Jones Day and Denton Wilde Sapte have landed leading roles on the administration of UK social housing giant Connaught, which has put thousands of jobs at risk, reports legalweek.com. Jones Day is acting for Connaught, with a team led by London head of capital markets Giles Elliott and head of restructuring Adam Plainer. Denton Wilde Sapte is acting for KPMG, with a team led by restructuring head Nigel Barnett and restructuring partner Graham Paine.

Judge on trial before US Senate

A special US Senate committee is scheduled to begin next week with the impeachment trial of G. Thomas Porteous Jr, reports law.com. The proceedings, which are extremely rare, will determine the future of the New Orleans federal district judge who is accused of corruption spanning decades, including an alleged kickback scheme with a law firm. The trial will be the Senate's first since 1999, when Bill Clinton's presidency hung in the balance.

White & Case offer grads Beijing stint

UK firm White & Case has expanded its international trainee solicitor secondment program to its Beijing office, reports The Lawyer. The international firm has introduced the six-month position in an attempt to broaden its current trainee secondment offering in Asia, which currently comprises Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Graduate resourcing co-ordinator Shahnaz Begum said: "We've found through feedback that trainees really value their time overseas."

Mexican firm opens London office

Mexican firm Jauregui Navarrete & Nader has become the country's first to launch an office in London, reports legalweek.com. The office, which will be headed up by partner Yves Hayaux du Tilly, opened for business on 1 July this year. The firm will provide advice on Mexican law to clients in London and Europe, while also aiming to identify business opportunities for its existing clients in the region.

Foreign lawyers left out in cold

Hundreds of foreign qualified lawyers could be prevented from practising law in England and Wales due to an administrative error on the new Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS), reports The Lawyer. The new scheme has neglected to list key jurisdictions such as India, Canada and New York as areas which can take the compulsory test. The blame has been placed on each particular jurisdiction's regulatory body for not returning its survey in time.