Nixon Peabody acquires French office
INTERNATIONAL LAW firm Nixon Peabody International has teamed up with a 25-lawyer firm in the French capital Paris.

Bryan Cave bolsters US power with Powell Goldstein merger
INTERNATIONAL LAW firm Bryan Cave LLP is to merge with Atlanta-based Powell Goldstein, effective 1 January 2009.

Penningtons chooses new chief
UK LAW firm Penningtons Solicitors LLP has appointed a new chief executive to replace outgoing Lesley Lintott in the role.

Editor's letter
One of the most striking things about watching the global financial drama unravel over the past few months has been the sheer acceleration of events – rather like a film script. Indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone, somewhere, is already working on that film.

Lex Mundi launches pro bono guidance
INTERNATIONAL LAW firm association Lex Mundi has launched a guide advising firms on how best to deliver a successful pro bono framework.

Orrick London office welcomes Heller corporate trio
THREE CORPORATE partners have joined the London office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP from the collapsed law firm Heller Ehrman.

Addleshaw Goddard leads firms in work/life balance enquiry
UK LAW firm Addleshaw Goddard has sponsored a detailed internal enquiry into the state of work/life balance and flexible working opportunities in the legal sector.

Baker & McKenzie unveils Abu Dhabi plans
INTERNATIONAL LAW firm Baker & McKenzie is in the process of applying for the relevant business licenses to open an office in Abu Dhabi.

BLG appoints first COO
BARLOW LYDE & GILBERT LLP (BLG) has named David Jabbari as the firm’s first chief operating officer.

Eversheds postpones partner profit payments
EQUITY PARTNERS at international law firm Eversheds are having their quarterly profit distributions deferred in a bid to improve overall cash management.

Opinion: What gets measured gets done
By Andrew Hedley, director, Hedley Consulting

Thought leader
By Nwabueze Nwokolo LLB, council member for minority ethnic concerns, and chair of the Law Society Group Equality and Diversity Committee.

Law Society to undertake regulatory review
THE LAW Society has commissioned a review into the current regulatory structure for UK law firms.

A new lease of life in law
Launched as recently as 2003, Keystone Law employs over 65 ex-city solicitors, has an annual turnover of £5m and boasts year-on-year expansion of 60 per cent. The cornerstone of its rapid growth has been a commitment to cultural change.

Yale Law Women names most family-friendly firms
YALE LAW Women (YLW), a student body at Yale Law School, has named what it considers to be the ‘top ten family-friendly firms’.

Orrick agrees German merger
INTERNATIONAL LAW firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is entering the legal market in Germany via a merger with German firm Hölters & Elsing.

Irwin Mitchell leader to step down
TOP-10 UK law firm Irwin Mitchell is set to find a new managing partner with the announcement that present incumbent Howard Culley is to relinquish the top role in 2009.

Law firms meet their Indian matches
REPRESENTATIVES OF 20 Indian law firms spent three days in the UK in September, learning about business opportunities and meeting their UK counterparts.

Freshfields launches Washington arbitration group
MAGIC-CIRCLE law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has launched an arbitration practice in US capital Washington DC.

Clifford Chance releases CSR report
CLIFFORD CHANCE, the world’s largest law firm by revenue, has followed in the footsteps of magic-circle rival Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer by publishing its first corporate social responsibility (CSR) report.

Bird & Bird opens four European offices
INTERNATIONAL LAW firm Bird & Bird has announced the opening of new offices in the capitals of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and The Czech Republic.

Appleby unveils expansion plans
OFFSHORE LAW firm Appleby has announced plans to open for business in two new jurisdictions – Switzerland and Dubai – in early 2009.

Editor’s letter
I think it’s fair to say that we ‘media types’ – flashy or otherwise – get a fair amount of stick for our endeavours. Indeed, where professional image is concerned, we may be less popular even than the lawyer types it is my constant pleasure to write about.