Crossing the winning line
IF I were a betting man I’d put a pony on Addleshaw Goddard. They won the accumulator last week for their client, the British Horseracing Board (BHB), by steering negotiations with the Office of Fair Trading to a successful conclusion. Then they doubled their money by securing a positive opinion in the European Court in their clash over database rights with William Hill.
“The OFT’s decision is a tremendous vindication of the BHB’s determination to defend British racing, and all it stands for,” said Guy Leigh, of Addleshaw Goddard, the board’s long-standing adviser.
Guy’s role as defender of British horseracing is far removed from his early involvement with the BHB, which entailed only “an occasional letter and the bill for an hour’s work at the end of the year”.
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Peter Savill, chairman of the BHB, sounded pretty relieved it was all over. “Everyone connected with the sport will be better off as a result of the modernisation of British racing,” he said in the winners’ enclosure, thrusting a bag of sugar lumps into Addleshaw Goddard’s muzzle.
No overall control
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SPEAKING of racing, the ballot paper for last week’s Euro elections resembled nothing so much as a list of runners and riders for the Grand National — or in this case the Grand International. So did election fever grip City law firms? “Can’t say I’ve noticed it,” said one insider at Allen & Overy, in a puzzled voice. “I don’t think anyone has said anything about it.”
One person out on the stump on Thursday was Councillor Mark Davies, a partner at the Holborn firm Healys, who was canvassing in the Conservative interest in Wandsworth. Mind you, the firm was a bit coy about his political activity. When asked where he was, a spokesman said firmly: “He’s out with a client today.”
Actually, law firms keep a low profile in their political work. Even Sue Dixon, lawyer to the Conservative Party at Penningtons, declined to comment when asked about electoral abuse. I suppose that is what is meant by a secret ballot.
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Chinagraph
LAW FIRMS are the weather vanes of the business world. They point unhesitatingly in the direction of the commercial current. And week after week it is eastwards. Shearman & Sterling is the latest big firm to announce a major development in China with the launch last week of a dedicated international arbitration team in its Beijing office. According to S&S, China has signed or ratified up to 71 bilateral treaties so that businesses can now enforce protection of their investments. It has taken 11 years to get to this stage — S&S was one of the first to open in China. It looks like the investment is paying off.
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Star lineout
I HAVE always regarded rugby as physical litigation — obscure rules, incomprehensible decisions by the referee and a premium on delay and kicking the ball into touch. So Lawrence Dallaglio, England and Wasps captain, should feel perfectly at home as he starts a three-year contract with Berwin Leighton Paisner to promote the firm and provide motivational events. According to Neville Eisenberg, managing partner, it is Dallaglio’s experience in leadership and teamwork that the firm is keenest to learn from. Or in scrummaging terms, he is going to put the lock into lockstep.
edward.fennell@virgin.net