Litigation

Standard Chartered

Quinn, Jones Day and Slaughters fight it out in Libor transition test case

Slaughter and May, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Jones Day head to court today (27 September) in a case brought by Standard Chartered against its own investors, in the first case arising from the termination of Libor. The legal battle, led by One Essex Court’s Kenneth MacLean KC, will play out at the London’s […]

High Court

PCB Byrne and Guriev victorious in oligarch showdown

Sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Guriev has prevailed in the $1bn showdown between him and his former friend Alexander Gorbachev, addressing the decade-long battle between the pair over ownership of the global chemicals company PhosAgro. The dispute saw Essex Court’s Paul Stanley KC and David Scorey KC, instructed by CMS, go head-to-head with Brick Court’s Helen […]

Freshfields is rivalling Quinn for litigation growth

Of the Top 10 fastest growing firms in The Lawyer’s Global Litigation 50 2024 (GL50), seven have headquarters in the UK. Given that there are only 10 UK firms in the GL50, which ranks the world’s 50 largest litigation practices, that’s not bad. Add to that, the fastest growing firm in the list, disputes giant […]

£2.75m alleged fraud revealed at Pump Court

Pump Court Chambers had £2.75m stolen from its accounts by its own former credit control manager, according to a judgment released today. Gillian Goodfield, who had held her position at the chambers since 2015, was found to have committed the alleged fraud, with the money “spent on her lifestyle”. 4 New Square’s Saaman Pourghadiri appeared […]

Harrods hires Simkins as Mohamed Al Fayed scandal intensifies

Harrods has hired Simkins to represent it in media matters, as allegations involving the store’s late boss Mohamed Al Fayed continue to dominate the headlines. Last week, a wide-ranging BBC documentary was released, Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods, in which more than 20 former female employees alleged the billionaire of the luxury London department store […]

Lincoln's Inn

9 Stone Buildings collapses in wake of team exodus

9 Stone Buildings, one of the oldest barristers’ chambers in Lincoln’s Inn, has disintegrated as the remainder of its members depart for other sets.  9 Stone was a traditional and commercial chancery set known for its expertise in corporate and personal insolvency matters, and its client roster included liquidators, creditors and Government bodies such as […]

Geoff Steward, Addleshaws

Addleshaws zeroes in on IP with five-strong team hire

In a bid to expand its intellectual property practice, Addleshaw Goddard is adding five lawyers to its ranks from a specialist City firm. Stobbs’ head of litigation Geoff Steward is joining Addleshaws, along with four lawyers. Steward has worked at Stobbs for nearly six years, and played a key role in developing the firm’s IP […]

Sam Carter, 33 Chancery Lane

33 Chancery Lane marks new era with CEO and barrister hires

33 Chancery Lane is undergoing a mass operational overhaul and rebrand, hiring its first chief executive, three new barristers and moving premises. The 19-barrister set, led by Kennedy Talbot KC, has hired Outer Temple’s practice director Sam Carter as chief executive and director of clerking to help guide the chambers through its new chapter. Carter […]

Mishcon de Reya

Solicitor fined for appearing on antisemitic TV show attacking Mishcon

A solicitor has been fined by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) after appearing on an antisemitic TV show that “took the form of a wide-ranging attack” upon Mishcon de Reya. Mohammed Akunjee, who has over 30,000 followers on X, has been fined £6,500 and ordered to pay £30,000 in costs after appearing in a TV […]

Ziyavudin Magomedov

Boutiques battle it out in $14bn Russian mogul dispute

Russia’s largest transport operator, FESCO, had its chance today to block the $13.8bn dispute brought by jailed Russian businessman Ziyavudin Magomedov from going to trial in England, as the case entered its fourth day in a courtroom comprising over 50 lawyers. Magomedov, represented by litigation boutique Seladore Legal, argues that an elaborate conspiracy saw his […]

HIgh Court London

Leigh Day victorious as High Court blocks Cumbria coal mine plans

Planning permission to build a new coal mine in Cumbria has been quashed following today’s High Court ruling that the approval was unlawful. Leigh Day secured the win on behalf of Friends of the Earth and South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC). The pair made the claim regarding a December 2022 decision to grant […]