Latest news with #DavidWilkins
Reuters
01-08-2025
- Business
- Reuters
McDermott and Schulte complete latest US law firm merger
Aug 1 (Reuters) - U.S. law firms McDermott, Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel have completed their planned merger, as firms' appetite for greater legal market share and a strong New York presence continues to drive consolidation in the industry. The combined firm, McDermott Will & Schulte, has about 1,750 lawyers spread across more than 20 offices globally. A spokesperson for the firm confirmed the merger was finalized on Friday. The two firms' combined revenue in 2024 was more than $2.8 billion, according to figures reported by the American Lawyer. New York-founded Schulte was focused on advising hedge funds and other private capital clients. Chicago-founded McDermott, the larger of the two firms, is known for advising healthcare and other clients in a range of practice areas. Partners at the two firms initially approved the merger in June, marking the latest in a series of recent law firm deals involving prominent New York firms. In June, New York-based Kramer Levin combined with larger global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. New York's Shearman & Sterling last year merged with London-founded global firm Allen & Overy. U.S. and international law firms have long sought growth in New York's financial hub. "New York has always been the prize," said David Wilkins, faculty director of the Center on the Legal Profession at Harvard Law School. Historically, out-of-town firms had a difficult time gaining a foothold in the New York legal market. That changed as a few large U.S. firms focused on growing there through strategic practice hires, Wilkins said, and others have joined forces with already-established New York firms like Schulte. (Additional reporting by David Thomas)
Irish Examiner
10-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
'€50 for petrol, €22 for parking': Extra hospital costs 'add insult to injury' for cancer patients
I had assumed actual highway robbery disappeared in the 18th century. Apparently not. It's been a long, tough day. I'm not feeling well after a surgical procedure called a rhizotomy, or nerve block, for chronic complex pain. I'm face-to-face with a soulless digital device at the pay station in the hospital car park. It's demanding a ransom of €22 before it'll release my car and get me back on the motorway for the two-hour drive home. I count myself lucky, I can afford the extortionate parking fees hospitals often charge patients. There are many people, families, who cannot. My name is David and I'm 61 years old. I have advanced stage four leiomyosarcoma - a very rare cancer that starts in smooth muscle - and it's incurable. A cancer diagnosis, and subsequent treatment is both physically and emotionally exhausting. The incremental, regular additional costs associated with cancer treatment simply adds insult to injury, and heaps additional stress on those of us who are already extremely fragile. It takes a significant toll on our pockets, and our mental health. The scenario outlined above isn't a once-off. To be fair to some hospitals, if cancer patients are in for chemotherapy treatment, parking is usually capped at a nominal amount, maybe €5 per day. But I'm in hospital every few weeks for scans, oncology consultations, day-case procedures and specialist drug treatment, which isn't chemotherapy. And that doesn't count admissions for major surgery where I may be hospitalised for weeks at a time. It's a four-hour round trip from my home in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, to St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin 4, which is €50 in petrol. There are sandwiches at €6 or €7 each, and a beverage at €3 or €4 each and additional wear and tear on my car that would otherwise not occur. There are days off work, and while my employer has been unbelievably supportive, I sometimes take leave days. For parents there are childcare costs. There are costs associated with staying in hospital; parents and family staying in nearby hotels; fresh clothes, dressing gowns, slippers, toiletries. My name is David Wilkins and I'm 61 years old. I have advanced stage four leiomyosarcoma - a very rare cancer that starts in smooth muscle - and it's incurable. And for a range of drugs that have to be taken daily, some are either not covered by the GMS (General Medical Scheme) or have been withdrawn from the reimbursement list and have to now be paid for as an over-the-counter (OTC) purchase. I take 1,800 tablets monthly. My drug regime is mostly to do with digestion, nausea and for pain management. Following extensive intestinal surgery a few years ago, I had significant parts of my gut removed, partly or completely, and what was left was re-engineered to allow me to eat. This has left me reliant on drugs to digest my food and regulate diarrhoea, intestinal cramp and discomfort. One of these drugs is commonly available over the counter, but I've been getting Buscopan Rx on the GMS scheme. I take 240 Buscopan a month. But the dispensary pack has just been discontinued by the manufacturer and will now cost me over €100 per month as an OTC purchase. The costs are incremental, but endless and can add up to hundreds of euro per month in out-of-pocket expenses. Sometimes, thousands of euro a year. Aside from the sometimes surreal experience of a life-threatening diagnosis like cancer, I genuinely wonder how families with children cope. I'm a grown-up, with no kids, and increasingly find myself struggling. David Wilkins: 'It's been a long, tough day. I'm not feeling well after a surgical procedure called a rhizotomy, or nerve block, for chronic complex pain.' It's difficult to articulate the emotional roller coaster that has been my cancer journey for the last 19 years. Starting in my right arm, tumours spread to my legs, my abdomen, my liver, my hips, my right collar bone, which is permanently fractured, and just before Christmas last, I was told it has spread to my spine. I am due further major abdominal surgery on May 1. I've had 30 tumours, 15 surgeries or surgical procedures, five courses of chemotherapy, eight courses of radiotherapy, six blood transfusions, a bout of sepsis which left me critically ill for six weeks and a pulmonary embolism. I can be on top of the world one minute and weeping uncontrollably like a small child the next. My mood can swing from joy to misery; to panic and to anger. What in God's name have I done to deserve this? Sometimes it's just overwhelming and I need help. Thanks to national cancer support services like the Irish Cancer Society, I have regular access to counselling. The Irish Cancer Society receives little government subvention and relies on volunteers and public donations to fund the lion's share of its vital services, like night nursing, counselling, Daffodil Centres and its support line. They are life-saving beacons of hope in what is sometimes a very dark world for people like me, and others affected by cancer. And a final note from me, for complete strangers that need a warm embrace and a quiet whisper, just remember: "You've got this." Anyone with questions or concerns about cancer can contact the Irish Cancer Society Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700 or email supportline@ .
West Australian
30-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
City of Port Adelaide Enfield council adopts motion to consider smoke ban on Semaphore Rd
A major thoroughfare running through one of South Australia's star beach suburbs could soon be a smoke-free zone. Port Adelaide and Enfield councillors voted unanimously this month for a report into making the western section Semaphore Rd, which connects Semaphore Beach and its famous jetty with a line of shops and restaurants, free of cigarettes and vapes. Semaphore councillor David Wilkins proposed the motion and told NewsWire this week a Semaphore local had asked the council to consider the ban. 'We actually had a local resident reach out to our mayor, who raised the concept of it,' he said. 'The resident is particularly passionate about it because she lost her father in 2020 to sinus cancer, which they have shared with us, was likely caused by passive smoking. 'As a result of that, she's asked whether we can put in smoke free areas, so we're protecting people in the community.' Semaphore lies in Adelaide's western district, bordering Port Adelaide to the east and West Lakes to the South. It's a popular tourist spot, with the foreshore clock tower, jetty and steam train rides that run from the beach to Fort Glanville and back all drawing in families from the city and interstate. The retro Odean Star cinema also sits on Semaphore Rd alongside eateries like Zambrero and Yo-Chi. Mr Wilkins said a smoke ban would elevate the strip's attractiveness even further. 'We've got the beach, the cinema, it's very much a place we want to encourage people to come and visit,' he said. 'This proposal would really help create a welcoming environment to come and visit and support our local traders.' Staffers will now prepare a report and interview businesses on the thoroughfare to gauge their position, including the pubs that serve the strip. 'I think it will likely be supported because it's about encouraging people to come and visit,' Mr Wilkins said. Staff will also investigate whether the council has the legal authority to implement the proposed ban. Cancer Council SA senior manager for prevention Christine Morris praised the idea. 'It's fantastic to hear that local councils are taking a proactive approach to keeping South Australians safe from the harmful effects of smoking, by making more public spaces smoke-free,' she told NewsWire. 'South Australia is leading the nation in providing smoke-free spaces since new laws were introduced last year and we welcome continued action to protect community members from exposure to second-hand smoking, especially vulnerable people and children.' Semaphore already has some smoke-free zones. In 2021, Mr Wilkins organised a ban on smoking outside public buildings such as libraries and community centres. 'It just makes it such a more welcoming and inviting environment,' he said. The City of Port Adelaide Enfield council areas covers a vast portion of Adelaide's north, stretching from Klemzig in the east to Semaphore in the west and the Osborne naval shipyard in the north.
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
City of Port Adelaide Enfield council adopts motion to consider smoke ban on Semaphore Rd
A major thoroughfare running through one of South Australia's star beach suburbs could soon be a smoke-free zone. Port Adelaide and Enfield councillors voted unanimously this month for a report into making the western section Semaphore Rd, which connects Semaphore Beach and its famous jetty with a line of shops and restaurants, free of cigarettes and vapes. Semaphore councillor David Wilkins proposed the motion and told NewsWire this week a Semaphore local had asked the council to consider the ban. 'We actually had a local resident reach out to our mayor, who raised the concept of it,' he said. 'The resident is particularly passionate about it because she lost her father in 2020 to sinus cancer, which they have shared with us, was likely caused by passive smoking. 'As a result of that, she's asked whether we can put in smoke free areas, so we're protecting people in the community.' Semaphore lies in Adelaide's western district, bordering Port Adelaide to the east and West Lakes to the South. It's a popular tourist spot, with the foreshore clock tower, jetty and steam train rides that run from the beach to Fort Glanville and back all drawing in families from the city and interstate. The retro Odean Star cinema also sits on Semaphore Rd alongside eateries like Zambrero and Yo-Chi. Mr Wilkins said a smoke ban would elevate the strip's attractiveness even further. 'We've got the beach, the cinema, it's very much a place we want to encourage people to come and visit,' he said. 'This proposal would really help create a welcoming environment to come and visit and support our local traders.' Staffers will now prepare a report and interview businesses on the thoroughfare to gauge their position, including the pubs that serve the strip. 'I think it will likely be supported because it's about encouraging people to come and visit,' Mr Wilkins said. Staff will also investigate whether the council has the legal authority to implement the proposed ban. Cancer Council SA senior manager for prevention Christine Morris praised the idea. 'It's fantastic to hear that local councils are taking a proactive approach to keeping South Australians safe from the harmful effects of smoking, by making more public spaces smoke-free,' she told NewsWire. 'South Australia is leading the nation in providing smoke-free spaces since new laws were introduced last year and we welcome continued action to protect community members from exposure to second-hand smoking, especially vulnerable people and children.' Semaphore already has some smoke-free zones. In 2021, Mr Wilkins organised a ban on smoking outside public buildings such as libraries and community centres. 'It just makes it such a more welcoming and inviting environment,' he said. The City of Port Adelaide Enfield council areas covers a vast portion of Adelaide's north, stretching from Klemzig in the east to Semaphore in the west and the Osborne naval shipyard in the north.
