United Kingdom

Law firms can block hackers with ‘known good’ use of digital documents, expert says

With hack attacks, including infiltration of law firm email, on the upswing, those in charge of safeguarding computer networks may need to change their tactics, international security experts suggest. Responding to a report by a British legal regulator that says it issued nearly twice as many scam alerts in 2014…

Jul 27, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

UK and Canadian firms OK 1,400-lawyer merger of equals, setting stage for more international growth

Two well-known law firms in Canada and the United Kingdom have agreed to a merger of equals, and are already looking ahead to further international expansion in upcoming years. The approximately 1,400-attorney firm to be formed in January by Gowling Lafleur Henderson and Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co. will also…

Jul 8, 2015 1:45 PM CDT

Magna Carta’s 800th birthday brings vows of rededication to its ideals

Clarified: With much honor and ceremonial display, the Magna Carta celebrated its 800th birthday on Monday on the same hallowed ground where King John originally sealed it. Dignitaries from around the world met at historic Runnymede, England, to celebrate the Magna Carta’s worldwide impact while promising to rededicate themselves to…

Jun 15, 2015 10:38 AM CDT

‘I’d give anything to have the ABA work with the judiciary in Iraq,’ UK trade envoy says

The rule of law as embodied in the Magna Carta needs to be brought to the people who need it most, said Baroness Emma Nicholson during her luncheon speech at the ABA London Sessions. “People want freedom. People want the rule of law,” Nicholson said. “They want these two things…

Jun 13, 2015 10:10 AM CDT

UK and US legal systems both sprung from the Magna Carta, but many jurisdictional differences exist

A major theme of the ABA London Sessions commemorating the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta is its effect in binding two of the leading common law jurisdictions in the world, the United States and the United Kingdom. But underneath that sheen of commonality lies a whole…

Jun 12, 2015 1:05 PM CDT

The Magna Carta is one of Britain’s best exports, Cherie Blair says

Cherie Blair marked the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta by proclaiming it to be one of Britain’s best exports. “The Magna Carta is one of Britain’s gifts to the world,” she said. “Although only three of its clauses remain on our statutes, it is still a…

Jun 12, 2015 12:45 PM CDT

How different would our world be today had the Magna Carta never been sealed?

Call it the “butterfly effect” from 800 years ago: What if King John had decided to stick it to his nobles and not affix his seal to the Magna Carta? That was the question a panel of judges and academics considered during the 2015 ABA London Sessions commemorating the 800th…

Jun 12, 2015 10:05 AM CDT

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