04 April 2011
The Lawyer
A&O and Links steer Schaeffler and banks through refinancing
Allen & Overy (A&O) and Linklaters both landed roles on Schaeffler Group’s debt financing, which saw the company cut its debt by e2.8bn (£2.46bn).
Claimant law firms rethink models as CFA regime comes crashing down
Claimant firms have been left pondering how to make their models profitable after the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last week pulled the plug on lucrative conditional fee arrangements (CFAs).
Clock is ticking on Barclays’ panel cull
Barclays kicked off its legal panel review last week, inviting firms to vie for places on what is expected to be a radically reduced list of preferred advisers.
Clydes brings in Howden GC for professional indemnity offering
Clyde & Co has raided Lloyds of London broker Howden for its general counsel Simon Gildener.
Eversheds, SNR Denton land Soton development
Eversheds and SNR Denton have been appointed as advisers on Southampton’s £450m Royal Pier Waterfront development.
Ex-39 Essex Street CEO joins Leeds' Park Court
The former chief executive of 39 Essex Street has joined Northern set Park Court Chambers in the same role.
Focus: Travers Smith, Solo empowered
Without wanting to divulge too many tricks of the trade, the standard means by which anyone can discover the skeletons in the closet at a firm is to pick up the phone to its competitors, its former partners or anyone else with an axe to grind and let them unleash years’ worth of pent-up bile.
Freshfields assigns associate to advise top brass
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has taken the radical step of appointing an associate-level adviser to augment its new senior management team.
HFW makes up nine in global commerce push
Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) has promoted nine associates to its international partnership, with six London lawyers getting the nod.
Howard Kennedy hire ups family focus
West End firm Howard Kennedy is attempting to kick-start the growth of a family practice with the hire of partner Juliette Peters.
Latham creates Boston bridgehead with eye on technology, private equity
Latham & Watkins has continued its recent expansionist strategy with the launch of an office in private equity-focused Boston.
Lewis Silkin boosts partnership by four
Lewis Silkin has promoted four to its partnership, with three joining the employment arm.
Loch Associates
Most practitioners these days like to brag about how commercial they are, but it is still relatively rare for a lawyer to have the genuine breadth of experience to back up that easily made claim.
Macfarlanes and SJ Berwin on either side of Wagamama sale
Macfarlanes and SJ Berwin have claimed the leading mandates for rival private equity houses on the £215m sale of noodle bar Wagamama.
Magic circle moots joint social mobility strategy
Top firms will work together to widen access to the law
On the move
Bryan Cave has hired Dorsey & Whitney London real estate head Nadeem Khan as a partner in its City-based real estate client service group.
Opinion: EU trademark report is a shot in the arm for brand owners
Proposals concerning the use of community trademarks (CTMs) could give UK brand owners more power to leverage when protecting their marks in EU member states. In some instances, this could lead to an increase in litigation.
PE teacher: Claire Wilkinson, MVision
MVision GC Claire Wilkinson lives and breathes private equity, so much so that she is the industry guru on ethics.
Realty check
Despite a transaction uptick, the dearth of debt in the UK property sector means M&A activity remains elusive. Rob Thompson reports
Ropes edges into City PE space with DLA capture
Ropes & Gray has made a significant move into the London private equity sector with the hire of DLA Piper European private equity chief Will Rosen.
RPC’s all-equity model key to attracting latest lateral
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has made its 20th lateral in three years with the hire of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) real estate partner David Johnston.
Shearman defends US figures as London outshines New York
Is the US firm pushing overseas offices at the expense of the home team? asks Caroline Butcher
Skadden wins injunction for TNK-BP shareholders
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has helped seal victory at the High Court for client Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR) in its multibillion-dollar dispute with UK oil giant BP.
Speechly partner to stretch lawyers
“Do you feel elongated?”
Standard Chartered to revise global advisers
The six firms reappointed to Standard Chartered Bank’s international panel last week are unlikely to keep their places for the full two-year period, with the bank set to launch an unprecedented global overhaul of all its legal rosters.
Takeover Panel sweetens code for targets after Cadbury lesson
Panel acts after public finds squirty cheese behemoth’s legacy hard to digest. By James Swift
Tax relief
The recent Budget held a number of tax changes for the property sector. Looking at the details, Jonathan Legg finds that on balance it was positive
The scramble for Africa
Legal work in Africa is no longer just about infrastructure projects. Joanne Harris discovers a continent where natural resources, telecoms and finance are helping create a land of plenty
Top spy in as Beachcroft intelligence head
Beachcroft has appointed army veteran Bryan Houston as head of intelligence.
Trade routes
The sheer size and diversity of the African continent necessitates a considered approach to practising there. Joanne Harris explores the manifold strategies employed by the international practices
Travers – too posh to push?
Most managing partners would kill to have Andrew Lilley’s problems.
Tulkinghorn: Beach thrall
With the London Olympics looming on the horizon like the biggest, whitest elephant in Christendom, lawyers (like the rest of the country) have discovered a previously well-hidden love of beach volleyball.
Winckworth grabs Dawsons property expert
Winckworth Sherwood has hired Dawsons property partner Simon Livesy. He joins Winckworth’s institutional property team alongside senior assistant Richard Wooton.
WorldPay seeks panel firms after RBS selloff
Card payment processor WorldPay is putting together its first external law firm panel following its divestment from RBS.
