United Kingdom

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

A Few Drinks, and the Hogan Lovells Merger Is History

Did the genesis of the merger between Hogan & Hartson and Lovells spring from drinks in Los Angeles between two lawyers? Hogan & Hartson chairman Warren Gorrell told Legal Bisnow earlier this week that the merger idea came from a July 2008 meeting over drinks with Patrick Sherrington, the head…

Dec 18, 2009 2:55 PM CST

In Spirit of Season, Law Firm Offers Gift Certificates for Divorce Advice

Looking for the perfect gift for squabbling neighbors or friends who are on a bumpy stretch of road in their marriage? A London law firm has a suggestion that is both practical and affordable. In honor of the holiday season, when spouses tend to be especially stressed, Lloyd Platt &…

Dec 17, 2009 5:49 PM CST

As Boston-Based Firms Grow Globally, US Competitors Expand in Beantown

Despite a difficult legal economy, some historically Boston-based law firms are expanding. But many are doing so internationally rather than growing their practices at home. Bingham McCutchen made 15 hires this year, of which five were overseas and none in Boston, reports the Boston Globe. And Ropes & Gray has…

Dec 16, 2009 6:10 PM CST

Partnership Vote Clears the Way for ‘Truly a Different Kind of Firm’

A partnership vote has cleared the way for the transatlantic merger of the British firm Lovells and U.S.-based Hogan & Hartson. When the merger takes effect next May, the new Hogan Lovells will enter the global top 10 with 2,500 lawyers and revenues of about $1.8 billion, Legal Week reports.…

Dec 15, 2009 3:02 PM CST

Britain Considers Changes to Deter ‘Libel Tourism’

Embarrassed by London’s reputation as a libel mecca that draws litigation from purportedly aggrieved claimants from around the world, British lawmakers appear poised to make changes to the 19th-century libel laws. One member of the House of Lords is drafting a bill that could especially deter forum shopping. It would…

Dec 11, 2009 11:50 AM CST

UK Hacker Loses Latest Bid to Fight Extradition to US

A computer hacker who is accused of breaking into U.S. military systems in the wake of 9/11 has lost his latest attempt to forestall extradition to the United States. Gary McKinnon has maintained that the extradition would violate British human rights laws because he is suicidal and suffers from Asperger’s…

Dec 1, 2009 6:19 PM CST

Beautician Wins Major Property Case for Mom, Gets Law School Scholarship

A 23-year-old beautician with no legal training who made headlines by defeating a big British property developer in a High Court case earlier this month is now headed to law school, with the help of a scholarship. Young, blond and apparently underestimated, Georgina Blackwell saved her mother’s home and business…

Nov 30, 2009 10:40 PM CST