9
Simmons & Simmons: City slippers
Mark Dawkins’ revolution from the top has made little difference to Simmons. Is merger the only option left?
7
Simmons puts China and Germany growth ahead of US merger
Simmons & Simmons has put finding a US merger on the backburner, preferring to focus on investment in Germany and China. Managing partner Mark Dawkins told The Lawyer that, although the firm was not pursuing a US merger, last year’s talks with Mayer Brown made him realise “that we sometimes underestimate how strong our name […]
Portugal: On the brink
Portugal has been a market in turmoil over the past year, with the necessity of a bailout from the EU hanging over its head. James Swift looks at how the legal market is faring Linklaters’ decision to axe six associates from its Lisbon office in May 2010, amid tumbling transaction levels and a frozen projects […]
Hogan, Links on board in Oz container terminal deal
Hogan Lovells and Linklaters have advised on a major investment by Citi Infrastructure Investors (CII) in DP World’s Australia-based terminals business. DP World has sold a 75 per cent stake in its Australian operation, which includes container terminals in Adelaide, Brisbane, Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney, for a sum of $1.5bn (£970m) to CII and one of its major […]
Links, Hengeler, Schoenherr act on Apax’s Takko buyout
Linklaters, Slaughter and May best friend Hengeler Mueller and Austrian duo Schoenherr and Wolf Theiss took the mandates on the e1.3bn (£1.1bn) sale of clothing retailer Takko by Advent International to Apax Partners. Hengeler and Schoenherr acted for Advent. Both firms are longstanding advisers to the US private equity house. On the buyer side Linklaters’ […]
Herbies, Taylor Wessing win Sheffield block sale
Herbert Smith and Taylor Wessing won mandates on the sale of the Sheffield building that houses DLA Piper’s offices in the city. Taylor Wessing advised longstanding client Canada Life on the £24m purchase of No 1 St Paul’s Place from fund manager Standard Life Investments, which was advised by Herbert Smith. Real estate partner and former group head John […]
Herbies, SJ Berwin get slices of Cheesegrater construction
Herbert Smith and SJ Berwin have taken the plum roles on a deal to create a joint venture (JV) that will see the construction of a new City landmark. SJ Berwin and Herbert Smith are advising British Land and Canadian pension fund subsidiary Oxford Properties respectively on the £340m development of Leadenhall Building, already commonly […]
UGGC increases Chinese capabilities with exclusive Concord relationship
French firm UGGC & Associés has formed an exclusive partnership with Chinese firm Concord & Partners as it ramps up its presence in the country. UGGC has its own offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but partner Olivier Lefébure said the partnership with Concord is an effort to expand its client base in China. Lefébure said the two firms […]
16
Howrey boss: shedding 60 partners is all part of a cunning plan
Radical downsizing and a strategic rethink as IP is spun off. In one of the most dramatic restructurings witnessed at any firm since the recession, over the past year more than 60 partners have left Howrey. Observers could be forgiven for thinking it shows all the hallmarks of a firm in terminal decline. Yet managing […]
Bindmans
King’s Cross-based Bindmans is enjoying a market-busting boom, helped by the firm’s longstanding focus on public law, human rights and civil liberties. The 16-partner firm also has a growing business crime unit, hardly hurt by the recession. As a result Bindmans saw its total fee income grow from £6.6m to £7.2m last year. And if […]
11
IP exits add to Mayer Brown lev fin walkouts
Mayer Brown’s London office has been hit by two more partner exits in London after the firm announced the closure of its London trademarks practice. IP partners Ian Wood and Mary Bagnall, who have left to join Charles Russell, are the fifth partners to leave the firm’s City office since December. In a statement, the […]
RJW ups private client offering with hires
Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) has hired a two-lawyer team from Bury-based firm Clough & Willis Solicitors as it looks to expand its private client offering. Richard Phillips joins as an associate and will head the firm’s trust and estates division. His practice focuses on areas including wills, inheritance tax planning and corporate succession planning. […]