MPs slam HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) over Google £130m corporation tax settlement and call on the taxman to take the lead in reforming complicated international tax laws February 24, 2016 MPs have today condemned HM Revenue & Customs' (HMRC) recent deal with Google to pay £130m in unpaid corporation tax, and called on it to lead by example in reforming international tax laws. A report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) slammed the settlement for seeming "disproportionately small" compared to the size of the technology company's business [...]
Legal sector needs a single regulator and more control over who can call themselves a lawyer, warns Law Society chief executive February 15, 2016 The boss of the Law Society has today called for there to be a single regulator for the legal profession and more control over who can call themselves a lawyer. Writing in industry publication The Law Society Gazette, Catherine Dixon, chief executive of the Law Society, urged government not to pull legal regulators and their professional bodies [...]
How much does a lawyer cost? Top lawyers’ hourly rates are now so high that they’re restricting access to justice, as researchers slam the tradition of the billable hour February 5, 2016 Top corporate law firms have hiked their fees so high that it's now preventing access to justice. According to a report released today by the Centre for Policy Studies, an hour of a partner's time at a leading London law firm could land people with a bill for £1,000. The researchers blame a increase in [...]
Brexit would make red tape worse but lawyers are not doing very much in advance to prepare, warns city law firm White & Case February 3, 2016 Legal experts are warning that Britain leaving the EU would not help to cut red tape, although many have opted to adopt a wait and see approach to preparation. According to a report released today by city law firm White & Case, four out of five (84 per cent) in-house lawyers believe that leaving the [...]
CMS launches an office in Tehran, Iran, making it the first major international law firm to establish a base in the country February 2, 2016 An international law firm has journeyed to a place where few legal eagles have ventured before by setting up an office in Iran. CMS today revealed that it opened its office in the Iranian capital of Tehran yesterday, making it the first major international law firm to launch in the country. The legal firm first started eyeing [...]
Lawyers: Ready your mixing bowls and wooden spoons, because it’s time for London Legal Support Trust’s Great Legal Bake 2016 February 1, 2016 What do lawyers stash away in their briefcases? If you bump into a legal eagle this week, you might just find it's full of cupcakes. Today marked the start of the London Legal Support Trust's Great Legal Bake 2016, which aims to raise money for free legal services in London and the south east, although bakers can [...]
DLA Piper merges with Finland law firm Peltonen LMR to improve its presence in the Nordic region February 1, 2016 An international law firm has revealed that it is venturing further into Nordic territory with its most recent merger move. DLA Piper today announced that it was joining forces with Finnish lawyers Peltonen LMR, which will mean the firm will have more than 200 lawyers based in Nordic countries and a new base in Helsinki. DLA Piper already [...]
Law firm Slater and Gordon in talks over debt restructuring, calling in FTI Consulting to help boost the firm’s financial health January 31, 2016 One of the most prominent personal injury law firms has brought in management consultants in a bid to fix its financial health. Slater and Gordon, which is listed on the stock exchange in Australia, is in discussions with consultants from FTI Consulting over debt restructuring. The move comes less than a week after the law firm revealed [...]
Highest paid partner at magic circle law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer pockets rising pay, although salaries among staff cut compared to year before January 28, 2016 A magic circle law firm has been splashing the cash on its highest paid partner, although the total amount spent on salaries for staff has been slashed. According to accounts filed at Companies House yesterday for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, the total profit and remuneration allocated to its highest paid partner, which included payments made [...]
Law firm Ashurst begins search for new managing partner after James Collis announces he will be returning to the finance practice in May January 28, 2016 Law firm Ashurst has today revealed that it has started the selection process for its next managing partner, as its current managing partner will step down when his term ends. James Collis, who is coming to the end of his four-year term, has announced that he will be returning to the firm's finance practice once his stint ends [...]