June 23, 2004
At Least the New Guys in Town Have Fewer Conflicts
Using client-conflicts ethics rules as a tactical offensive weapon may not be entirely new, but a high-profile case out of the UK that saw Slaughter & May oust Freshfields as the counsel of choice to Philip Green (attempting to take over Marks & Spencer) may have staked out new ground.
Noteworthy is that the court did not accept Freshfields' "Chinese Wall" defense, essentially concluding that the appearance of a conflict was insurmountable. (Freshfields had previously done work for Marks & Spencer.)
As more and more clients seek advice from Magic Circle and other top-flight UK firms, could this ruling provide an opening for US-based firms' London offices? The tactic may be nasty, but it may also be effective.
Posted by Bruce at June 23, 2004 12:24 PM | TrackBackPosted to Globalization Printer-friendly version
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