Lawyer Monthly Magazine - September 2021 Edition

LAWYER MOVES Nick Emmerson won the Law Society of England and Wales 2021 election for deputy vice president (DVP) and is thereby set to become its next president. Emmerson will take office as DVP on 14 October 2021 – becoming vice president in 2022 and president in 2023, the Law Society announced on 19 August. He has been a Law Society council member since 2015 as the constituency member for Leeds and continues to sit on the Law Society’s board and audit committee. He is also a partner and head of capital markets at Lewis Mathys Emmerson LLP, where he specialises in cross-border mergers and acquisitions and international capital markets transactions. “It’s a great honour to be elected to this position,” Emmerson said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to facing the challenges ahead and working alongside the other office holders, council and staff. I’m proud to be a solicitor and am keenly aware of the issues facing our profession at this exceptionally difficult time.” “I want to support our members to meet those challenges, whilst also ensuring that the profession maintains its prominence regionally, nationally and internationally. As the Law Society approaches its bicentennial, I want solicitors to know what their Law Society does for them.” Former Law Society president David Greene stepped down from the position in March this year to defend against allegations made against him by a former client. He was succeeded by current president Stephanie Boyce, the firs black lawyer to hold the role. “My congratulations go to Nick who emerged as the winner from a strong field of candidates,” Boyce said in a statement. “I wish him all the very best for his three years as a Law Society office holder.' The Law Society of England andWales Elects Next in Line for Presidency London-based global firm Allen & Overy has begun its push into the California tech scene with the launch of two new offices in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. These offices will support a team of eight lawyers formerly employed by White & Chase. Shamita Etienne-Cummings, Bijal Vakil, David Tennant, Eric Lancaster, Adam Chernichaw, Daren Orzechowski, Alex Touma and Noah Brumfield have each joined Allen & Overy as partners. Their practices range from patent litigation to tech- focused transactions. In a statement, senior partner Wim Dejohnghe discussed the move as part of Allen & Overy’s growth into the tech sector. "All businesses are technology businesses now," he said . "Our clients have been asking us when we will have a presence in Silicon Valley and now we are adding an offering that we will grow to serve as the firm’s centre of excellence in a range of technology areas." The move comes five months after Allen & Overy established its third US office in Los Angeles, staffed by a team of 19 lawyers pulled from Hauer & Feld and Akin Gump Strauss. Other established firms including Husch Blackwell, Debevoise & Plimpton and Jenner & Block have opened offices in the Bay Area since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has drastically reduced office rents while financially buoying tech firms in the area. Allen&Overy RaidsWhite& Case for US Tech Talent 11 SEP 2021 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM