Europe

Nanny Convicted in Baby’s Death Moves from Law to Dance

Louise Woodward, the teen nanny convicted in 1997 for the shaking death of her 8-month-old charge, was close to becoming a British lawyer before changing her career in 2005. Woodward has kept a low profile since a Massachusetts judge reduced Woodward’s conviction to involuntary manslaughter and sentenced her to time…

Jun 5, 2008 12:39 PM CDT

Freshfields to Open in Abu Dhabi

U.K. law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer will open in Abu Dhabi now that its application has been fast-tracked. The law firm already has offices in Dubai and Bahrain, Legal Week reports. Freshfields is interested in Dubai because of its political stability and rapidly diversifying economy, said Freshfields joint senior partner…

Jun 3, 2008 5:07 PM CDT

Tip Leads to Price-Fixing Probe of Two UK Law-Firm Lenders

Two law firm lenders in the United Kingdom are under investigation for possible price fixing. Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland are being investigated in connection with their professional services loans, Legal Week reports. The institutions are the U.K.’s two largest lenders to law and accounting firms. The Office of…

Jun 3, 2008 3:25 PM CDT

Clifford Chance MP Predicts a Firm Future Less Focused on London

London’s top billing as an international financial and legal center could lose some of its luster in the foreseeable future, according to the global managing partner of Clifford Chance. “If I could wave my magic wand, in three to five years I would want to have three hubs and, if…

Jun 2, 2008 5:50 PM CDT

Long & Winding Road to UK Law Partnership is Getting Longer

For the third year in a row, it’s taking a little longer to make partner at major United Kingdom law firms. The average wait for the gold ring for those who succeed in grabbing it is now 8.8 years, compared to 8.2 years in 2006, reports Legal Week. In the…

May 30, 2008 6:56 PM CDT

Clifford Chance FY Revenue up 11%, Hits $2.623 Billion

Corrected: Clifford Chance has started the British law firm earnings reporting season with a bang, announcing a hefty revenue increase regardless of the economic slowdown that began last year. The London-based international firm is the first magic circle firm to report its earnings for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. “Despite its…

May 29, 2008 5:16 PM CDT

Blind Lawyer to Sue AmEx Over Unreadable Credit Card Statements?

A blind lawyer in the U.K. is threatening to sue American Express Co. if the credit card issuer doesn’t take action to make its online credit card statements more user-friendly to those with vision problems. Previously, Richard Godfrey-McKay, a 53-year-old solicitor in Perth, could review his Internet statements with the…

May 28, 2008 11:02 PM CDT

Sent Home With Wrong Family, Now-Adult Twin Sues

An identical twin who discovered, as an adult, that she had been sent home from a Canary Islands hospital in Spain with the wrong family has sued over the alleged mix-up. Now 35, the unnamed woman discovered she had a twin when she was mistaken for her sister by a…

May 28, 2008 3:34 PM CDT

Teen Violence Up in London; ‘Harry Potter’ Actor is Killed

It isn’t just in major cities in the U.S. that recent spates of violence, often attributed to teens and young adults, have sparked concern. A top official at Scotland Yard has warned British parents to find out whether their children are carrying knives, after attacks killed 14 teens in London…

May 27, 2008 5:24 PM CDT

UK Wealth Mgmt. Co. Wants to Buy British Law Firm

Right now, the Formation Group looks to two outside law firms, Halliwells and DLA Piper, to handle the legal needs of its well-heeled clients. But, thanks to new legislation, the U.K. wealth management company for entertainers and professional sports figures is now looking to buy a law firm to service…

May 27, 2008 4:10 PM CDT

Partner’s Wife Stole $160K to Fund Slots Addiction

The 63-year-old spouse of a former senior partner at a British law firm has been jailed, and her husband has lost his job over the nearly $160,000 she reportedly stole from clients to fund a gambling addiction. Although solicitor Kim Orton repaid all the money stolen by his wife, Susanne,…

May 27, 2008 3:47 PM CDT

Gay BigLaw Partner: Coming Out Helped My Career

Coming out of the closet about his sexual orientation has helped his career, says a London partner at one of the world’s biggest and best-known law firms. Stephen Shea, a tax partner at Clifford Chance, says he is more relaxed with colleagues and clients and willing to take on new…

May 27, 2008 2:43 PM CDT

Partner Promotions Slow at Top London Firms

The number of lawyers promoted to partner at the top 10 law firms in London dropped 10 percent in the most recent financial year. The firms promoted 207 lawyers to partner, compared to 231 in fiscal 2007, Legal Week reports. The publication says the figures suggest that law firms are…

May 27, 2008 11:37 AM CDT

‘Flogs’ Illegal in UK, Rest of EU

A recent Wall Street Journal article describes a seeming grass-roots website created by angry renters seeking to make their elected representatives aware of their unhappiness about a planned legislative bailout for homeowners who can’t pay their mortgages. But in fact AngryRenter.com was created by publishing magnate Steve Forbes and FreedomWorks,…

May 22, 2008 10:43 PM CDT

Under UK Judges’ Robes: Suits, Shorts, Jeans

As civil court judges in the U.K. prepare to abandon a nearly 350-year-old tradition of wearing white wigs and winged collars and step into new all-weather robes designed by Betty Jackson, interest has focused not only on their public attire but what they wear in court underneath their robes. While…

May 21, 2008 4:10 PM CDT