04 April 2011

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. Head of legal operations Jeremy Allen, who is leading the review, said the global overhaul would be […]

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. At present the bank has more than 50 firms on its roster, one of the largest panels among any of the big banks. As well as its […]

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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 A number of repeated themes emerge when lawyers get talking about Africa: natural resources, development and the rise of the middle class are all topics that […]

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. The dispute kicked off earlier this year when BP announced a £10bn share swap with Russia’s state-owned oil company Rosneft in January, part of a ­lucrative deal that would also have involved a long-term agreement […]

Eversheds, SNR Denton land Soton development

Eversheds and SNR Denton have been appointed as advisers on Southampton’s £450m Royal Pier Waterfront development. Eversheds, led by development and regeneration ­partner Stephen Sorrell, is advising Morgan Sindall Investments (MSIL). The property investment company was selected to develop the Royal Pier Waterfront in February. Sorrell is being assisted by real estate partner Adrian Hill […]

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). A&O, led by banking partners Walter Uebelhoer in Munich and Oliver Waldburg in Frankfurt, advised ball bearing manufacturer Schaeffler. For Linklaters banking partners Stephen Lucas in London and Marc Trinkaus in […]

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. The Japanese-style food chain has been sold by Lion Capital, advised by SJ Berwin, to Duke Street ­Capital for more than ­double what the private equity seller paid for the company in 2005. […]

Anthony Ward

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  Shearman & Sterling’s 2010 revenue figures show its London office outperforming its US parent practice in terms of turnover growth. Although the firm’s regional office heads claim that it has ­experienced strong firmwide growth, sources close to […]

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. News that the firm, which now has around 2,000 lawyers in 31 offices across the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, is to open in Boston comes shortly after it launched in Riyadh, Beijing and Houston. The Boston […]

Pam Loch

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. However, when Pam Loch, managing partner at Loch Associates, says she offers commercial advice, she means it. Loch spent six […]

Jonathan Watmough

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. His arrival will bring the number of partners in RPC’s real estate group to seven, which numbers four laterals. RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough said: “The real estate group’s been substantially […]

Lewis Silkin boosts partnership by four

Lewis Silkin has promoted four to its partnership, with three joining the employment arm. Energy and natural resources ­corporate finance senior associate Nadim Khan along with ­employment senior associates Karen Baxter, Emma Perera and Hannah Price have joined the partnership. The firm has also restructured its core practice groups, with the employment and incentives department […]