Regulating for a decentralised future April 4, 2022 Dr Jane Thomason draws from her experience at the recent AIBC summit to look at the latest regulatory thinking.
The boring predictability of our rule of law will ensure Britain’s success November 26, 2021 Power doesn’t disappear overnight. In the immortal words of Paul Simon, it slip slides away. In Helmand, Afghanistan I realised things were falling apart when people stopped coming to the government to resolve disputes. They turned to the Taliban instead. That was 15 years before the end. Subtly, almost unnoticed, here was proof that people [...]
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng tells LV= to reveal fees from £530m Bain takeover November 17, 2021 Mutual insurer Liverpool Victoria (LV=) has been urged by the business secretary to disclose how much City firms will take home from the £530m proposed takeover by US private equity firm Bain Capital, amid increasing scrutiny from members. In parliament yesterday Kwasi Kwarteng said “transparent data” should be provided for LV= customers about how much [...]
Judge dismisses lawyer’s harassment claim warning against ‘a culture of hyper-sensitivity’ August 3, 2021 A lawyer, who claimed she was unfairly dismissed from her £100,000-a-year job after being sexually harassed, has lost her case after a judge warned against “encouraging a culture of hyper-sensitivity”. Nirosha Sithirapathy, who worked as legal counsel at pharmaceutical research company PSI CRO UK, claimed that she was discriminated against because of her age and [...]
Exclusive: Legal consultant model to become dominant among mid-market law firms February 25, 2021 The legal consultant business model will become the dominant model among high street and mid-market law firms, with around a third of UK lawyers predicted to be working under such a model in five years’ time. The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a “catalyst” for industry disruption, exposing the “poor management and outdated operating models [...]
Listed law firm Knights buys 60-year-old Surrey firm March 22, 2021 UK law firm Knights will acquire Surrey-based Mundays for £5.3m in a move that will increase the group’s presence in the South East. Knights will pay £3.93m up front for the smaller law firm, followed by cash payments worth £1.375m to be paid over two years. Knights CEO David Beech said: “The acquisition of Mundays [...]
Linklaters promotes Alex Beidas to global head of employment & incentives April 29, 2021 Magic Circle firm Linklaters has made Alex Beidas global head of employment & incentives, taking over from Nicola Rabson, whose tenure in the role ends on 30 April. Beidas will stay in the new role for four years, where she will be in charge of supporting clients. Rabson will return to her role as partner, [...]
Serious Fraud Office encouraged ‘Machiavellian’ top City lawyer to leak client’s file, court told May 24, 2021 The Serious Fraud Office encouraged a “Machiavellian” top City lawyer to leak confidential information about his client while it was under investigation for alleged bribery, corruption and fraud, the High Court heard today. Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) is suing the SFO for alleged misfeasance in public office over an investigation into the Kazakh mining [...]
Ex-Barclays GC takes bank to court January 27, 2021 Judith Shepherd, a former general counsel at Barclays Capital, has filed a claim against her ex-employer in the High Court. Fox Williams, acting on behalf of Shepherd, lodged a claim in the Commercial Court on 22 January against Barclays PLC, Barclays Bank and Barclays Execution Services, The Lawyer reported. Law firm Simmons & Simmons has [...]
Man forced out of job after 40 years while battling cancer wins £2.5m payout April 29, 2021 Former KBR employee David Barrow has been awarded more than £2.5m after his employer’s decision to dismiss him for discriminatory reasons. Barrow, 64, won his claims for unfair dismissal, harassment and unfavourable treatment after he was let go from KBR, a Texas-based engineering and infrastructure company. The decision was made at a London employment tribunal. [...]