Luke Vance Barr is a reporter working on Litigation Tracker news and analyses. He joined The Lawyer in August 2019. He tweets @TheLawyerLVB
A trio of ex-Addleshaw Goddard partners, including the firm’s former global head of litigation, are reuniting to launch a commercial disputes boutique. Michael Barnett is teaming back up with Mark Gill and Mark Hastings to found Quillon Law, both of whom were also previously partners at Addleshaws. Hastings, who spent just over 11 years at […]
Ropes & Gray is facing a High Court claim from one of its London lawyers, who claims she is unable to do her job due to a “depressive illness caused by her working conditions”. Harbottle & Lewis is bringing the claim against the US firm on behalf of Joanne Torode, with allegations that the claimant’s […]
Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has bolstered its Dubai office by hiring Herbert Smith Freehills‘ (HSF) former Middle East managing partner. Zubair Mir returns to Norton Rose having been there from 2001 to 2006 as one of the Dubai office’s founding partners. This was followed by a 15-year stint at HSF, where he first led the […]
A two-day hearing kicks off on Wednesday in the case of Soriano v Forensic News & Ors, with a British citizen taking on a group of US-based defendants in an ongoing libel battle, including an investigative journalism website and its owner. The claimant is pursuing a claim over the publication of 10 online articles and […]
Two of Greenberg Traurig‘s white-collar partners have left the firm after three years for Holman Fenwick Willan. Barry Vitou and Anne-Marie Ottaway are the pair making the City move, who each joined the US firm in 2018. Vitou most recently held the role of global co-chair of GT’s white-collar defence and special investigations practice, while […]
Pinsent Masons is upping the ante ahead of its decisive Court of Appeal hearing in the SKAT case as it calls on the services of Blackstone Chambers’ Lord Pannick QC. The experienced silk is set to lead a six-strong counsel team on behalf of the Kingdom of Denmark, which seeks to salvage its £1.5bn claim […]
A dispute concerning the future of Caffè Nero has ended in defeat for one of the coffee shop retailer’s landlords, who had been backed by the billionaire Issa Brothers to contest a company voluntary agreement (CVA). Wednesday’s judgment from Mr Justice Michael Green rejected a challenge from CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang on behalf of landlord […]
BT’s attempt to strike out a class action made up of 2.3 million affected customers has been rejected by the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), which paves the way for the £590m dispute to proceed. The tribunal’s recent judgment went in favour of the proposed class representative Justin Le Patourel, who succeeded in securing a collective […]
Mishcon de Reya’s flurry of pre-IPO activity has continued with the firm confirming its expansion into Hong Kong, The Lawyer can reveal. An association with Karas LLP has enabled Mishcon to launch a branch office in one of Asia’s leading financial hubs, which builds upon the firm’s Singapore base opened in May 2020. While not […]
While Keystone Law‘s fee-earners have long been accustomed to its flexible working model, its central office staff have now been granted the same freedoms. The Lawyer understands that Keystone is opening up voluntary office attendance for its full-time administrative employees, who will be able to attend its Chancery Lane base just one day a week. […]
After two exits in a fortnight from its City office, Mishcon de Reya has added a real estate finance partner to its ranks from Reed Smith. Francisca Sepúlveda’s switch to Mishcon comes two weeks after the firm lost real estate partner Omega Poole and international arbitration head Karel Daele. Sepúlveda’s practice focuses primarily on real […]
Dechert and former partner Neil Gerrard were forced to deal with a “warring boardroom” during its retainer with ENRC, counsel told the High Court on Friday, as the defendants launched their closing submissions. 3VB’s Andrew Onslow QC said that Gerrard had to deal with “some pretty challenging characters” when advising the Kazakh mining company, with […]