United Kingdom

ABA’s Magna Carta anniversary celebrations kick off in London

The ABA’s celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta peaks with a five-day program in London beginning Thursday featuring pomp, circumstance and continuing legal education programs. The events culminate in a rededication of the ABA memorial to the Magna Carta at Runnymede, England, to be attended by Queen…

Jun 10, 2015 8:30 AM CDT

UK court says ex-Dewey leader must repay $540K capital loan; he hopes US court will cancel it

Noting that a former practice group leader at Dewey & LeBoeuf was “not a naive or vulnerable consumer,” a U.K. judge on Tuesday said that he is bound by the terms of his $540,000 capital loan and must repay Barclays. Londell McMillan was “unwilling to accept what was plain on…

Jun 9, 2015 12:35 PM CDT

London judge sides with divorcing US lawyer in battle over baby grand piano

Attorney Richard Fields doesn’t play the piano at all and his estranged wife Ekaterina admittedly is no expert. But somehow a $100,000 baby grand piano in the couple’s former New York apartment has become a focal point in divorce proceedings in the family division of London’s High Court. Legal fees…

May 20, 2015 12:30 PM CDT

Law firm poised to be UK’s first to go public, hopes to raise $15M in IPO

Updated: A midsize commercial law firm is poised to become the first in the United Kingdom to go public. Birmingham-based Gateley announced Tuesday that it had retained Cantor Fitzgerald Europe to provide financial advice on a plan to raise as much as 10 million British pounds in an initial public…

May 12, 2015 10:20 AM CDT

Demanding work schedules are damaging their health, say 82% of surveyed lawyers

The demands of work at leading law firms in the United States and United Kingdom are quantified in a new survey that found 22 percent of senior lawyers and partners work every weekend, and more than 10 percent work an average of 70 or more hours a week. Brutal work…

Apr 16, 2015 7:10 AM CDT

Lawyer says his restitution for dodging thousands in train fares should reflect weekly pass rate

A prominent British attorney with star credentials who once worked for one of London’s most profitable law firms is now making headines for a different reason. Peter Barnett, 43, is accused of bilking Chiltern Railways of 23,000 pounds in unpaid train fares, by pretending over a period of more than…

Apr 10, 2015 12:10 PM CDT

Slater & Gordon makes $947M offer to acquire major UK personal injury law firm

Slater & Gordon, the world’s first publicly traded law firm, is poised to acquire most of a major United Kingdom competitor. Assuming that Quindell partners agree in an April 17 vote with the recommendation of their board of directors, Slater & Gordon is to pay 637 million pounds (about $947…

Mar 30, 2015 9:05 AM CDT

Jenner & Block to open first overseas office; seeks to hire lawyers in London

Known for its litigation, insurance coverage and regulatory enforcement and white-collar defense work, Jenner & Block is opening its first overseas office in London, home of the famed Lloyd’s insurance market. The 400-lawyer Chicago-based firm is starting in London with two U.S.-based practitioners. It has rented an entire floor of…

Mar 24, 2015 4:00 PM CDT

Winston Churchill wanted to give rare Magna Carta manuscript to US, documents show

Great Britain’s prime minister and other officials wanted to give the U.S. a rare historic manuscript of the Magna Carta during World War II, as a thank-you for America’s anticipated help during the war effort. However, the would-be donation discussed by Winston Churchill in documents unearthed less than a decade…

Mar 11, 2015 1:10 PM CDT

2nd name partner exits Nelson Brown for Goldberg Segalla, along with 6 more attorneys in NC office

For the second time in less than a week, Goldberg Segalla has announced that a name partner is joining the New York-based firm from Nelson Brown Hamilton & Krekstein. The latest exit, by managing partner David Brown, along with the remaining four partners and two associates in Nelson Brown’s office…

Mar 9, 2015 2:55 PM CDT

Colorado lawyer wins $150K libel award against UK Internet troll who criticized his law firm

Angry and upset by an online attack that seemed to be coming from a disgruntled client, Colorado lawyer Timothy Bussey retained counsel to find out who was behind the criticism of his law firm on a Google page. The answer, a U.K. High Court judge ruled, was Jason “Jay” Page,…

Mar 6, 2015 1:55 PM CST

Fake law firm websites using real lawyers’ profiles are increasing, bar group says

A growing number of fake law firm websites are potentially scamming “clients” and gathering their confidential financial information, a European regulator is warning the public. Additionally, since fake law firm websites are often using real attorneys’ profiles and branding, law firms need to be watchful to prevent their advertising efforts…

Feb 23, 2015 9:55 AM CST

BigLaw firm to require all workers to do 25 hours of community service each year

A number of law firms require attorneys to do a certain amount of pro bono legal work each year. But a new Hogan Lovells policy requiring all employees to perform 25 hours of community service annually appears to be unique, reports the Am Law Daily. The community service hours will…

Feb 12, 2015 11:25 AM CST

Britain nears legalization of ‘three-parent babies’

British lawmakers in the House of Commons approved legislation on Tuesday that would allow an in vitro fertilization technique intended to combat genetic diseases passed from mothers to children. The procedure uses DNA from three people to make so-called three-parent babies, report the New York Times and the Washington Post.…

Feb 4, 2015 7:20 AM CST

Cooley launches in London with more than 55 lawyers from MoFo and Edwards Wildman

A Silicon Valley powerhouse has opened its first European office, raiding two U.S. competitors to create a team of more than 55 lawyers in London. The new office of the 850-attorney firm is headed by the now-former chief of Morrison & Foerster’s corporate practice in London, Justin Stock. Another four…

Jan 14, 2015 1:10 PM CST