Judge seeks Prince Andrew ex-assistant’s testimony in US case February 1, 2022 Prince Andrew’s former assistant may reportedly give a sworn statement about his relationship with late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in his upcoming sexual assault case in the US. Judge Lewis A Kaplan for the New York trial has asked London’s High Court to assist with the request for former aide Robert Olney’s testimony regarding the Duke [...]
Rio Tinto: Workplace review reveals bullying, sexual harassment and racism February 1, 2022 Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto has published a damning external review of its workplace culture suggesting widespread issues at the company.
Millions moved via shell companies: Laundered fortune linked to chair of UK-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Committee forfeited January 31, 2022 Millions of pounds derived from the Azerbaijan laundromat – a sophisticated international money laundering scheme – have been seized following a National Crime Agency investigation into money held in bank accounts linked to an Azeri politician, the NCA said this morning. Financial investigators secured a Forfeiture Order for £5.6m in UK bank accounts belonging to [...]
US law firms return to the office blocked by Omicron variant January 31, 2022 Law firms’ plans to return to offices have been scuppered by the spread of the omicron variant in the US. Several US law firms have postponed plans to return to offices until February, having originally planned for a January return. The delays come as the highly-infectious omicron variant continues to spread through the US, despite [...]
Online hearings are harming junior lawyers, top judge says January 31, 2022 A senior British Judge has warned that virtual hearings are stunting junior lawyers’ development. Chancellor of the High Court Sir Julian Flux warned that “junior barristers and solicitors’ participation is limited to being a tile without picture or sound on a Teams screen.” The top Judge warned that the rise of remote hearings has seen [...]
Top UK lawyer leaves New York litigator to launch ‘modern’ firm – taking 27 of 33 lawyers with her January 31, 2022 A top British lawyer at Boies, Schiller & Flexner’s London office has said she is leaving the much talked about firm to set up a rival litigator, and that she will be taking more than 80 per cent of her former employer’s London-based staff with her. Natasha Harrison, a managing partner at Boies, Schiller & [...]
Slaughter & May hires first COO in shakeup of management structure January 31, 2022 Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May has poached Freshfields chief operating officer (COO) Jill Hoseason as its first ever COO. Hoseason will join Slaughter & May following almost 14-years of tenure at its rival, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where she served as the Magic Circle firm’s Global COO. In her new role, Hoseason will take [...]
Tilney Smith & Williamson moves to Belfast’s £85m Ewart building in vote of confidence for Northern Ireland January 31, 2022 London professional services firm Tilney Smith & Williamson is set to move its Northern Irish staff into Belfast’s newly renovated Ewart building, as it pushes forwards with plans to expand its business in Northern Ireland. The move will see the Mayfair-headquartered firm occupy the 13th floor of the 17-story tall Ewart building – a former [...]
Mishcon de Reya postpones IPO due to volatile market conditions January 31, 2022 London law firm Mishcon de Reya has said it is temporarily postponing its IPO due to “volatile” market conditions. The delay comes as another blow to London’s stock market, following a series of disappointing IPOs over the previous year. Mishcon de Reya’s senior leadership decided to put the firm’s IPO on hold, following conversations [...]
Freshfields pays out £50k bonuses to private equity lawyers January 31, 2022 Magic Circle law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has begun paying out special bonuses to mid-ranking lawyers working on private equity deals, as it seeks to keep hold of its staff in the face of competition from US firms. The London-headquartered firm is reportedly paying out bonuses worth £50,000 to lawyers working on private equity deals. [...]