What does the self-proclaimed “first and only Judeo-Christian intelligence agency and protective intelligence service in the world” have to do with the United States government’s fight against money laundering? According to a recent article in the Asia Sentinel, quite a lot.
Starting out at one of London’s leading commercial law firms, everyone knows that the working life of young lawyers is hard: long hours are par for the course. Walk through the City at 10pm at night and you can see some of them ensconced in steel and glass towers, still hunched over their desks, staring […]
It is the story which just keeps on giving: the long running, three-way struggle between international mining conglomerate ENRC, its former legal advisers Dechert, and the UK’s Serious Fraud Office. For legal journalists, the ongoing saga has given them plenty to write about over the past year.
It was published online as I waited to board a flight from London to Milan. ‘Subject: Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, as agreed at negotiators’ level on 14 November 2018.’ The media made much of […]
The Court of Appeals anxiously awaited decision in The Director of the Serious Fraud Office v Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation Limited was handed down in September this year, with the Court of Appeal overturning the ruling of the High Court insofar as it related to litigation privilege. We now know that the SFO does not […]
Recent events have not been good for Turkey. Following an impressive 7.4% growth in GDP last year, the country entered into a crisis in August when investors became concerned about structural imbalances in the economy: the Turkish lira reached a record low against the dollar, losing a quarter of its value in a fortnight and, […]
In his autumn budget statement, Chancellor Philip Hammond did just about enough to win some public approval with modest tax cuts and a further boost to NHS funding, most notably in mental health provision. Planned spending for the Department of Health is set to rise north of £130bn with the NHS in England set to […]
Sir Philip Green’s victory in the Court of Appeal, granting him anonymity by way of a temporary injunction, proved to be very temporary indeed – less than 36 hours to be precise. The injunction related to allegations of sexual harassment, racial abuse and bullying which had been silenced through the use of binding legal contracts, […]
Our judges – just how much are they worth? It’s a question that has long exercised the minds of successive governments. In a recent report commissioned by ministers, the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) recommended that High Court judges in England & Wales should be awarded a 32% pay increase, taking their annual remuneration from […]
London’s legal community is known for being highly competitive – a reputation that even extends to raising money for good causes. In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, barristers and solicitors were recently back in the saddle raising money for Breast Cancer Care as part of the seventh annual Tour de Law, a sponsored cycle […]
A reluctance to engage effectively with international courts and intergovernmental organisations has long been a strategic component of US foreign policy. But the Trump administration surpasses all that have gone before it over the past 70 years, during which time the role and influence of such international bodies have increased significantly.
It’s been another good year for international law firms. According to the latest figures published by the American Lawyer, the aggregate revenue for the Global 100 increased by 6.4% in 2017, compared to 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively, for the two previous years. The top 100 grossing law firms, of which 81 are US-based and 13 […]
