Charles Russell LLP

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Charles Russell LLP
Headquarters London
No. of Offices 8 in 3 countries
No. of Attorneys 300+
Major Practice Areas General practice
Revenue ▲ £63.2 million (2007)[1]
Date Founded 1985 (merger)
Company Type Limited liability partnership
Website www.cr-law.co.uk

Charles Russell LLP is a top 50 City legal practice formed by the merger of three long established firms (Williams & James and Peake & Co - both founded in the 1760s - and Charles Russell and Co - founded 1893), with offices in London, Guildford, Cheltenham, Cambridge, Oxford, Geneva and Bahrain. Charles Russell became an LLP on 1 May 2005.

Contents

[edit] Profile

Charles Russell provide a full range of services to UK and international businesses, FTSE and AIM-listed businesses[1], governments and not-for-profit bodies. They also advise private individuals, trustees and intermediaries.

Expertise spans a wide range of industries, including media and communications, publishing, leisure, healthcare, pharmacy and medical, education, insurance and reinsurance, construction, real estate and finance. Services are integrated across eight offices: two in London and also offices in Guildford, Cheltenham, Cambridge[2], Oxford[3], Geneva[4] and Bahrain[5]. The firm's managing partner James Holder, explained the presence in the historical cities of Oxford and Cambridge by saying "We don't want to abandon our private client practice like other firms because it's very lucrative for us. We target the high-end, high-wealth sector and this is why we have offices in these locations." The firm's Oxford office, which also focuses on IT, bioscience, publishing and higher education, is headed by former partner Peter Elliott. Elliott left the firm in 1987 to set up the in-house legal function at English China Clays, but returned to Charles Russell in 2004 to launch the Oxford practice[6].

On 2 April 2007 it was reported that the firm were successful in the high-profile case for the FA in the Court of Appeal against footballer Wayne Rooney's agent Paul Stretford. The ruling was well publicised because of its impact on particular rules in the FA's rulebook relating to disciplinary procedures[7][8]. Other key clients include Easyjet, JP Morgan Cazenove (jointly owned by JP Morgan and Cazenove, Canaccord Adams, the Forensic Science Service, Arqiva, the Trevor Osborne Property Group, Honda GP, Wagamama and ITN.

On 1 May 2007 James Holder was appointed Managing Partner of Charles Russell, taking over from Grant Howell, who had been Managing Partner for eight years. Holder qualified in 1978 and joined Charles Russell in 1987. He was Head of the Corporate Finance Group from 1997 to 2000, and Head of the Corporate and Commercial Service Group from 2000 to 2007[9][10]. On 30 August 2007 it was reported that Charles Russell was to launch a wholesale review to streamline its decision-making processes and give its smaller regional branches more of a say in the running of the firm, including changes to ensure that its network of regional offices across the UK is fairly represented on its management board. Holder expressed concerns that the firm’s larger regional offices in Cheltenham and Guildford were over-represented at the expense of London and additional branches in Oxford and Cambridge[11].

Charles Russell is a member of two international non-exclusive associations: ALFA International (American Law Firm Association) and The Association of European Lawyers. Charles Russell were the first UK-based legal practice to have a dedicated British Virgin Islands service, are founder members of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and also members of both the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) which is based in Paris and Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) which is based in the UK.

[edit] Main practice areas

The firm's main areas of practice are:

  • Corporate and Commercial
  • Real Estate
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution
  • Employment and Pensions
  • Private Client
  • Family

The firm also advises on related issues, including Charities/Not for profit, Technology, Media, Telecoms and Sports, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate recovery & insolvency, EU and competition, reputation management, intellectual property, tax, UK and international trusts, landed estates and private property.

[edit] Pro Bono work

The Charles Russell Pro Bono work includes work for a children's hospice and a law centre as well as individual cases such as a landmark case on workplace age-discrimination[12]. The Charles Russell Charity of the Year 2007/2008 is the Make-a-Wish Foundation UK.

Charles Russell also support yachtswoman Helena Lucas[2] in Team Great Britain’s Paralympic squad by the provision of legal advice on commercial and sponsorship agreements to enable her to attend the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, China[13].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Charles Russell tops AIM game", The Lawyer, 2005-02-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  2. ^ "Charles Russell’s Cambridge office opens", cr-law.co.uk, 2007-03-01. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  3. ^ "New Oxford office signals commitment to Technology sector", cr-law.co.uk, 2005-06-15. Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 
  4. ^ "Charles Russell in Swiss launch", The Lawyer, 2005-11-03. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  5. ^ "Charles Russell launches first Middle East Office in Bahrain", cr-law.co.uk, 2007-09-10. Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 
  6. ^ "Charles Russell: Private life", The Lawyer, 2007-05-21. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  7. ^ "Charles Russell scores Appeal Court win for FA", The Lawyer, 2007-04-02. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  8. ^ "(2006) EWHC 479 (Ch)", hmcourts-service.gov.uk, 2006-03-17. Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 
  9. ^ "James Holder is Managing Partner from 1 May 2007", cr-law.co.uk, 2007-05-01. Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 
  10. ^ "Charles Russell heralds new chief and extra office", The Lawyer, 2007-03-26. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  11. ^ "Charles Russell hands executive more power", Legal Week, 2007-08-30. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 
  12. ^ "House of Lords to hear age discrimination case", cr-law.co.uk, 2005-02-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 
  13. ^ "Charles Russell supports leading British yachtswoman in her bid for success in Beijing 2008", cr-law.co.uk, 2006-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-13. 

[edit] External links