as a partner in Los Angeles
Matthew Barnett, M&A lawyer, has joined White & Case from Sullivan & Cromwell.
Womble Bond Dickinson Welcomes Patent Litigation Partner in Atlanta
Rodney R Miller has joined Womble Bond Dickinson’s Atlanta office from Hall Booth Smith.
Former senior SEC enforcement division official Anita Bandy joins Skadden
Anita Bandy, formerly of the SEC, joins Skadden’s Washington, D.C. office.
Greenberg Traurig adds Jeffery M. Chiow to government contracts practice in Washington, D.C.
Jeffrey M. Chiow joins Greenberg Traurig from Rogers, Joseph, O’Donnell.
Erin Ashwell Joins McGuireWoods as Partner in Richmond
Erin Ashwell, former Virginia Chief Deputy AG, joins McGuireWoods.
DLA Piper (Canada) LLP welcomes Partner Deepak Gill to the Vancouver office
Deepak Gill, formerly of Cassels Brock & Blackwell has joined DLA Piper in Vancouver.
Phil Kennedy rejoins Gowling WLG’s litigation team in Hamilton
Phil Kennedy rejoins Gowling’s Ontario office after five years at other national firms.
Promotions & Appointments:
New Square Chambers’ new head sets out her vision
Twenty years after joining New Square Chambers as a receptionist, Michelle Greene has worked her way up to become the set’s top-ranking clerk. Now in the top role, she wants to stamp out “doing as it’s always been done” attitudes.
Eight make the cut in Slaughters’ promotions
In London, the lawyers who made the cut are: Richard Hilton (corporate and M&A), Kevin Howes (financing), Charles Osborne (tax), Megan Sandler (disputes and investigations) and Chris Sharpe (pensions, employment and incentives).
Crypto trading firm appoints new GC
Ehsan Haque joined Amber Group, a Singapore-based crypto trading firm, as the first GC for the EMEA region.
Tui names next legal leader as it refocuses on growth following heavy pandemic losses
Dr Nina Scherf will begin as the Hanover-based company’s chief legal counsel on 1 April and succeeds Dr Hilka Schneider, who left Tui at the start of the year to be general counsel for chemicals manufacturer Akzo Nobel in Amsterdam.
Office Openings & Closings:
Addleshaws continues European expansion with two German offices
Addleshaw Goddard has opened offices in both Frankfurt and Munich, bringing in four new teams to strengthen its commercial litigation, global investigations, tax, and intellectual property offerings.
Addleshaw Goddard opens in Luxembourg with corporate trio from Fieldfisher
Addleshaw’s has opened in Luxembourg with the hires of Richard Ledain Santiago, a corporate lawyer who is spearheading the launch, Benjamin Devouassoux, a banking and finance lawyer, and Theodoros Karantanos, a corporate finance expert.
Mergers & Acquisitions:
DWF builds LatAm and Africa expansion potential with Iberian associations
Listed UK law firm DWF has unveiled two exclusive associations with a Portuguese law firm and a Spanish loss adjusting business in a move it says will enhance its ability to expand in Latin America and Africa. The association with Nobre Guedes & Associados (NGA) will see 19 lawyers, including four partners, join DWF in Lisbon and Porto, where NGA has offices. Led by managing partner Luis Nobre Guedes, the firm regularly advises clients outside Portugal in the UK, Spain, France and Lusophone Africa and Brazil.
Abreu Advogados Acquires Portuguese Rival With Global Reach
Abreu Advogados has acquired Acrlex Advogados, a firm that is a member of an alliance of independent law firms including Perkins Coie and Taylor Wessing.
Financials:
Debevoise’s London turnover nudges up to nearly $173m
Revebue worldwide has a 9% rise, totalling $1.329bn, while the revenue per London partner rose by nearly 14%, reaching $8.8m.
Orrick’s London revenue soars to over $90m
Orrick’s London revenue rose by 45%, jumping to $90.9m.
Dentons overhauls bonus scheme for fee-earners
Dentons is boosting its base pay for newly-qualified lawyers by 15 per cent, with further rewards on offer for fee-earners hitting chargeable hours targets. The pay for NQs in London is increasing from £80,000 to £92,000. However, a change in the firm’s bonus scheme means that those recording as many as 1,700 chargeable hours will receive a total compensation package of £107,640.
Latham’s turnover soars to hit nearly $5.5bn
Following a rise of 27 per cent, Latham & Watkins’ global turnover has jumped to nearly $5.5bn.
WFH culture is hammering Knights’ share price
Knights’ share price dropped this week after the market’s self-proclaimed consolidator issued a warning to investors over its second-half performance. Omicron and recent macro conditions, the firm said, meant people weren’t returning to office working, hampering its “team-based culture” while economic confidence was waning and corporate work is slowing. How did the market respond? On Monday (21 March) Knights’ shares were trading at 365p; by the time the markets closed on Thursday (24 March) it had dropped to its lowest point ever: down 65.4 per cent to 145p.
To Stem Lateral Movement, Firms Are Adding Clawback Clauses in Partnership Agreements
Since January, three Am Law 30 firms have incorporated clawback provisions into their partnership agreements that make it more difficult for a partner to leave, according to legal recruiter Larry Watanabe. These agreements “will impact the complexion of the market, as firms try to retain laterals more aggressively than ever,” Watanabe says. Such arrangements could allow firms to go after bonus payments in 2022, he says. For instance, a partner with a $1 million compensation plan could be entitled to a bonus of up to $5 million expressed in January, but paid in April or the summer.
Technology & Innovation:
Law Firms May Be Unprepared for Increased Cyberrisk From Russian-Ukraine War
For U.S. law firms, an increased threat of cyberattacks and data breaches, whether from Russia or other bad actors using the conflict as an opportunity, may be inevitable. Unfortunately, cybersecurity experts don’t think most of the legal sector is prepared for what is likely to come.
Freshfields New US Tech Leader says the Invasion of Ukraine Could Ease the Crackdown on Big Tech
The effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have already rippled through Big Law, prompting firms to shutter offices and kicking national security practices into high gear. But the longer-term implications of the war and its aftermath could transform the Big Tech economy as we know it, according to Boris Feldman, the new co-leader of Freshfields’ technology, media and telecommunications group.
Is Employment Law Ready for the Metaverse?
As the metaverse continues its march towards the working world, we can expect employees to spend more and more time in the virtual world. Many employers will be keen to adopt this technology as a means of bridging geographical spaces between their global workforce, and for employees, the ability to work in an immersive way with their colleagues from the comfort of their own homes, will be hugely appealing.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Lowering the Bar on Disability in London Law
Many lawyers and legal staff will be relishing the prospect of returning to their offices following revisions to the Government’s guidance on working from home. While re-connecting with colleagues and feeling a sense of “normality” will be a happy prospect for some, disabled legal staff may face a very different reality – one that involves difficulties in finding accessible methods of public transport for the daily commutes, as well as navigating unaccommodating and antiquated offices.
Hire Smarter: DWF’s Ethnic Minority Access Scheme
DWF partner and head of the firm’s diversity and inclusion leadership group Seema Bains led the initiative. She says: “The Black Lives Matter movement had raised a lot of important questions about representation for Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority candidates within the legal industry.” Having already done a lot of work on diversity, particularly emerging talent, DWF decided to build on that momentum by collaborating with Aspiring Solicitors to create the Ethnic Minority Access Scheme.
Diversity fears as NQs shun race disclosure
The Law Society’s Annual Statistics Report 2020 paints a picture of a profession that is majority female and in which the proportion of people from a minority ethnic background exceeds that of the general population in most of the country. However the statistics indicate that the more senior and higher paying ranks of the profession remain a disproportionately white male preserve.
Street Law program hopes to increase diversity in legal professions
Welle describes the Street Law program as a mini law school. It takes place during the spring semester and is in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. Students meet other weeks to go over various aspects of the law and put them into practices, that includes everything from mock contract negotiations to an argument in front of an appellate judge panel and a mock investigation of a sexual harassment allegation.
Ukrainian lawyers, mostly women, are reaching out to legal recruiters in the U.K. seeking work—a very early-days phenomenon that recruiters expect to accelerate over the next few weeks.
Several international and domestic law firms, as well as professional service firms, have already committed to taking Ukrainian lawyers on, recruiters say, and they hope to assist with accommodation, too. However, big challenges remain around immigration and a string of local dangers, as war continues to ravage chunks of Ukraine.
Legal recruiters, who are working on the job placements on a pro bono basis, said they had been contacted by Ukrainian lawyers looking for full-time work with the hope that they can come and settle in the U.K. within the coming weeks. The vast majority of lawyers seeking work outside of Ukraine are women, as most Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are by law required to stay back and fight.
Edward Parker, director at Fides Search, said he was helping a growing number of female Ukrainian lawyers, most of whom are still in Ukraine, find work at various law firms and other professional service firms.
Having received a string of inquiries, Parker sent a note to 15 to 20 client firms, and within two or three days he had received “multiple responses” from firms wanting to know more or committing to taking people on board.
“I’ve spent two or three weeks speaking to [the clients] and understanding what could fit,” Parker said. “Families have been torn apart and homes destroyed. So I didn’t want to be in a position where we promised something that couldn’t materialize.”
Amanda Chard, head of interim legal recruitment at Marsden International Legal Search in London, told Law.com International: “In the last 24 hours, we received the first approach in our inbox, and she is sitting in Warsaw right now sorting out a visa.” The lawyer in question has family in the U.K.
“It’s all still quite fresh, and in the next couple of weeks we will most likely have a new view,” Chard said.
One legal recruiter in the U.K. told Law.com International that Ukrainian lawyers were “approaching us as recruiters, so I suspect we will now start the outreach to firms so we can work out where to place them—most likely on interim contracts.”
The door is apparently swinging both ways. International law firms have started to look for Ukrainian speakers and experts in law and business to help advise clients, as pro bono efforts and Ukraine-tied work increase due to the myriad of commercial challenges brought about by the war, recruiters said.
A senior consultant at a legal recruiter in the U.K. said that law, consulting and banking firms were also actively looking for people with knowledge of Ukrainian law, preferably with language skills, to be based primarily in Prague or Poland.
“These firms have indicated that they would make room on their teams for such people,” the consultant told Law.com International.
At Fides, lawyers are issued a contact form and they provide a CV and details on where they are hoping to land and time frames they are working toward.
“Logistics are a nightmare. Most people don’t want to leave, out of loyalty or family ties. It’s with real reluctance that they’re engaging in leaving Ukraine. But it’s genuinely dangerous to get out. It’s terrifying.”
Fides’ Parker cited examples of the caliber of lawyers approaching him. One is an energy lawyer of significant experience, multiple qualifications, speaks four languages, while another has strong banking and mergers and acquisitions profile, he said.
Parker is working closely with “leading domestic firms or international law firms, or professional services firms,” as well as in-house teams: banks, asset managers, funds and tech companies in order to place the lawyers.
A number of his clients have the bandwidth to reach out to employee networks and try to find them accommodation, too, he said.
“The best scenario would be that the war stops, but failing that, our assumption is that the numbers will increase over the coming weeks/months,” Parker said. ”It may take lawyers several weeks or more before they land in the U.K.”
Another U.K.-based legal recruiter, who had in the space of two days been contacted by about 12 Ukrainian women lawyers, said the trend was brought about “firstly by a desperate need to get out of Ukraine as tanks encroach in cities,” as well as “choking workstreams amid the war.” But it is also propelled by lawyers who have found refuge in Poland, Romania and Moldova who “need to restart their careers” as they continue to help with humanitarian causes and try to get friends and family across the border.
“It’s a hyper stressful time for those who have crossed the border but still have family in the thick of war. These people, lawyers among them, need money, they need aid,” the recruiter said. “Law is a trusted industry. It can help in all sorts of ways. Assisting with finding work, with visas, and at borders is key. Lawyers need to know that. They might not know it yet, but they can help.”
—
Wave of Female Ukrainian Lawyers Seek Work in UK; Recruiters Assist for Free | Law.com International
Written by Anne Bagamery, Correspondent, and Krishnan Nair, Deputy Editor.
As part of a series of interviews we are showcasing the potential for lawyers beyond the ‘traditional role’. Syed Nasser speaks to Imran Bhatia, General Counsel for Unbound and Norlake Hospitality about his legal career and his transition from private practice to in-house roles.
Could you tell us a bit about your background and your current role?
I started my career at Herbert Smith (as was then, before becoming HSF – it was a while ago!) as a trainee and then qualified into a Corporate team specialising mainly in private company M&A. I worked with a truly incredible team (I’m lucky enough to count many of the team as friends as well as counsel that I’ve had the chance to instruct since moving in-house) and worked on some amazing transactions.
When I was two years qualified, I moved to a firm called JAG Shaw Baker (now known as Withers Tech), advising high-growth tech companies and venture capital investors, on investment rounds, exits and everything in between. It was a firm I had never heard of, and neither had anyone at HSF (many of whom thought I was crazy to make the move) and so it felt like a massive gamble (shoutout to Syed Nasser for placing me there!) The work involved completely different types of transaction and clients, and the firm itself was very different too, and I absolutely loved it.
A couple of years later I heard, from one of my old bosses at HSF, that Ennismore (operators of The Hoxton Hotels, Gleneagles and some independent restaurants in London) and Norlake Hospitality (the owner of several of the properties) were looking for their first ever legal counsel. At the time, there were four Hoxtons trading, across London and Europe, with several more planned to open in the coming years (including four in the US). Having just turned 30, and despite massive imposter syndrome, it was an opportunity I felt I could not turn down. I joined as General Counsel to both Ennismore and Norlake, and in the next four years I supported the business as it opened more hotels and added several sites to the development pipeline, went into new business directions (such as coworking spaces and private members clubs) and navigated the challenges that Covid brought to the hospitality industry, before leading Ennismore into a merger with Europe’s largest hotel company, Accor.
Post-merger, it was no longer appropriate for me to represent both Ennismore and Norlake, and I was also ready for a change. As of the start of 2022, I have continued my role with Norlake but have also gone full circle by taking on the role of General Counsel with Unbound, a venture capital firm investing in disruptive tech companies.
Why did you leave private practice?
To me, being a lawyer is about building relationships with your clients and helping them to solve problems. It would have been unrealistic for me, at two years qualified, to expect that I could be the person that the likes of Sky or BP would make contact with at HSF when they needed support. But I knew that even at such a junior stage, being part of a large transaction team that would only be mobilised when that client needed help on a transaction, was not the level of client interaction and relationship building that I was looking for.
The move to a much smaller firm, with smaller ticket transactions and earlier stage clients, absolutely fit the bill for me. Often, the client company was comprised of two guys and an idea, who had suddenly found someone to invest in them, and you were the first lawyer they had ever spoken to. It gave me the chance to work closely with the business and ‘get under the bonnet’ to understand how it worked and prepare it for investment, as well as to be on the other end of the phone or a Whatsapp to help solve the problems that an early stage company might encounter on an ad hoc basis. Still at a junior level, it was incredibly satisfying to work on deals that you know could completely transform the business, as well as to go out and win new clients as well as being personally introduced to new companies by clients that I’d worked with.
Moving in-house was taking that integration within a business to the next level. It was a step I always thought I might take, and JAG Shaw Baker was probably as close to being ‘in house’ as I could be whilst still being in private practice. When the opportunity with Ennismore came up, it was a no-brainer to take the plunge and step out of private practice – and I’ve never looked back.
Were there any challenges in making a move?
Making the move from HSF to a much smaller firm posed some practical challenges. I joined a firm that had as many people as HSF had offices! Where HSF was a 24-hour office, at JAG Shaw Baker you deactivated the burglar alarm if you were the first in and set it if you were last out. I actually loved that side; it felt like we were not only advising start-ups, but were a start-up law firm ourselves. It had a real family feel, and the firm felt a lot more connected to the type of work we were doing and the work that I had moved firms for.
Moving in-house to be the sole (and first ever) lawyer within not only a large London office, but supporting a network of hotels across the world, had a couple of immediate challenges. Firstly, when a lawyer comes into a design and brand-led business that has grown incredibly quickly off the back of creativity, the suspicions are there that you might now step in to be the ‘fun police’. The Day-1 challenge was therefore to show that you were there to support and not hinder the progress of the business, and in doing so probably become a lot more commercial in approach (read: let a lot more slide than “Law School Me” could ever imagine!)
Another challenge was to build a function from scratch that had never existed before, within a business that had already grown so much. And in particular, to do that without another lawyer there to bounce ideas off.
Finally, and being transparent, you do hit a ceiling quicker on what you can earn in-house, compared to working in private practice.
What are some of your biggest challenges today?
I’m still a team of one, for each of Norlake and Unbound. It’s a daily challenge not having another lawyer to discuss proposed strategies, or even discussing drafting, with. It also means that whatever the issue is, you’re still the only person in the room who can give a legal view, even if you do not see it as your specialism or something that you have seen before. Fortunately, I have zero shame in saying “I don’t know” and over the years have built up an amazing network of lawyers who I have no problem picking up the phone to and asking silly questions.
At the same time, I have also learned to trust my own judgment. Law firms teach us to see lawyers as sitting with a particular specialty or skill set, and whilst this is necessary in a law firm context, within a business you have to trust that the ‘lawyer’s radar’ can flex to scenarios and that you will, inevitably, bring a point of view and an instinct that no one else in the room may have, even if it feels like an unfamiliar situation.
Today, having two very different roles at the same time, covering both hospitality real estate property management/ownership and venture capital investment is a lot of fun. These are two areas that have been a big part of my career over my past roles, and I feel very blessed to be able to be involved in both. However, flipping constantly between two email inboxes is a real challenge!
How does your working day differ now?
Well first and foremost, no timesheets! Otherwise, I would say generally speaking, in-house work is more intense across the course of a day, as there are always things to do and a to-do-list (or in my case, two) which will never be fully ticked off. Whereas even if you are working on a huge transaction within a law firm, there will be peaks and troughs as drafts are exchanged from one side to the other and there will be an end point to the matters you are working on.
The flip side is that in-house, your hours are generally more predictable – you might have to contend with timezones but if you are going to need to work anti-social hours, you will mostly have more foresight of this (and it will likely be rarer) than working in private practice.
Do you have any advice for those considering a similar change?
Do a client secondment, as this will give you the best visibility (as a private practice lawyer) of what in-house life is actually like. But at the same time, there is no ‘one size fits all’ view of what an in-house lawyer’s role is like – every company is different and what the role of a lawyer will be will vary dramatically based on size of company, size of legal team, the industry etc. I did a client secondment as a trainee, which I thoroughly enjoyed and reinforced that I would want to move in-house at some stage. But at that company, there were 100 lawyers; I was never under any illusions that my ‘team of 1’ role would be anything remotely similar.
Also, talk to people who’ve made a similar step to work in the type of in-house role that you are actually interested in. I’m always open to talk to people so feel free to reach out!
And if you’ve done these things and it is still what you want to do, my final advice would be simply to do it.
Do you have advice to law firms and/or young lawyers as a result of your experiences?
Keep an open mind (and that probably applies to firms and young lawyers, actually).
To firms, be creative as to where your new clients and opportunities might come from. Set up relationships with smaller law firms who might then pass the baton on to you of clients who scale and outgrow them. Today, the next generation of big corporates are start-ups who are being serviced by a firm you may have never heard of, but you could support that firm when it comes to an IPO or a massive exit when the client become a unicorn.
And to young lawyers, do not close your mind to any area of law during your training contract. In my head I was destined to be a litigator, and my first seat was in Corporate because it was compulsory and I wanted to get it out of the way whilst I was at my ‘greenest’. Fast forward, that was the team that I wanted to qualify into, doing the work which has set the roadmap for the rest of my career.
Ukrainian Conflict Legal Developments:
London Partner Travels to Ukraine Border to Hand-Deliver Aid
James Goold, a partner in Taylor Wessing’s private equity practice, is making the trip with his wife, Sarah Marris, according to a post on his LinkedIn profile. They began their journey on March 16, and are travelling with 400 sleeping bags, donated by Mountain Warehouse, as well as a consignment of medical kits.
Covington acts for Ukraine in claim against Russia
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that the Russian Federation should suspend its military operations in Ukraine.
How the German Heavyweights are Responding to the Ukraine War
Noerr is among the major German firms to recently provide a statement, telling Law.com that the firm would no longer accept mandates for Russian clients or companies that are “under Russian control or are attributable to the Russian sphere of influence.”
Last Major International Law Firm Confirms Plan to Leave Moscow
Akin Gump’s withdrawal means all 25 large international law firms that had a base in the country have now confirmed they are leaving.
London’s mid-size firms are one domino away from a Russian reputational catastrophe
As the war in Ukraine continues, attention has landed squarely on the largest corporate law firms and their work for Russian clients. Most of them have now made some statement, however limp, though there are still a few holdouts among the transatlantic elite.
In Warsaw, Lawyers Are Opening Their Hearts—and Homes—to Ukrainian Refugees
As the flood of refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches 3 million, humanitarian efforts by international law firms are gathering pace—and Warsaw is becoming a headquarters city for a broad cross-section of initiatives. Many firms with offices in the city, including Clifford Chance, Gide Loyrette Nouel, Hogan Lovells, and Eversheds Sutherland, are helping in various ways.
US Immigration Attorney Seeks ‘Travel Lane’ for Ukrainians to United States
While President Joe Biden says the United States will welcome Ukrainians “with open arms,” he has yet to articulate how a pathway for them to relocate to American soil will work. And in the meantime many seeking refuge from Russia’s onslaught are having their requests for tourist visas declined. Dana R. Bucin, chairwoman of Murtha Cullina’s immigration practice, says the current system is inadequate to allow Ukrainian refugees into the United States. She’s advocating for a “travel lane” to help Ukrainians with relatives in the United States to reach the country—and stay for the foreseeable future.
DLA Piper to Shut Both Russia Bases
DLA Piper and Hogan Lovells are set to leave Russia, becoming the latest law firms to pull out of the country.
Baker McKenzie to spin out Russia arm it launched in Soviet era
Baker McKenzie has announced the spin out of its Moscow and St Petersburg offices into an independent law firm, completing the withdrawal from Russia of all but three of the major international law firms that were based there when the invasion of Ukraine began.
Moscow Offices Struggled Before Closures, LLPs Reveal
The analysis of the regional Limited Liability Partnership accounts filed in the U.K. for Norton Rose Fulbright, Hogan Lovells, Herbert Smith Freehills, Allen & Overy and Linklaters reveal an array of challenges for their Moscow offices. The numbers also shine a light on the very modest contributions the operations made to their global turnovers, although some argue the numbers do not reflect an accurate picture of their Moscow operations and the wider contribution those offices made.
Dentons to spin out 250-strong Russian arm into independent firm
Dentons has announced the spin out of its Russian arm into an independent firm in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but says it hopes it will be able to rejoin the global giant ‘when it is lawfully and practically possible to do so’.
Russian Boutique Work Surges As International Firms Ditch Clients
Several local firms say they are picking up mandates dropped by international firms that have hurriedly exited Russia leaving some clients without legal counsel.
Moves:
Squire Patton Boggs strengthens energy capabilities
Christopher Thomson has joined Squire Patton Boggs from Dentons
Squire Patton Boggs appoints European GIWC practice head as part of group hire
Hannah Laming joins form Peters & Peters as the Head of European Government Investigations & White-Collar practice. Wayne Barnes joins from Fulcrum Chambers. Ben Ticehurst joins as a director from Howard Kennedy. Marion Seranne joins the Paris office from ebl Lexington Avocats.
Orrick energy trio exits for Osborne Clarke
John Deacon, Hannah Rose, and Dominic O’Brien will move from Orrick to Osborne Clarke next week.
CMS competition partner exits for Cooley
Caroline Hobson, competition partner, has left CMS for Cooley.
Major lateral hire sees respected environmental partner join Mills & Reeve
Claire Gregory, formerly a Legal Director at Pinsent Masons, has joined Mills & Reeve.
Kirkland partner takes on new role at investment manager
Karim Kassam, formerly of Kirkland & Ellis, has joined Centerbridge.
Linklaters lands finance trio from Vinson
Noel Hughes, Giacomo Reali, and Christianne Williams have left Vinson Elkins for the magic circle firm.
Atkin Chambers adds top international construction advocate to ranks
Stuart Catchpole QC has joined Atkin Chambers from 39 Essex Chambers.
Withers Lands Luxury Goods IP Team in Milan from Baker McKenzie
Carlo Alberto Demichelis joins as a partner and head of brand protection along with his three teammates.
Norton Rose Fulbright expands global financial services team with new Middle East partner
Matt Shanahan joins NRF’s Dubai office from Clyde & Co.
Cleary Gottlieb boosts Brussels and New York with two senior hires
Isabel Rooms, competition and antitrust partner, joins the Brussels office as a partner, and Matt Brigham, tax lawyer, joins as a counsel in New York.
Former Atlanta Mayor Joins Squire Patton Boggs
Kasim Reed has joined Squire Patton Bogg’s Litigation Practice from Holland & Knight
Former CFPB deputy enforcement director Jeff Ehrlich joins McGuireWoods in D.C.
Jeff Ehrlich, former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s deputy enforcement director, has joined McGuireWoods.
Prominent corporate partners join Morrison & Foerster in the Bay Area
Daphne Higgs and Teresa Tate join Morrison & Foerster from Perkins Coie.
Latham & Watkins adds prominent capital markets partner in San Diego
Teri O’Brien joined Latham & Watkins from Paul Hastings.
Goodwin adds Baker Botts’ California litigation head in San Francisco
Jonathan Shapiro has joined Goodwin from Baker Botts.
Former administrative patent judge at USPTO Jessica Kaiser joins Arnold & Porter’
Jessica Kaiser has joined Arnold & Porter’s Intellectual property practice.
Cooley builds antitrust litigation practice with former DOJ hire in Washington, DC
Ethan Glass has joined Cooley’s Washington D.C. office from Quinn Emanuel.
Dentons hires Virgin Group Holdings director as Caribbean head of corporate and commercial
Leonard Birmingham has joined Denton’s Trinidad and Tobago office.
Ericsson hires Veon’s ex-general counsel as next legal head
Scott Dresser joins Ericsson’s US office after eight years at Veon.
Promotions and Appointments:
Marsh McLennan promotes from within to replace longstanding GC Peter Beshar
Katherine Brennan, General Counsel of the insurance broking and risk management practice, has been promoted to take over from Peter Beshar, who was recently nominated to head up the US Air Force’s legal team.
Tesla appoints third new legal leader in two years
Tesla has appointed its head of compliance as acting head of legal and corporate secretary, the third person to lead the electric car giant’s legal team in the past two years. David Searle joined Tesla last February as deputy GC and head of compliance after an almost two-year stint at Walmart, where he served as VP and chief ethics and compliance officer.
Simmons Extends Managing Partner Term
According to a statement by the firm on Thursday, Jeremy Hoyland’s term has been extended by two years, with his term now ending in April 2025.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Epiq builds out knowledge management capabilities with Fireman & Co tie-up
New York-based legal service provider Epiq has acquired legal management consultancy Fireman & Co for an undisclosed amount in a bid to broaden its data and knowledge management expertise.
Financials:
City firms singled out as MPs tackle libel claims
Firms including Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Harbottle & Lewis were called out in a Parliamentary hearing yesterday, as scrutiny is heaped on law firms acting for oligarchs and influential businesspeople.
Fragomen’s UK revenue skyrockets by 60 per cent
The firm’s UK revenue rose 60% in the last year, increasing to $63m.
Heuking’s income dips to €185.4m as it adjusts to end of diesel emissions claims boom
German firm Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek has posted a 2.4% decline in revenue to €185.4m for 2021 as it continues to adjust to a profession-wide winding down in diesel emission collective claims in Germany.
Garrigues bounces back with 7.4% revenue increase to pass €400m mark in 2021
Garrigues’ revenue growth bounced back to 7.1% in 2021 to hit €414.2m after a lacklustre performance in 2020. The Spanish firm, which saw revenue increase by just 1.4% to €386.9m in 2020, claims its latest results make it the first Iberian law firm to see billings pass the €400m mark.
Amid Lateral Growth, Wilson Sonsini Sees Revenue Soar 18%
“2021 was a very good year, with strong client demand,” Wilson Sonsini managing partner Douglas Clark said, noting the firm added a record 20 lateral partners additions in the year.
With Demand at an ‘All-Time High,’ Clark Hill Revenue Up 11.7%, Profits Up 29.9%
Revenue improved by 11.7% and net income swelled by 29.9% at Clark Hill in 2021, as demand hit an “all-time high,” and the firm’s investments in practices and geographic expansion are paying off.
Technology & Innovation:
Beware bitcoin in the client account
Crypto assets have been on the rise for years and the first law firm to accept payment in that form must tread very carefully.
West Coast tech connection is rocket fuel for US City firms
The City has become used to US firms posting record results over the past few years but already in 2022 there are some astonishingly large numbers flying around. They are sure to be eyed by exasperated UK managing partners who recognise the City market is becoming ever more segmented, and not entirely to the latter’s benefit.
Getting to grips with information security – a quick start guide
3Kites’ Jon Howells offers practical steps for law firms to tackle an issue that can seem overwhelming
‘There’s No Plan B’: Belgian GDPR Decision Threatens Internet as We Know It, Lawyers Say
A few weeks ago, Belgium’s data protection authority released a decision that is likely to fundamentally alter Europe’s online advertising industry if it becomes enforceable once the legal process has fully played out. In its 127-page decision, the embattled data protection authority found a consent framework for online advertising developed by IAB Europe, the European trade association of the digital and interactive marketing industry, in violation of GDPR. Stating that its decision would “restore order” in the online advertising industry, the Belgian regulator – which has been roiled by infighting for months – issued the industry body a fine of €250,000 and gave it two months to address its concerns.
Diversity & Inclusion:
IWD 2022: Billable hours and gender representation: turning nouns into verbs
While statistics show a slow but steady increase in diversity among all lawyers (based on the SRA’s survey of diversity carried out in 2021, when compared with its 2019 survey) the gender gap at more senior levels remains a challenge, with just 35 per cent of partners being female (compared to 61 per cent of solicitors being female).
Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion, Law Firm: Norton Rose Fulbright
Norton Rose Fulbright has won the 2022 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law award for Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion.
Law Society president wins diversity award
Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce has been honoured in the Burberry British Diversity Awards. She was named a joint winner of the award for Inspirational Role Model of the Year.
The situation in Ukraine touched us all, and it inspired us to launch a short-term pro bono initiative.
During this time, we aimed to help Ukrainian lawyers who had arrived in the UK—or were planning to move—find suitable employment opportunities. While we understood that many would choose to remain close to their families and loved ones, we believed that maintaining a career could offer a valuable sense of stability.
As part of the initiative, we also engaged with clients who expressed interest in hiring individuals with skill sets beyond the legal profession, including roles in finance, compliance, marketing, HR, and administration.
We remain proud of what was achieved and grateful to those who supported and participated in it. Our goal throughout was to assist displaced individuals and families during an immensely difficult time.
We continue to welcome ideas or collaborations that support communities in need.
Ukrainian Conflict Legal Developments:
Linklaters announces closure of Moscow office ending presence spanning 30 years
Linklaters said it would wind down operations in Russia and close its Moscow office while continuing to support its Russia team, ‘doing all we can to help them transfer to new roles within Linklaters or otherwise’. CMS has placed their base under “critical review”.
Norton Rose Fulbright to close 50-strong Moscow office
Norton Rose Fulbright is to shut its 50-strong Moscow office and wind down Russian work connected with the regime as soon as possible in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The global firm has also pledged to donate any profits it makes from ongoing work it cannot immediately extricate itself from ‘to appropriate humanitarian and charitable causes’.
N.Y.’s Cleary Gottlieb suspends Moscow operations as other law firms exit
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is temporarily shutting down operations in Moscow, a spokesperson for the law firm said Tuesday. The New York-based, 1,100 attorney firm said it will halt its work in Russia “pending further developments, while continuing to support our Moscow colleagues.”
Ukraine crisis: UK’s latest sanctions against Russia
The United Kingdom is imposing new sanctions on Russia almost daily in response to the ongoing and deteriorating situation in Ukraine. The newest measures include asset freezes, economic prohibitions and other trade and financial restrictions.
Eversheds Sutherland to close Moscow and St Petersburg offices in response to Ukraine invasion
Eversheds Sutherland and Gowling WLG are pulling out of Russia, joining a growing number of international law firms calling time on their Russian operations in response to the Ukraine invasion.
DLA, Debevoise Join Firms Reviewing Russia Presences, Severing State Ties
Debevoise & Plimpton is terminating “several client relationships” based on “an ongoing review of our Moscow client base,” it said in a statement Wednesday.
‘Simply the right thing to do’ – five more law firms announce departure from Moscow
Allen & Overy (A&O), Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) and Winston & Strawn have joined the ever-expanding roster of law firms shutting down their Moscow offices in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow exodus continues: Latham, Freshfields and four other top firms announce plans to quit Russia
Six leading international law firms have announced plans to pull out of Russia today, including global giants Latham & Watkins and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Morgan Lewis & Bockius, Squire Patton Boggs, Eversheds Sutherland and Gowling WLG are also winding down their Russia operations, joining Norton Rose Fulbright and Linklaters, which announced similar plans on Monday and last Friday respectively. Akin Gump, meanwhile, has suspended operations ‘pending further developments’.
Four Firms Join Rivals in Abandoning Moscow Over Ukraine War
Four Big Law firms — including Baker Botts – said Thursday they’re closing their Moscow offices as Russia presses its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Skadden to Relocate Russian Lawyers Over ‘Anti-American Sentiment’
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom will maintain a Moscow base, its chairman has told its people in an internal memo, but will relocate its lawyers there due to “anti-American sentiment in the country.” In an internal memo obtained by Law.com, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom executive partner Eric Friedman said on Wednesday that, effective Thursday, the firm’s Moscow-based lawyers will have relocated outside of Russia “to ensure their safety in the face of increasing anti-American sentiment within Russia.”
Slaughter and May to Maintain Moscow Firm Relationship
Slaughter and May is to maintain its referral relationship with Moscow-based law firm Alrud, as elite firms across Europe reassess their links to the Russian capital.
Western law firms quicken Moscow retreat, leaving few hold-outs
White & Case, a New York-founded firm, said its Moscow office is open but it is no longer representing certain Russian and Belarusian clients or accepting new instructions from them.
‘Long Live a Free Ukraine’: Legal 500 Takes Down Russia, Belarus Pages
Legal 500 has removed its usual write-ups on the firms and lawyers active in the Russia and Belarus markets, replacing the page with a large color photograph of the Ukrainian flag, and an accompanying statement.
‘Nobody Is Going to Give Up’: How Ukraine’s Lawyers are Taking Up Arms and Facing Russia’s War
Reached by phone, Timur Bondaryev, founder and managing partner of the leading Ukrainian independent firm Arzinger, said some lawyers had taken up arms to protect their homes, while others were volunteering with charities or sheltering. Stressing that there was no difference between lawyers and the country’s population at large, he added: “It’s our country, we have to protect it. Therefore, everybody’s doing what he or she is best fitted for.”
Moves:
Mark Jones joins Jones Day’s law practice in London
Mark Jones, Competition and Antitrust Partner has joined Jones Day from Hogan Lovells.
Greenberg Traurig London expands real estate finance team
Daniyal Ansari, formerly of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, has joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder.
DWF builds real estate expertise in Dublin with new partner
DWF has hired Órlaith Molloy, formerly of Arthur cox, into their global real estate team.
White & Case London Partner Quits for In-House Return
Julia Smithers Excell has left White & Case after nearly four years at the firm to return to JP Morgan Chase.
Clyde & Co hires Partner in Madrid to strengthen global insurance group
Susana Martínez has joined Clyde & Co from Kennedys, where she was Head of Financial Lines and Cyber for Latin America.
Advant Beiten strengthens Brussels office
Gábor Báthory, EU trade and competition law specialist, has joined Advant Beiten as a partner from Van Bael & Bellis.
Wolf Theiss Warsaw office continues to grow
Wolf Theiss Warsaw continues to grow, as Anna Tomowicz joins the team in the role of partner in the real estate practice, and Adrian Krzyżanowski joins as counsel to foster project finance and leveraged finance expertise in banking & finance practice.
K&L Gates beefs up Boston IP offering with 12-strong team from local boutique
Partners Hannah Koyfman and David Lu have joined the Pittsburgh firm from Lando & Anastasi alongside a 10-person team of lawyers, patent agents and technology specialists.
Withers hires luxury law team in Milan from Baker McKenzie
Withers has strengthened their IP practice with the hire off Carlo Alberto Demichelis, who brings his one associate and two paralegals with him from Baker McKenzie.
Kennedys hires White and Williams litigator for Delaware launch
UK insurance law firm Kennedys has added a veteran commercial litigator from US firm White and Williams to open in Wilmington, Delaware.
BCLP Gets Boost with Addition of Transactional Real Estate Partner in Chicago
Heidi J. Azulay has joined the firm as a partner from DLA Piper, where she was the US Co-Leader of the Global Proptech practice.
Kirk Ogrosky has joined Goodwin’s Washington, D.C. office from Arnold & Porter.
Winston & Strawn Adds Paul B. Salvaty to Litigation Practice
Paul B. Salvaty has joined Winston & Strawn’s Los Angeles office from Hogan Lovells.
Partner From Freshfields’ Silicon Valley Launch Returns to Latham After Less Than 2 Years
Maj Vaseghi, a founding member of Freshfield’s Silicon Valley office, returns from Lathams.
Schulte Roth & Zabel Strengthens Business Reorganization Group
Ned S. Schodek has joined the firms’ New York office from Shearman & Sterling.
Gowling WLG is pleased to announce that Philip Augustine has joined the firm’s Family Law Group
Philip Augustine has joined Gowling’s Ottawa office.
Promotions & Appointments:
Corporate partner claims victory in DLA Piper elections
Jon Hayes, a London-based corporate partner, has been elected as the next senior partner, as Andrew Darwin’s four-year term ends.
Taylor Wessing adds tech specialist from Al Tamimi as head of corporate for MENA
Abdullah Mutawi joins Taylor Wessing as head of corporate for MENA from Al Tamimi & Company.
Privacy software unicorn OneTrust taps former HP legal chief as first-ever CLO
Kim Rivera has joined the Atlanta-based unicorn after six years at HP.
Office Openings & Closings:
White & Case’s Slovakian team break away to form new firm
The new firm Aldertree legal will be led by Juraj Fuska, a White & Case partner who currently heads the firm’s Bratislava base. The corporate lawyer was promoted to partner in 2017.
Financials:
Goodwin’s UK revenue up 60% for 2021
Goodwin Procter’s London revenue has increased more than 63%, reaching £122.47m for 2021.
King & Spalding grows revenue 20% to $1.83bn against 25% jump in PEP
King & Spalding’s Revenue has jumped 20% to hit $1.83bn, while their PEP has increased 25% to $4.37m.
Cooley feasts off record deal markets to post 28% revenue rise to $1.9bn
The Palo Alto-headquartered firm says it advised a record number of US public company clients in 2001, closing more than 385 fundings to raise $46bn in capital, and advising on more than 1,400 financings with an aggregate value of more than $93bn.
With Fewer Lawyers, Morrison & Foerster Sees Double-Digit Profit Growth
Gross revenue at the firm climbed 6% to $1.23 billion, picking up from just 1.6% growth in 2020. With the decrease in head count, revenue per lawyer increased 9% to $1.24 million.
Amid Leadership Transition, Gibson Dunn Posts 26th Straight Year of Growth
Ken Doran, the firm’s chair and managing partner since 2002, handed the reins last May to Barbara Becker, who was proud to be able to announce $2.48 billion in revenue, an increase of 14.8% from the previous year.
Greenberg Traurig Earned 16% More Revenue in 2021 as Transactional Work Boomed
Last year, Greenberg Traurig added fewer than 40 full-time equivalent lawyers but grew its revenue by $270 million for an RPL increase of nearly 14%. The firm also exceeded $2 billion in revenue for the first time.
Reversing 2020 Results, Shearman & Sterling Grew PEP 58% In 2021 On Double-Digit Revenue Gains
As part of their 17.5% revenue growth, the firm topped the $1 billion mark for the first time, coming in at $1.012 billion. Shearman also saw profits per equity partner jump from under $2 million in 2020 to just over $3 million in 2021.
Akin Gump’s London revenue inches up to $150m
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s London office revenue rose to $150.4m over 2021, representing growth of less than 1 per cent.
Technology & Innovation:
2022 Shortlist: Legal Innovation Awards 2022 (LIA)
Legal Week has released the 2022 short list, with categories including AI Innovation, Championing Diversity in Tech Innovation, and many others.
Why you should learn about legal innovation
Despite lawyers’ reputation for being averse to change, the reality is that the impact of innovation can be seen in many aspects of the law. In this context, lawyers cannot wait for innovation to come as a top-down initiative but should instead seek to develop their own innovative mindset to stay relevant.
How the legal market’s worst-named product forgot about the people
At its core, the idea of streamlined legal services is a great one. Where work has elements of repetition and doesn’t need the skills and strategy of a core in-house team, why not do it differently? Clients do still ask for this in multiple ways, grappling with how to get complex contracts done in a systematic efficient way. So why hasn’t the managed services idea scaled in the way so many people expected?
Diversity & Inclusion:
Rising Stars 2022: The UK’s Best Up and Coming Female Lawyers
To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, Law.com International has spent months researching and calling for submissions about exceptional up-and-coming female lawyers from across the top law firms.
Hogan Lovells has published new practical guidance for lawyers working with survivors of economic abuse to increase awareness surrounding economic abuse in the civil and criminal justice systems in the UK.
Driving positive change – the rise of female lawyers in Saudi Arabia
In recognition of International Women’s Day, Multilaw invited founder of their member firm Omar Alrasheed Law Firm in Saudi Arabia – Omar Alrasheed – as well as three of its female legal associates to provide their views and experiences on the rise of women in Saudi society, particularly their impact in the legal field
Legal education disruption has arrived, sort of
Enter the College of Legal Practice UK (CoLP), the wholly-owned subsidiary of the College’s Australian parent, which established itself as a training provider over here in 2019. As an exclusively online training provider it is banking on the market’s willingness to embrace hybrid learning, as opposed to the old way of learning by osmosis, permanently.
First-of-Kind Diversity Survey Provides Snapshot of Legal Department Workforce
The ALM Intelligence survey found that 62.2% of respondents believe their legal departments’ personnel was more diverse or much more diverse than their primary outside law firms.
How Two Simmons Lawyers Tackle Menopause and Microagressions in Their Gender Network
In 2008, Simmons & Simmons mid-level associate Emma Sutcliffe discovered a concerning statistic: her firm was at the bottom of a ranking of the number of female lawyers across London law firms. That stat was one of the major reasons she decided to launch the firm’s gender network, TNOC: The Number One Club. She is currently co-chair of the network, alongside London corporate partner Ania Rontaler.
It’s the men we feel sorry for
City firms have all recognised that they need to take steps to flex progression so that it better fits around the lives of women, rather than make women fit into an artificially-constructed ladder of reward. But creating an environment where both sexes can step off and on the carousel – and in particular, celebrating male part-timers – would do a lot more for women’s progress than an annual #IWD catchphrase.
Ukrainian Conflict Legal Developments:
London-based partner duo at leading Russian firm announce resignations and office closure
Arbitration specialists James Dingley and Baiju Vasani of Ivanyan and Partners have announced that they are leaving the firm and officially closing the firm’s London outpost.
Mannheimer Swartling withdraws Swedish lawyers from Moscow office and plots ‘orderly exit’
A statement issued by Mannheimer yesterday said the firm has ‘suspended’ its operations in Russia ‘with immediate effect’ while it analyses whether it can exit the Russian market ‘in an orderly manner’ with respect to its Scandinavian clients and Russian employees.
Kennedys to close Moscow office as pressure grows on firms to ditch clients with Kremlin links
Kennedys’ global senior partner, Nick Thomas, revealed today that the international insurance law specialist has been quietly winding down its small Moscow arm since last year.
Norton Rose Fulbright’s leadership moves to draw line under Russian sanctions memo controversy
Norton Rose Fulbright’s (NRF’s) leadership team has issued a public statement expressing its ‘unequivocal’ opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in a bid to draw a line under controversy surrounding an internal memo telling lawyers not to comment on Russian sanctions.
Allen & Overy pledges to refuse new Russia-related instructions
In a lengthy statement posted on LinkedIn, the firm also promises to ‘support governments around the world in their response to this senseless invasion’.
The UK Government announced on Thursday it intends to sanction VTB, hitting it with a full asset freeze. “Individuals and companies whose assets are frozen will be unable to undertake any business in the UK or with UK nationals”, the Government said. Running parallel to US sanctions, it is believed that these will be the single biggest sanctions handed against a single entity in history.
The announcement of tough sanctions on Russian entities will have huge ramifications for those London firms that have got plump on big-ticket mandates for Russian individuals or state-backed institutions. In contrast to the Russian buying spree, governmental support for the Ukrainian judiciary was an open-hearted project for the good of civil society and development of trust. And indeed, over the last decade Kyiv has developed a strong commercial legal infrastructure with a raft of independent outfits such as Asters, Kinstellar and Sayenko Kharenko among others that regularly partner with Western firms on commercial deals and disputes.
Skadden’s relationship with Chelsea is under the microscope
This is a client relationship which spans decades. Skadden vacation schemers are offered two-week placements at the club and it’s almost a cliché now to mention former London managing partner Bruce Buck’s illustrious tenure as Chelsea chairman. Buck joined the Chelsea board as a director in 2003, immediately after the deal to buy Chelsea was signed, and stepped down from Skadden in 2014.
Houthoff ditches Kremlin as client over ‘acts of war by the Russian Federation in Ukraine’
Leading Dutch law firm Houthoff is ditching the Kremlin as a client in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a move that will deprive its arbitration team of one of its most high-profile relationships.
CMS Partner Criticised In UK Parliament for Alleged Russia Ties
CMS partner Geraldine Proudler was among three lawyers named in U.K. Parliament on Tuesday by a Member of Parliament speaking out against solicitors working for Russian clients.
Ashurst Suspends All Russia State Links as More Law Firms Take Action
The firm said that it will no longer accept instructions from “new and existing” Russian state clients, as international businesses come under growing pressure to address their ties to the Kremlin.
Top Ukrainian business lawyer calls on international firms to quit Moscow as he helps defend Kyiv
The managing partner of Ukrainian law firm Vasil Kisil & Partners is preparing to help defend Kyiv from Russian troops as he calls on international law firms with Moscow offices to pull out in order to put more pressure on the Putin regime. Speaking to The Global Legal Post by telephone today from his office in Kyiv, Andriy Stelmashchuk said he was assisting in the defence of the capital by delivering food and medicine to the army and territorial defence units.
CC and Eversheds latest to announce Russian client reviews
Clifford Chance will not accept new work from Russian state-controlled entities or ‘individuals identified as having close connections to President Putin’ as it reviews all of its existing Russia-linked work, the magic circle firm announced today.It became the latest leading firm to announce a review of existing Russian clients after City firm Eversheds Sutherland said it is currently ‘finalising an extensive review of our existing client work’, as well as reviewing its new client acceptance procedures.
Moves:
Covington hires City partner from Weil Gotshal
Mark Thompson, Private Equity partner, has joined Covington & Burling as co-chair of its global practice.
Sidley Austin adds private equity strength in London with Dechert partner hire
Robert Darwin, Private Equity and M&A specialist, joins Sidley Austin from Dechert.
Mishcon expands its real estate practice with new partner hire
Lee Foxcroft joins Mishcon de Reya from Slaughter and May.
Squire Patton Boggs adds European white collar head as part of group hire in London and Paris
Hannah Laming has joined Squire Patton Boggs as the head of its European government investigations from Peters & Peters. Wayne Barnes and Ben Ticehurst have also joined from Fulcrum Chambers and Howard Kennedy respectively.
Deloitte Legal appoints new partner for data privacy, cybersecurity and telecoms
Cavan Fabris joins Deloitte’s London office from EY.
Maged Girgis and Andrew Bradley, currently ay Minter Ellison, will join HSF’s Sydney office.
Shearman & Sterling expands capital markets offering in Asia as Wanda Woo re-joins
Wanda Woo rejoins Shearman & Sterling after being at Kirkland & Ellis and Wilson Sonisi for a total of four years.
Zdeněk Kučera and his TMT team join Dentons in Prague
Zdeněk Kučera and three associates have joined Dentons from Kinstellar.
DLA Piper (Canada) LLP welcomes Partner Jamie Mills
Jamie Mills, patent litigation specialist, joins DLA Piper’s Toronto office.
Willkie Welcomes Private Equity Partner Joe Kaczorowski to Los Angeles Office
Joe Kaczorowski joins Willkie’s Los Angeles office from Cooley, where he was a Special Counsel.
Goodwin adds New York capital markets partner Radoslaw Michalak to technology practice
Radoslaw Michalak joins Goodwin from Davis Polk, where he was a Counsel.
Schulte Roth & Zabel Strengthens Intellectual Property Capabilities
Alexander M. Kim has joined Schulte Roth’s New York office.
Colin Conklin Joins Wilson Sonsini’s Corporate Practice in San Francisco
Colin Conklin join’s Wilson Sonsini’s San Francisco office from Gunderson Dettmer Stough.
Executive Compensation, Employment & Benefits Practice rejoins Latham & Watkins
Maj Vaseghi has rejoined Latham & Watkins’ San Francisco office after two years at Freshfields.
Morrison & Foerster Adds Emerging Companies + Venture Capital Partner
Paul Navarro joins Morrison & Foerster’s Los Angeles office from Perkin Coie.
Dechert Continues Global Finance Expansion with Return of Partner Kathleen Mylod
Kathleen Mylod rejoins the firm’s global financial practice in the New York office, returning from Shipman & Goodwin.
Top White Collar Litigator Ben O’Neil Brings International Experience to McGuireWoods in D.C.
Ben O’Brien joins McGuireWoods from Vinson Elkins.
Simpson Thacher Adds Prominent Partners to Registered Funds Practice
Nathan Briggs and Nicole Simon have joined Simpson Thacher’s Washington D.C. and New York offices respectively.
Gibson Dunn Adds Antitrust Partner Sophia Vandergrift in Washington, D.C.
Sophia Vandergrift joins Gibson Dunn from Sullivan & Cromwell.
Former Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Mendell Joins Morrison & Foerster in Boston
Nathan Mendell has joined Morrison & Foerster from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Massachusetts.
White & Case Strengthens its Private Credit Capabilities
Vincenzo P. Lucibello has joined White & Case’s Boston office from Proskauer Rose.
Norton Rose Adds 3-Strong M&A Team In South Africa
William de Villiers and his team join from boutique frim Glyn Marais.
Litigation Practice Strengthened with Addition of Partner, Nabeel Ikram, in Dubai
Vinson & Elkins have hired Nabeel Ikram, formerly of Hogan Lovells, to their global complex commercial litigation practice.
Norton Rose Fulbright Hires Clyde & Co’s Middle East Regulatory Head
Mat Shanahan joins Norton Rose Fulbright from Clyde & Co.
Reed Smith appoints leading media and technology partner in Singapore
Bryan Tan has joined Reed Smith’s Singapore office from Pinsent Masons MPillay, Pinsent Masons joint law venture in Singapore.
Morgan Lewis will expand global tax capabilities with duo from Singapore’s tax authority
Kai Lee Lau joins Morgan Lewis from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).
Brian Ho joins the transactional group at Kirkland & Ellis in their Hong Kong office.
Promotions & Appointments:
CD&R hires senior Clifford Chance partner as European adviser
Private equity giant Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) has appointed Clifford Chance partner Simon Tinkler as its new senior legal advisor.
Office Openings & Closings:
Osborne Clarke hires 30 lawyers from Polish firms for Warsaw launch
The new office will be led by co-managing partners Olgierd Świerzewski and Tomasz Olkiewicz, while the wider team will comprise a total of six partners, including four from Polish accountancy firm MDDP, as well as 24 lawyers and four business support staff, according to a statement. Most of the new team join from MDDP, while the rest arrive from a crop of local law firms.
White & Case opens office in Luxembourg; adds Arnaud Cagi-Nicolau as a partner
Global law firm White & Case LLP has announced the formal opening of an office in Luxembourg and the expansion of its Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice with the addition of Arnaud Cagi-Nicolau as a partner in Luxembourg.
No5 Barristers Chambers relocates to Savoy Court
Barristers at one of the UK’s largest chambers will be able to hot-desk at No5’s new Savoy office, as its Salisbury Court base faces demolition.
Jenner & Block Takes More London Office Space as it Plots Further Growth
The firm has signed a lease to move from its existing space at Tower 42 to 13,000 square feet of offices at 10 Exchange Square in Broadgate.
Financials:
Reed Smith PEP jumps to $1.7m after double-digit growth
Turnover increased nearly 10% in 2021, hitting $1.44bn, while PEP rose 13% to $1.7m.
Shakespeare Martineau launches Scottish training contract
The firm is currently taking applications for two trainee positions in its Glasgow office, one to start later in 2022 and one in 2024. The bulk of the training contracts will be in the commercial property group. They will earn £23,000 in their first year and £26,000 in the second year.
Cooley Revenues Approach $2B in a Major Growth Year
Cooley’s revenue climbed 28% to reach $1.97bn, while the PEP rose 27.9% to hit $4.06m.
Technology & Innovation:
RPC offloads insurance software business RPC Tyche to Aon
Top 40 UK law firm RPC has sold its global insurance software business RPC Tyche to Aon, exiting the company it jointly owned with software and consultancy firm Marriott Sinclair.
“Oligarchs can add privacy to their defence toolbox”: Reaction to the Bloomberg decision
Last month the Supreme Court decided to dismiss Bloomberg’s appeal against a claim brought over the misuse of private information. The case concerned an article about businessman ZXC, who argued that a story about his being under criminal investigation was an invasion of his privacy.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Bird & Bird extends working from home to students
From this summer, students on Bird & Bird’s vacation scheme will be asked to work at least one day a week from home as the firm looks to make elements of remote learning introduced during the pandemic permanent.
A senior associate surmised the mood in March 2021 by writing, “The best help would really be ‘role-model’ setting by people within the firm that childcare responsibilities take precedence to a reasonable degree over work, rather than vice versa. Some partners are good about this but the firm isn’t that great at proactively promoting this culture I think for fear that it will be seen as overriding ‘clients come first’, which for any sensible parent isn’t right – it should usually be ‘kids come first’.”
The Lawyer has created a live blog to capture important developments occurring in Ukraine, particularly how it relates to the legal world. So far, many international firms such as Baker McKenzie, Dentons, and CMS have closed their Kyiv offices, with Central and Eastern European firms like Kinstellar doing the same.
Ropes & Gray have established a pro-bono support group to provide legal assistance to individuals and families in Ukraine. The group will be led by Boston-based employment partner Jenny Rikoski; in 2019 she represented families affected on the southern border of the United States during the US government’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy for controlling the country’s borders.
This week:
Moves:
Magic circle retail finance lawyer returns to Eversheds Sutherland
Joanne Owens returns to Eversheds Sutherland after being at Allen & Overy for five years.
International Arbitration specialist Alexander Slade joins Mishcon de Reya
Alexander Slade joins Mishcon de Reya from Vinson Elkin.
Kirkland antitrust partner exits for Ropes
Annie Herdman, EU & Competition Partner, joins Ropes & Gray from Kirkland & Ellis.
Akin Gump loses restructuring partner to Gleiss Lutz in London
Christian Halasz joins the Stuttgart-headquartered firm after seven years with Akin Gump.
Ince welcomes James Channo to London Corporate team as Partner
James Channo, formerly of Fox Williams, joins Ince’s corporate team.
Goodwin bolsters UK real estate platform with partner Eric Lim
Eric Lim will join Goodwin’s real estate industry practice on March 1.
Elizabeth Dryer, Thomas Bednar, and Sophie Smith have joined the New York, Washington, D.C., and London offices respectively.
Expanding our Real Estate presence in Paris with a team hire
Patrick Gerry, Real Estate Partner, joins Eversheds Sutherland’s Paris office from Ashurst.
Baker McKenzie expands corporate practice in Frankfurt
Dr. Katharina Stuber is set to join Baker McKenzie from Allen & Overy in March.
Herbert Smith Freehills has hired US securities partner Xavier Amadei
Xavier Amadei joins Herbert Smith Freehills’ Singapore office from Baker McKenzie.
Cross-Border Disputes Attorney Nanyi Kaluma Rejoins Willkie in Brussels
Nanyi Kaluma has rejoined Willkie in Brussels after 15 years at Allen & Overy.
Litigator Andrew Russell Joins McGuireWoods’ Labor & Employment Team in California
Andrew Russell, formerly of Fox Rothschild, joins McGuireWoods in their Century City office.
Davis Polk secures Ropes & Gray’s M&A leader in Menlo Park
Paul Scrivano is the latest partner to join the Wall Street firm after it ditched its pure lockstep to go on the recruiting offensive in 2020.
King & Spalding hires Hogan Lovells’ Middle East practice group leader in New York
Samaa Haridi joins the Atlanta-based firm after secen years at Hogan Lovells in New York.
Hong Kong Stock Exchange hires Kirkland partner as co-head of IPO vetting
Li-Chien Wong is set to join Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) as managing director and co-head of IPO vetting.
Hogan Lovells hires PwC’s Spanish regulatory head
Fernando Calancha Marzana will lead the Madrid office’s regulatory and energy practices.
Winston & Strawn Continues Expansion of Litigation Practice With Addition of Sharon Desh
Sharon Desh has joined Winston & Strawn from Bartlit Beck.
Andrew Demko has joined Mayer Frown from Katten Muchin Rosenman.
Roger Kuan, Jason Novak, Dagim Tilahun and Noble Woo have joined the Norton Rose San Francisco offices from Haynes and Boone.
Hogan Lovells continues to expand M&A practice in New York with the addition of partner Luke Iovine
Luke Iovine has joins Hogan Lovells as the fourth corporate partner to join the New York offices this month.
Proskauer Expands Regulatory Capabilities with Addition of Private Funds Partner Robert H. Sutton
Robert H. Sutton has joined Proskauer from Kirkland & Ellis.
Top Antitrust Lawyer Joshua Soven Joins Paul, Weiss in Washington, D.C.
Joshua Soven has joined Paul Weiss in Washington, D.C. from Wilson Sonsini
Orrick Continues Growth of Life Sciences & Tech Team
Tony Chan has joined Orrick’s Washington, D.C. office from Morgan Lewis.
Promotions & Appointments:
Lewis Silkin appoints first woman to chair partnership
Jo Evans, Corporate partner and D&I leader is set to take over from Michael Burd in April
Bruce Dear elected Chair of Eversheds Sutherland (International)
Bruce Dear, Head of Real Estate London, has been elected as Chair, succeeding Pamela Thompson from May.
Squire Patton Boggs elevates 26 to partner in diverse promotions round
In its latest global promotions, Squire Patton Boggs has made up 26, and 17 of them (65%) are diverse according to gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
Freshfields Appoints Next Italy Managing Partner | Law.com International
Francesco Lombardo, a Milan based partner will succeed Nicola Asti, who has been at the helm since September 2015.
Former Freshfields Senior Partner Edward Braham Appointed Chair of M&G
Edward Braham has been appointed the next chair of global investment manager M&G.
Office Openings & Closings:
Hogan Lovells to move London HQ in 2026
The new HQ, located at 21 Holborn Viaduct, will cut its floor space by more than 10%.
Allen & Overy to open in Boston after hiring five-partner IP litigation team from Goodwin Procter
The team, led by New-York based Elizabeth Holland and made up of Bill James, John Bennett, Nick Mitrokostas, and Daniel Margolis, join from Goodwin Procter.
Simmons launches in San Francisco with OC hire
Emily Jones, formerly of Osborne Clarke’s Silicon Valley offices, has moved to Simmons to oversee the launch of the new San Francisco Bay offices.
Mergers & Alliances:
Pinsent Masons launches real estate practice in South Africa with boutique tie-up
Pinsent Masons has joined forces with Gunn Attorneys, a boutique law firm in Johannesburg, to launch a local property practice and strengthen its ESG capabilities in South Africa.
Financials:
Davis Polk reignites US salary war by topping pacesetter Milbank’s associate pay scale
Davis Polk has announced it will be paying it’s associates between $215,000 and $396,000 depending on seniority.
Hogan Lovells posts record financial results as global revenue jumps by 13% to hit $2.6bn
Hogan Lovell’s global revenue has grown 12,9% to $2.6bn while PEP has soared by 25.9% to reach $2.49m
McDermott Sees Second Straight Year of PEP Growth Over 20%, Hitting $3M Mark
McDermott Will & Emery’s gross revenue grew 20.5% to $1.67bn, marking a 42% total growth over the last two years.
Freshfields LLPs Remind Partners of Firm’s ‘Considerable Discretion’ Over Distributions
In the statement accompanying its accounts, published on Companies House on Thursday, Freshfields said: “While Covid-19 has not had a significant impact on the firm to date, it remains possible that the pandemic could impact demand for our services in the short term. Liquidity pressure on our clients could also have an adverse impact on the business”.
Technology & Innovation:
Gunnercooke becomes first top 200 UK law firm to take cryptocurrency payments
Gunnercooke has partnered with Coinpass to make the exchanges and will accept cryptoassets such as ether and bitcoin.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Mishcon to Fund Training Courses For Refugee Lawyers
Mishcon de Reya has partnered with Barbri Global, a legal education provider, and Breaking Barriers to help lawyers with a refugee background retrain as solicitors in England and Wales.
Diversity scheme opens door for gifted trainees
Trainee solicitors are invited to apply for a place on the profession’s Diversity Access Scheme (DAS), the Law Society of England and Wales said as it opened recruitment for the 2022 cohort.
Jefferies lawyer slams sector for ‘moving backwards’ on diversity
David Winterfeldt QC, Jeffries top lawyer for EMEA and Asia, has sounded a scathing note about the legal professions progress on diversity.
Follow this link to subscribe to our mailing list!
After years of uncertainty, hyperbole and clashing opinions across Europe, we finally have in place the timeline of when the Unified Patent Court will (finally) be launched. My previous article explains the origins of the Unified Patent Court and why thus far it has not been able to go ahead. In this brief commentary, we will look at the reasons for the sudden change of pace and what this now means for not only existing patents, but the wider intellectual property world.
The origins of the UPC stated that the number of member states required to ratify the official creation of the UPC is 13. The 13th country, Austria, deposited its instrument of ratification on January 18th, 2022. With this confirmed, it now means that the provisional application period has now come into force. This means that the UPC can start to recruit staff and put in place IT infrastructure etc. ready for launch. It is anticipated that this will be ready to go in September 2022, although it could take longer.
This also coincides with the introduction of a Unitary Patent, which will allow applicants to file European patent applications, this will be searched and examined in the normal way. Once granted, applicants will be able to choose the Unitary Patent option that will provide a uniform right covering up to 25 of the 27 EU member states (Spain and Croatia have declined to take part) The obvious benefit behind the introduction of a Unitary Patent it’s that it will provide much simpler administration and lower maintenance costs across the board.
The specific date that the new system will come into force will be determined by the 13th state, in this case, Germany, who will have to deposit its instrument of accession to the UPC agreement. Germany has always passed through the required legislation, so it is purely a case of when not if. It has been commented that Germany will only deposit once all the above preparations are completed.
Moving back to the UPC, now 13 member states have ratified this, and the process is already underway to create the necessary infrastructure, it has been announced that the UPC will come into force by the end of 2022- unless there are any major last-minute roadblocks (which look highly unlikely at this stage due to the afore mentioned reasons) The UPC will create a more streamlined process for applications, it will also create legal certainty. Other positives include it will more than likely, cut costs for applicants who have multi-jurisdictional patent applications and help with pressures of the current administration procedure.
So where does this leave a patentee with existing European patents? When the UPC eventually happens, it will have jurisdiction to enforce and to invalidate any existing European patents with effect to all participating member states. This will apply to all European patents, including those which were granted years ago and are still in force.
When the UPC comes into force, it will not be based in one location. It will consist of several divisions spread over the participating member states (for political reasons) The court of first instance will have a central division in Paris and Munich. There was meant to be a branch in London, however since the withdrawal of the UK from the agreement (Brexit) there is no official plan for where this branch will be transferred to. There have been suggestions for a replacement- notably Milan and Amsterdam, however this is yet to be officially confirmed.
What are the benefits of finally having plans in place for the UPC?
Several in-house counsel I have been speaking with, have given a variety of benefits, however the most common ones were; a more streamlined approach to patents, as opposed to having multiple agreements across different jurisdictions. It has also been mentioned that the UPC will make patents stronger and give greater protection for the invention. This dovetails nicely with the fact that costs will be kept low due to being a “one stop shop”.
Whilst there are obvious benefits, it does create potential problems. One of them being that it has made it much easier for larger companies to cover their patents. It could potentially put smaller companies at risk due to the new structure of the UPC and indeed the unitary patent. In addition, there has been controversy around which languages will be officially recognized for the UPC. As it stands, English, French and German are the languages accepted. What does this mean for counties such as Spain & Italy? Spanish is arguably, one of the most used languages in continental Europe, if not globally, so this might potentially cause unrest. It will be interesting to see how this all develops once everything has gone live.
To surmise, whilst this has been a long time in the making, it now seems that everything is in place to make the UPC a real success. it is the next logical development of patents in Europe, and we now have a clear vision for the future. Remember that Europe was built on the mantra of getting stronger together.
Written by Chris Excell
Chris@Fidessearch.com
Is there something we can help you with?
If not right now, we can include you on next weeks' newsletter update?
CLICK HERE