This week on Spotlight, we delve into the world of transport with Backhouse Jones, a specialist firm which has been advising the market for nearly a century. Origin: James and Jonathon Backhouse, known to many as the Backhouse twins, come from a long line of solicitors, which can be traced all the way back to […]
The father of a New York socialite has pledged his own funds to save his son from bankruptcy after his son failed to engage with solicitors’ attempts to locate him, the High Court’s Insolvency and Companies List heard on Tuesday. Italian millionaire Raffaello Follieri, who boasts a £12m Kensington property portfolio, was the subject of […]
Big-ticket disputes are fuelling headcount growth among the UK’s largest litigation firms. According to The Lawyer’s UK Litigation 50 report, five firms are now home to more than 150 disputes partners in the UK – four of which (DAC Beachcroft, Clyde & Co, Kennedys and Keoghs) have strong insurance roots. These firms are hunting for […]
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Hearing, your cheat sheet to the litigation market, bringing you the week’s top litigation stories and analysis. This is what’s driving the week. Merger fever: Merger fever has again gripped London as the market reacts to the news that Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is merging with US firm […]
Clifford Chance-repped Shell has won an appeal to overturn an earlier ruling that required the oil giant to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by the end of the decade. The case goes back to 2018 when Dutch environmental organisation Milieudefensie (also known as Friends of the Earth Netherlands) alongside six other […]
Class action firm Pogust Goodhead has received a further loan from its financial backer Gramercy to add to its $552.5m (£450m) deal agreed a year ago. The firm sealed the original partnership with the Connecticut-based investment manager in October 2023. The corporate debt finance deal, which was considered the largest worldwide investment in a law […]
Macfarlanes on for Swiss bank against major Indian bank Macfarlanes is listed to represent SP Hinduja Banque Privée SA in a general commercial contracts and arrangements claim against the Bank of Baroda. SP Hinduja Banque Privée is headquartered in Geneva, where the company has established relationships around the world, focusing on wealth management, corporate finance […]
Willkie Farr and Geradin Partners square off in carriage dispute for Amazon class action Expect fireworks in court as Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Geradin Partners go head-to-head on Monday (11 November) in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) for two days. Both seek the right to represent a proposed class representative (PCR) for the Amazon […]
Freshfields is representing GTLK Malta Four, a subsidiary of the ultimately Russian state owned GTLK Europe, in a claim filed in the High Court last month. GTLK Europe, which is headquartered in Ireland, was put into liquidation in May 2023 after applications from four creditors who held various contracts with the company. It is itself […]
An employment tribunal has ruled that Fieldfisher unfairly dismissed a senior associate last year, after he was accused of misconduct and investigated by the firm. Ex-Fieldfisher senior associate Djamshid Rustambekov was alleged to have continuously asked a fellow female colleague to cancel her Uber and to come back to an office party in January 2023. […]
Welcome to The Hearing, your cheat sheet to the litigation market, bringing you the week’s top litigation stories and analysis. This is what’s driving the week. Budget priorities: Last week’s Budget promised a further £1.9bn in Justice spending. While the media is awash with stories on the dire state of prisons and the country’s Crown […]
Disputes boutique Seladore Legal is to open in Singapore with a hire from Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), marking its ninth hire from the firm. HSF New York senior associate Liang-Ying Tan will join as a partner to launch the Singapore office. The firm is in the process of applying for its Foreign Law Practice Licence. […]
White & Case on call for administrators of Air Berlin White & Case is on call for the administrators of Air Berlin in a general commercial contracts and arrangements claim against Big Four accountancy giant KPMG. Air Berlin was a major German airline before it filed for insolvency in August 2017 after its largest shareholder, […]
Hogan Lovells client in court for ‘hotly disputed’ oil shipment case Palmali Shipping returns to the High Court on Tuesday for two days. The court will consider a further security application made by defendant Litasco, a subsidiary of Russian oil company Lukoil. Brick Court’s Tim Lord KC and Craig Morrison KC are expected to ask […]
Bust air conditioning, an electricity shutdown and issues with video feeds: the Rolls Building has had a multitude of meltdowns this year and litigators are furious.
The Independent Schools Council (ISC) has hired Blackstone duo Lord Pannick KC and Paul Luckhurst, instructed by Kingsley Napley, to challenge the UK Government’s decision to levy VAT on independent school fees. The ISC is an umbrella body for seven associations representing independent schools, their heads, bursars and governors. Through its member associations, it represents […]
This week in Spotlight, we laser in on a disputes boutique whose partners are all ex-Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) lawyers. The firm in question – Seladore Legal – has a blockbuster case ongoing, in which it is bringing a $14bn dispute on behalf of a jailed Russian businessman against 22 defendants. This is the largest […]