Birou Avocatura - Moniana Iordachescu

legalweek

DLA Piper’s International limited liability partnership (LLP), which covers all operations outside North and South America, reported revenues of £619.9m during the financial year ending 30 April 2011.

legalweek

SJ Berwin senior partner Jonathan Blake will not stand for a third term at the firm’s helm, he confirmed earlier today (3 February). Blake told partners today that he will step down from the role when his term closes on 30 April this year, ending months of speculation about whether not he would be seeking re-appointment.

legalweek

Herbert Smith has officially confirmed to staff that it is in merger talks with Australia’s Freehills, issuing a note to all staff earlier this morning (3 February). The note from senior partner Jonathan Scott informs staff that an interesting opportunity has arisen in Australia, with the firm holding “exploratory talks” with Freehills about a possible link-up.

legalweek

Taylor Wessing is set to offer legal process outsourcing (LPO) services to other law firms with plans to spin off its document review business now underway. The firm is currently appointing an adviser to look at a demerger of its New Street Solutions document review business to become an entirely separate entity.

legalweek

SNR Denton's US arm has announced a return to top-line growth, posting a 4.4% increase in revenues for 2011, reports The Am Law Daily. The firm's Stateside operations have ended two straight years of financial decline, taking in $474.5m (£300m) in gross revenue last year, while US profits per equity partner grew almost 7% to $880,000 (£556,000) after a 15% rise in 2010.

legalweek

Charles Russell has seen off competition from 34 law firms to win a first-time appointment as the exclusive regulatory legal adviser for Premiership Rugby. The firm has been appointed for a two-year term as of last month, with a mandate to look after the entirety of the sporting institution’s regulatory legal requirements. Sports law partner Ian Lynam will head up the relationship for the firm.

legalweek

Clifford Chance (CC), Linklaters and SNR Denton have picked up lead roles after one of Europe’s largest independent refiners, Petroplus, defaulted on $1.75bn (£1.12bn) of debt and filed for insolvency last week 
(24 January). The Swiss company’s UK arm, Petroplus Refining & Marketing, a key source of petrol for London and the Southeast, instructed magic circle firm CC on the insolvency, with London restructuring partner John MacLennan taking the lead.

legalweek

Eversheds has strengthened its presence in Russia, adding a new ‘best friend’ alliance with Capital Legal Services (CLS), a four-partner practice with offices in St Petersburg and Moscow. The firm’s head of international, Stephen Hopkins, said the new link with CLS is non-exclusive and “one of a number of agreements” Eversheds has with Russian firms, including Monastyrsky Zyuba Stepanov & Partners.

legalweek

The Crown Estate has kicked off an adviser review for its coveted Regent Street property portfolio, inviting law firms to tender for the role currently exclusively held by SJ Berwin. The retendering process, which takes place every five to seven years, saw SJ Berwin appointed in March 2006 as sole legal adviser on the £1.1bn portfolio.

legalweek

Herbert Smith has been selected by Aviva as one of four firms to sit on its UK catastrophic loss panel, with the appointment coming as Australian wealth manager AMP has finalised its new Asia legal roster following its merger with AXA Asia-Pacific. Herbert Smith has been selected for the Aviva panel alongside Mayer Brown, Clyde & Co and Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, with the 
roster taking effect from January this year.

legalweek

Linklaters is consulting with partners about its new five-year strategy, with a revised client focus, expansion in Germany and better performance management for partners at the heart of the plans. London partners received a consultation document last month, with initial discussions about the plan now being led by practice group heads.

legalweek

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has made another addition to its finance practice, with Dechert’s Steve Clark set to join the firm as a partner. Clark will join BLP’s real estate finance group from the US firm, where he is currently of counsel, in the coming weeks.

legalweek

Clyde & Co has added Beijing, Australia and Mexico to its list of international targets, as the insurance leader ploughs ahead with plans to expand in the US. The firm is currently weighing up office launches in Beijing and Australia in a bid to take advantage of the booming Asia-Pacific market, with both the east and west coast of Australia under consideration.

legalweek

McGrigors has advised Jimmy Choo on its move to a new London HQ in Westminster, with the luxury footwear brand taking on 37,000 sq ft on Victoria Street. London real estate head Suzanne Gill led a seven-strong team from the firm that included construction and engineering procurement partner Peter Blackmore. Jimmy Choo will make the move following an office refurbishment in June, joining other luxury global brands in the area including Tom Ford, Burberry, LVMH 
and Richemont.

legalweek

Hogan Lovells has put forward London real estate litigation chief Nicholas Cheffings as the firm’s new sole chair, with the appointment set to be confirmed by a partnership vote next week. Cheffings, currently the London representative on the firm’s post-merger board, was also a member of legacy Lovells’ partnership council prior to its May 2010 merger with US firm Hogan & Hartson.