Europe

BuckleySandler is opening a London office

A 150-attorney Washington, D.C.-based law firm known for its representation of financial services clients is opening a London office. It is the first international outpost for BuckleySandler, which announced the new office Monday. James T. Parkinson is relocating from D.C. to serve as its partner-in-residence. “As the enforcement, regulatory and…

Sep 9, 2014 12:10 PM CDT

Will Bingham lose its London managing partner? Merger talks said to spur possible exodus

Bingham McCutchen could lose London managing partner James Roome along with several other international partners if the firm pursues merger talks with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, according to a published report. Four former Bingham partners who asked for anonymity told the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) that Roome was in…

Sep 9, 2014 10:34 AM CDT

Hinshaw & Culbertson to acquire 45-attorney California firm

Known for its insurance and coverage work, Hinshaw & Culbertson is adding a 45-attorney California-based law firm with an international office in London to its roster. As of Oct. 1, the Chicago-based firm, which has 22 offices throughout the U.S., will acquire Barger & Wolen, which focuses on insurance litigation…

Sep 2, 2014 11:45 AM CDT

Fake law firm websites use real firms’ photos and info, but alter contact details

A smiling man in a business suit pictured on the Dovernor Chambers website in a wood-paneled office looks like a seasoned legal practitioner, and is. However, he actually is a U.S. lawyer practicing in Kansas. The Dovernor Chambers firm—which purports to operate in the United Kingdom—is fake, and its website…

Aug 20, 2014 9:05 PM CDT

In business for a decade, global Wi-Fi venture once valued at $2B got financing based on fake work

For nearly a decade, a Spanish company known as Let’s Gowex SA claimed to be making a profit by offering public wi-fi in cities throughout the world. But that wasn’t true, entrepreneur Jenaro Garcia Martin, who heads the company, told Spain’s High Court last month. He and others familiar with…

Aug 14, 2014 8:15 PM CDT

Illegal trafficking of animals is becoming a growing issue in global trade

Efforts by the Obama administration in recent months to focus on illegal trafficking of wildlife and related activities undermining wildlife conservation have not received widespread attention. But that could change in the near future. The under-the-radar nature of the issue may help explain why only a dozen people attended a…

Aug 7, 2014 11:16 PM CDT

Snowden gets 3-year residency permit, is on track for Russian citizenship

A U.S. intelligence contractor who became a household name after revealing classified information to journalists has renewed his Russian residency permit, which is now good for three more years, and is on track to become a Russian citizen. Edward Snowden, 31, who formerly worked for the National Security Agency, still…

Aug 7, 2014 10:00 PM CDT

Financier backs Austrian law student’s class action against Facebook; it seeks damages under US law

Backed by an unidentified financier, a 26-year-old Austrian law student has filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook in his privacy-friendly home country. The Vienna commercial court case filed by Max Schrems claims privacy violations under European Union law, pointing to Facebook’s sharing of user data with third parties through the…

Aug 4, 2014 7:15 PM CDT

European court orders Poland to pay damages to two prisoners held in secret CIA jail

The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Poland to pay damages to two terrorism suspects who were interrogated at a secret CIA jail in the country. The ruling is the first public determination by a court that the CIA operated a secret “black site” in a foreign country after…

Jul 24, 2014 1:57 PM CDT

Christine Lagarde, IMF and ex-BigLaw chief, talks about women and leadership

A high-profile female attorney who has achieved unusual success in major law firm and governmental leadership roles never had a career plan. Yet this may not have been a mistake, Christine Lagarde tells the Washington Post (reg req.), because career opportunities tend to arise from circumstances rather than planning. That…

Jul 11, 2014 5:04 PM CDT

Slater & Gordon offers law firm stock-purchase plan for UK workers

Publicly held law firm Slater & Gordon has announced a plan to encourage its workers in its United Kingdom offices to purchase stock in their employer’s company. Assuming the plan is approved by shareholders at an upcoming meeting, the law firm will match share purchases by attorneys and staff at…

Jul 11, 2014 3:15 PM CDT

TSA bans uncharged cellphones and laptops on some international flights

Those planning international travel should take note of a new TSA rule. Concerned about potential terrorism, the federal agency is requiring airline passengers headed to the U.S. from the Middle East and Europe to demonstrate that their cellphones and laptop computers can turn on before boarding, according to the Associated…

Jul 7, 2014 4:35 PM CDT

Sarkozy detained on suspicion of interfering with French investigation into financial corruption

Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s former president, was detained for questioning Tuesday by French anticorruption investigators. At issue was whether Sarkozy and his lawyer Thierry Herzog improperly tried to get information about an ongoing investigation into Sarkozy’s campaign finances, according to the New York Times. The Times reports that law enforcement focused…

Jul 1, 2014 3:20 PM CDT

Guilty as charged? No problem, UK expert witnesses tell undercover reporters

Eight out of nine expert witnesses approached by undercover reporters agreed to give helpful reports for court, even though the reporter “clients” admitted their guilt. The findings were broadcast in a documentary for the program Panorama broadcast on the BBC, report BBC News and the Daily Mail. Two handwriting experts…

Jun 9, 2014 1:22 PM CDT

Too much work, too little time is a chief cause of stress for London trainee lawyers

A survey of lawyers in the United Kingdom chronicles the causes and pervasiveness of stress. The survey by Lawyer 2B, a sister publication of the Lawyer, found that a chief cause of stress for lawyer trainees was too much work and too little time. Though 78.5 of the trainees listed…

Jun 6, 2014 10:45 AM CDT