United Kingdom

Newzbin Is Liable for Downloading, Court Rules

A United Kingdom court has ruled that Newzbin is liable for material downloaded by users onto its website in violation of copyright law, finding that editors assisted them in flouting the law and routinely did not follow purported Newzbin rules about what could be posted on the site. The website,…

Mar 29, 2010 5:27 PM CDT

RICO Suit Seeks $500M From Freshfields, Says Retainer Paid Via ‘Corrupt Relationship’

A renowned London-based international law firm has been named as a defendant in a federal civil racketeering lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C. The suit contends that Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer participated, by accepting a retainer paid through a “corrupt relationship,” in a scheme to strip a Denver energy…

Mar 26, 2010 7:40 PM CDT

Much-Watched Case of Heiress Worth $80M Could Change Law in World ‘Divorce Capital’

Considered the divorce capital of the world, London poses pitfalls for wealthy spouses who thought their assets were protected in divorce by prenuptial agreements. Courts in the United Kingdom will void provisions in these agreements if they are unfair or the less-wealthy spouse wasn’t properly represented by legal counsel. And…

Mar 26, 2010 12:00 AM CDT

Top Law Firm Taps Ex-Partners to Lead Client Survey

When a renowned London-based law firm sought feedback from major clients, it decided to put former partners in charge of the survey project. Ex-partners are in an ideal position to seek information from clients about Linklaters’ legal work and prospects for expanding the relationship because they know a considerable amount…

Mar 25, 2010 5:18 PM CDT

18-Partner Hogan & Hartson Group Will Spin Off Prior to Lovells Merger

An 18-partner group will be leaving the Berlin office of Hogan & Hartson as the United States-based law firm merges May 1 with United Kingdom-based Lovells. The move will split the Berlin office in two, as the 18 partners and 22 other lawyers form their own Raue law firm, reports…

Mar 23, 2010 6:36 PM CDT

Hit Hard by Economy, Some Law Firms Borrow Big Bucks

Reluctant to ask partners to contribute more money, a “very undercapitalized” legal sector increased bank borrowing significantly during the economic downturn of the past 18 months or so, a consultant tells the London Times. A number of well-known firms based in the United Kingdom increased their borrowing by 40 percent…

Mar 16, 2010 11:30 PM CDT

UK Law School Plants Flag in US, Partners with Northwestern; Grads to Take NY Bar

A United Kingdom law school is establishing a program in the United States, where its students will be able to sit for the New York bar exam. The College of Law students will be able to take classes at Northwestern University School of Law as part of a new strategic…

Mar 15, 2010 8:41 PM CDT

Closing Attorney Gets Time in $2.4M Case, But Lawyer in $669K ‘Hedonistic’ Theft Avoids Prison

A former Georgia closing attorney and title agent who concealed the fact that prior encumbrances weren’t paid off before mortgages were issued in 17 transactions has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. Trent Edward Wright, 38, must also serve three years of probation after he is released and…

Mar 15, 2010 6:11 PM CDT

Olswang Chief Talks About Planned Growth & Possible Outside Investment

Meet David Stewart, managing partner of London-based Olswang. Unhappy with the firm’s flat revenue over the past year, he nonetheless expects to see significant growth, both at home and internationally, of his now 650-attorney firm, according to the Law Central blog of the London Times. He credits “exceptionally talented nonlawyers”…

Mar 2, 2010 6:06 PM CST

‘Harry Potter’ Author Accused of Plagiarism in ‘Billion-Dollar Case’

The estate of the deceased author of a children’s book has accused the author of the stunningly successful “Harry Potter” books of plagiarizing concepts and themes from Adrian Jacobs’ The Adventures of Willy the Wizard: No 1 Livid Land, which was published in 1987. J.K. Rowling, who became the world’s…

Feb 19, 2010 1:04 AM CST

Law Firm Founder Flees Russia, Says He Feared Suffering Same Fate as Dead Colleague

A New York attorney who co-founded a Russian law firm in 1993 has fled the country, saying he fears he will suffer the same fate as a dead colleague if he continues practicing there. Jamison Firestone, who went to the United Kingdom for a seeming Christmas vacation and never returned,…

Feb 18, 2010 1:19 AM CST

UK Court-Ordered Release of CIA Docs Summary Supports Torture Claim

An appeals court in the United Kingdom has required the British government to release an unredacted version of a seven-paragraph document summarizing U.S. intelligence information about the 2002 interrogation of a terrorism suspect subsequently detained by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay and released last year. The release of the…

Feb 10, 2010 11:15 PM CST

London Firm Snaps Up Group of New Jersey Lawyers

London-based Clyde & Co. has poached five lawyers from the insurance coverage group at Roseland, N.J.-based Connell Foley to open an office in the Garden State. The lawyers—led by Daren McNally—are especially well-versed in policies written by offshore insurers, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. “Joining Clyde & Co gives…

Feb 8, 2010 4:01 PM CST

Top-Paid Partner at Freshfields Made About $5.27M Last Year, Filing Shows

Despite a dip in average profit per equity partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the firm’s top-earning lawyer made about $5.27 million last year, a filing by the London-based firm’s limited liability partnership shows. That compares to earnings of about $4.31 million for the firm’s highest-paid partner the previous year, according…

Feb 2, 2010 7:39 PM CST

BigLaw Firm Unveils Flexible Partnership Track Intended to Appeal to Women Lawyers

Seeking to turn the tide on a wave of departing women lawyers, a London-based BigLaw firm today unveiled a new flexible partnership track. It will allow attorneys at Allen & Overy to opt either to work a four-day week or take an extra 52 days of leave annually, yet remain…

Jan 22, 2010 1:13 AM CST