Legal Week legalweek

Capturing the views of over 3,000 law undergraduates from the UK's top universities (the Russell group) as well as Graduate Diploma in Law students from the College of Law, BPP and Kaplan, this report identifies the reasons why students choose law as a career and how their views of law firms develop during the length of their course. This study looks at the career options considered by students, what attracts them to law and the most powerful influences on their choice of firm. The report reveals which forms of marketing have the most impact and which firms students think are the most prestigious, the best for training contracts and best for a healthy work/life balance.

The study

Now in its fourth year, this report will canvass the views of law students in the leading universities and the largest GDL providers in the UK. Respondents are asked a series of questions to establish their professional ambitions, their exposure to legal marketing, their views on the 2009 redundancy programmes and their resulting perceptions of law firms.

Content

The first half of the report examines why students have decided on a career in law before looking at their sources of information and the importance they attach to each one. In the second half, International, National and City law firms are assessed across five different performance criteria:

Prestige - which firms have the most sticking power in terms of brand recognition?
Best Training Programme - which firms have really communicated the strength of their programmes to the students and the careers offices?
Work/life balance - which firms will allow graduates to have a life outside the office and which are regarded as sweatshops?
Best Career Options - which firms are the best for starting out with, in terms of your CV?
Best Gender Opportunities - which firms actively promote the role of women internally and in the profession?

Benchmarking

• We use the results to create benchmarking tables of all 60 firms covered in the report.
• These will be broken down into International, National and City firms.
• The tables will specify your scores for each of the performance criteria as well as the results of the other 59 firms.
• The overall rankings are broken down by reference to year of study, type of institution, gender and ethnic grouping, but also by motivation and career ambition.

Research methodology

• In 2009 we had just under 3,000 replies from law students at Russell Group universities and GDL students from the College of Law, BPP and Kaplan Law Schools.
• The heads of the law faculty and career advisory bodies at each institution disseminate a link to an online survey.
• Law students are also contacted by telephone to answer more specific questions on behalf of individual law firms.

Standard package

• As part of the standard package you'll receive:
• A hard copy of the report, a pdf internal distribution, plus all the charts and tables in Excel.

A management presentation of the results from our Director of Research which can be to your board or the Graduate Recruitment/HR team or both. The presentation will drill down from the general findings to a firm's specific scores especially in the context of a hand-picked peer group.

Participating law firms that perform the best in their category (International, National and City) will be awarded an accreditation as Best Graduate Employer 2010.

Additional services for 2010

This year in response to client feedback we're offering a number of additional services:

• Firms have the opportunity to ask students firm specific questions giving them the opportunity to probe branding and reputational issues in more detail
• We have additional questions this year on firm-specific LPC courses and redundancy programmes. Law firms can gauge the effect of publicity on their reputation among the country's best legal schools.
• Coverage in Legal Week , legalweek.com and Legal Week Student supplement highlighting profiles of the best-performing firms.

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/research/1170014/law-student-survey-2009

Alex Aldridge legalweek

Rio Tinto managing attorney Leah Cooper is leaving the mining giant to join legal outsourcing provider CPA Global.

Cooper, who was the driving force behind the deal struck last year by Rio to outsource low-level legal tasks to a team of CPA lawyers in India, will become a member of the company's legal outsourcing board, focusing on strategy and development.

The new role, which is based in London, will not involve the practise of law and will commence at the beginning of March.

Rio Tinto's internal search for Cooper's replacement is underway, led by group executive for legal and internal affairs Deborah Valentine.

Cooper told Legal Week : "I've been truly impressed with CPA since I began working with them last year, so coming here was a no-brainer, even if I am taking off my lawyer hat."

CPA chief executive officer Peter Sewell said: "Leah has considerable experience in running major corporate legal departments, working both with law firms and legal outsourcing providers, and understands the pressures and challenges faced by general counsel and in-house legal teams."

The move comes after Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) acquired a significant minority stake in CPA in January, which has seen the company put in place plans to expand its headcount in India - where it currently has around 700 employees - by one third this year.

At CPA, Cooper will join fellow senior in-house lawyers Joshua Box (former Alliance and Leicester head of legal) and Leonie Brown (ex-Bank of America head of EMEA legal) - both of who were recruited late last year to fulfil broad business development-related remits.

CPA, which was founded in 1969 as an intellectual property (IP) renewals service, expanded into outsourcing in 2005 with the acquisition of IP support company Foundation IP and the purchase of a controlling stake in Intellevate.

About half of CPA's legal clients are corporations; the other 50% are law firms, including Eversheds and Clifford Chance.

Click here to view an interview with Leah Cooper about Rio Tinto's outsourcing deal with CPA .

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/1591973/rio-tinto-legal-chief-quits-role-outsourcing-partner-cpa

Suzi Ring legalweek

White and Case has lost another partner with the departure of antitrust specialist Elaine Johnston to Allen & Overy's (A&O's) New York office.

Johnston, who has worked at White and Case since 1993, also held the role of diversity executive partner at the US firm.

In a statement, White and Case said: "Elaine Johnston has made many close friends at White and Case, and we wish her success in her future endeavours."

A&O confirmed Johnston's move but declined to comment further.

Johnston's move marks the fourteenth partner departure in just over two weeks for White and Case, with the other thirteen joining US rival Latham and Watkins.

A four-partner bank finance team led by Chris Kandel moved to Latham's London office at the end of January, with the quartet quickly followed by a further eight partners who joined Latham's offices in Abu Dhabi, New York, Riyadh and London.

White & Case has moved to respond to the departures by drafting in additional finance partners in the City and Middle East, including New York bank finance partner Jake Mincemoyer, who has permanently relocated to London, and global banking head Eric Berg, who will now split his time between New York and London.

White & Case on the Legal Week Wiki

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/1591970/white-case-departures-continue-partner-joins-a-o-new-york

Jeremy Hodges legalweek

Bingham McCutchen has emerged as one of the best-paying firms for newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers in London with NQ salaries of more than £100,000.

The firm said that it pays New York rates, which currently stand at around $160,000 (£102,000) for NQs.

Bingham only takes on two trainees a year, with the firm generally retaining both on qualification.

London office head James Roome ( pictured ) told Legal Week : "Coming into the City as a US firm and wanting to recruit at the highest level, we have always thought that it is critical that we pay at the top end of the market. We are not interested in growth for growth's sake and look for something different in the small number of junior lawyers we take on each year."

The move puts Bingham ahead of New York's elite firms as one of the most generous law firms when it comes to paying its junior lawyers in the City.

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom pays its NQs £94,000, while Weil Gotshal reduced its rates in 2009 to £85,000 from a high point of £90,000. Latham & Watkins pays £96,000, while Cleary & Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton pays £92,000 - in stark contrast to the magic circle, whose current benchmark rate is in the region of £60,000.

A number of UK firms took the decision to freeze their associate rates last year, with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer leading the market in February 2009 with the announcement that their NQs would earn £59,000 for the 2009-10 financial year.

Linklaters bucked the trend by progressing their associates through the PQE bands as normal, although the firm did cut the levels of all of its pay bands, equating to a pay rise of between 2% and 4% for associates. The NQ rate was reduced by more than 7%, with first-year lawyers now earning £61,500.

More US news, comment and analysis

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/1591951/bingham-sets-city-salaries-gbp100k-pay-nqs

Claire Ruckin legalweek

Eversheds chairman Alan Jenkins is facing a challenge to retain his role after three candidates put themselves forward for his position in a contested election.

The election process to appoint the firm's chairman kicked off last week, with transport chief and former London head Cornelius Medvei, international disputes head John Heaps and Cardiff head Alan Meredith all putting themselves forward for the role.

A decision is expected at the end of February, with the winning candidate set to start a four-year term on 1 May 2010.

Jenkins ( pictured ) saw his role split into three last year, with former chief executive David Gray appointed to the new role of chairman of Eversheds International and Stephen Hopkins taking on Jenkins' head of international role.

Jenkins retained responsibility for Eversheds LLP - which consists of the firm's offices in the UK, Paris, Copenhagen, the Middle East and Shanghai.

He took over the role of chairman from Keith James in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007 following an uncontested election.

Eversheds recently extended the duration of the chairman role from three to four years, while also setting a maximum of two terms, meaning that if Jenkins is re-elected, he can only serve one more four-year term.

Eversheds on the Legal Week Wiki

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/1591931/eversheds-set-contested-chairman-vote-partner-trio-challenge-jenkins

Suzi Ring legalweek

Ropes & Gray and Mason Hayes & Curran have lined up to advise on one of the largest leveraged buyouts in Ireland since the credit crunch - the $1.1bn (£700m) sale of SkillSoft to a private equity consortium.

Boston's Ropes and Ireland's Mason Hayes advised Berkshire Partners, Advent International and Bain Capital as the consortium acquiring electronic education services provider SkillSoft.

The Ropes team was led by Boston corporate partner Jane Goldstein, alongside David Chapin and Jane Rogers in Boston and Steve Rutkovsky and Sunil Savkar in New York, working closely with partners in the US firm's London office.

Meanwhile, Mason Hayes corporate chair Paul Egan advised the consortium on Irish law alongside M&A and private equity partner Justin McKenna.

Goldstein said: "The deal is one of only a few leveraged buyouts proposed in Europe since the credit crunch. Although Bain has been a long-term client, Ropes actually got the work through its longstanding relationship with Berkshire."

She added: "Being in London is important because it helps us collaborate on deals with our own partners on a private equity platform."

SkillSoft turned to Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, where corporate chair Hal Leibowitz led the team alongside M&A partner Patrick Rondeau and antitrust counsel Jeffrey Ayer, while Irish firm William Fry provided local law advice.

The acquisition is being financed with $605m (£385m) in debt from Morgan Stanley and Barclays Capital. Elite US firm Latham & Watkins advised the banks, fielding a team including London finance partner Dan Maze as well as finance partner Ronan Wicks, corporate partner Pete Labonski and tax partner Jiyeon Lee-Lim in New York.

A&L Goodbody advised the banks on Irish law with a team led by partners Adrian Burke and Cian McCourt.

Under the terms of the deal, the sale will require the approval of a majority of SkillSoft shareholders.

Click here for more international coverage

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/1591920/ropes-gray-mason-hayes-lead-billion-dollar-private-equity-buyout

Sofia Lind legalweek

Allen & Overy (A&O) is set to launch an office in Qatar with the relocation of City real estate partner Robert Porter.

The magic circle firm received approval from the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority earlier today (15 February), allowing it to practisce both international and local law from the office. The launch is effective today.

Porter ( pictured ), who will head up the new base, is already in Doha and will now be joined by Dubai-based corporate partner Chris Thornes and a team of associates.

The office will focus on high-end corporate and finance work. The firm said that the launch had come in response to the country's growth and resilience to the economic downturn.

Porter has a practice focused on international funds, real estate and cross-border joint ventures and M&A, while Thornes specialises in M&A and private equity.

Porter has advised Middle East clients in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the last five years.

He told Legal Week : "A large part of our reasoning for launching in Qatar is to follow our clients, which are mainly sovereign institutions and our existing banking clients, who have all been very supportive of our move here. It would not surprise me if more law firms set up offices in Qatar as there are a lot of opportunities here. I think Qatar will definitely grow as a financial centre in the region."

He added: "This is an exciting time to be in Qatar, and we are looking forward to contributing to its economic development while growing alongside our clients in one of the most promising centres in the Gulf."

A&O managing partner Wim Dejonghe said: "The pace of growth in Qatar over recent years has been impressive, fuelled by its status as the world's largest natural gas exporter. It has emerged from the global downturn relatively unscathed and is poised to take advantage of the broad, strategic interest it is attracting from investors around the world. As a centre for international capital flows, Qatar is an important cornerstone in our strategy to remain one of the pre-eminent legal advisers in the region."

The launch gifts A&O its fourth office in the region, adding to its bases in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and an associate office in Riyadh.

News of the launch comes just one week after it emerged that A&O was entering the Australian market with two new offices in Sydney and Perth.

Allen & Overy on the Legal Week Wiki

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/1591907/a-o-set-launch-office-qatar-city-partner-transfer

Legal Week legalweek

"I'm looking to start a career in law and I'd like to know what activities I can do alongside my studies to make myself stand out from the crowd.

"I already have a background that makes me a little different - I'm not a law graduate, I'm a parliamentary researcher changing to law in my mid-twenties. I have a BA and an MA from a redbrick university, both graded high 2.1. However, I know that by the time I've finished studying, and the economic climate has (hopefully) improved, I'll face huge competition to gain a training contract at a good firm.

"Beyond work experience and pro bono, what other activities would make me more attractive to employers?"

To get your Career Clinic dilemma published, email .

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/advice/1591886/career-clinic-what-i-stand-crowd

Legal Week legalweek

Linklaters corporate partner Tom Shropshire reflects on the agony of choice and listening to Mom

What's the closest you have come to doing something other than law? I crossed the "chasm" early in my professional life when I was in strategic planning and business development for Philip Morris at its headquarters in New York. I spent lots of time in darkened meeting rooms plotting the fate of the free world. Not much has changed, except my job as a corporate lawyer makes it slightly less awkward for my kids to answer the question, "What does your dad do?"

Who has been the biggest influence on your career? Without question, my mother. I was only presented with three alternatives growing up: doctor, lawyer or PhD - and the other two were just so I wouldn't think I didn't have options. She grew up in the Southern US during the first half of the 20th century, which didn't present many opportunities for African Americans except those you made for yourself. Both my parents built their careers from scratch and wanted me to have control over my career and professional options and my mother in particular felt being a lawyer would give me that ability.

What's your proudest professional moment? The first time I walked into the office after being elected a partner. It was something that I had worked long and hard for and when I entered the building, I had a moment when the feelings of pride, accomplishment and relief all came together.

...and worst day on the job? During the internet boom, walking a soon-to-be millionaire through a directors' and officers' questionnaire prior to the IPO of his company, thinking to myself, "...this guy is my age (20s at the time), can't fill out this form and is about to be monumentally wealthy - where did I go wrong?"

Aside from your clients, which business figure do you most admire and why? My father. He was brought up in Little Rock, Arkansas in the 1920s and 1930s, was in the US Navy in WWII and started in his job as a salesman in the 1950s making perhaps $2,000 per year. He worked his way though his company to become the chairman and MD of their Middle East and Africa operations in the 1960s, becoming the first African American chief executive in a Fortune 500 company. He then moved us to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he was part of the team that turned around and ran Miller Brewing Company during the 1970s and 1980s. Through hard work, intelligence and a fair bit of goodwill and luck he made himself quite a career and a life for his family.

What's the best business book you've read? A book that was given to me when I started this career, True Professionalism, by David Maister. It's a great book about the importance of the people you work with, your clients and developing your career.

What's the worst character trait of the archetype commercial lawyer? Arrogance, as it can lead to behavioural and substantive shortcomings.

Has the recession changed the face of the legal profession? The recession has changed, and will continue to change, the commercial dynamics of the markets in which we operate and, as a result, the legal profession needs to change in response to that. There is a great deal of competition for the work from many skilled players and therefore we need to stay close to our clients, working with them regularly and proving why we are a valuable business partner to them.

What is the daftest bit of corporate jargon you've heard (and did you smirk)? "We are going to upsize our optionalities". Raised eyebrow, no smirk.

What's your favourite cheese? Gruyere is always nice.

Visit Legal Week's Dealmaker archive  to read more profiles.

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/interview/1591797/dealmaker-tom-shropshire

Suzi Ring legalweek

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has announced its 2010 promotions, with the Wall Street leader making up six new partners in its New York office.

Five of the promotions come in the firm's corporate practice, with the litigation practice gaining the remaining partner. All six promotions are effective from January 2010.

The firm has not made up any partners outside New York this year, in contrast to 2009, when the firm promoted two London corporate lawyers - Ian Barratt and Sinead O'Shea - to the partnership.

Overall, this year's promotion round is slightly up on last year, when the US firm made up five new partners. However, it falls short of 2008, when eight lawyers joined the partnership.

Other international firms to announce their partner promotions recently include DLA Piper, which promoted 41 lawyers to partnership worldwide.

Meanwhile, Shearman & Sterling promoted one lawyer to its partnership in London out of a total of seven promotions globally.

Last year Simpson Thacher made a rare lateral partner hire in the City, with high-profile private equity partner Adam Signy joining from Clifford Chance. The firm is looking for further UK-qualified corporate lawyers for the office.

Simpson Thacher 2010 partner promotions

Elisha Graff (corporate)
Justin Lungstrum (corporate)
Peter Martelli (corporate)
Marisa Stavenas (corporate)
Alan Turner (litigation)
Joyce Xu (corporate)

More news, deals and comment on Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Full Article: http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/news/1591786/simpson-thacher-passes-city-promotions-partner-new-york