It took two years, but yesterday confirmation came that the last remnants of the once proud name Nicholson Graham & Jones is to disappear. Come January, any trace of the firm will have gone, swallowed up into the all-consuming giant that is Kirkpatrick & Lockhart. Or K&L Gates, as it will become. It’s not the […]
Allen & Overy and its client BAE Systems were celebrating this morning after the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) sensationally dropped its investigation into the company’s involvement with the Al Yamamah defence contract with Saudi Arabia. According to an SFO source close to the BAE inquiry the discontinuation ofthe investigation is unprecedented. “On the basis of […]
Eurotunnel’s ongoing restructuing deal to slash its £6.2bn debts was finally approved last night. Clifford Chance and Sullivan & Cromwell advised Goldman Sachs and Macquarie, which were brought in to finance a deal to reduce Eurotunnel’s debt. White & Case advised some of the debt providers while Eurotunnel was advised by Freshfields, which declined to […]
Italian firm Gianni Origoni & Grippo is launching its first Belgian office, luring an official from the European Commission to oversee the opening. Gianni Origoni is moving to Brussels to ramp up its competition offering. Managing partner Francesco Gianni said: “Our caseload has greatly expanded. The strategic location will widen our reach and will help […]
Dutch independent Van Doorne has appointed Onno Boerstra as its new managing partner with effect from 1 January 2007. He takes over from Johan Boeren, managing partner since 1 January 2004, who plans to return to the firm’s corporate practice. Boerstra, who joined Van Doorne in 1984 and has been a partner since 1992, joins […]
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has scored the lead role advising Japan Tobacco on its £7.5bn bid for British tobacco company Gallaher. Japan Tobacco today (15 December) agreed to pay £11.40 in cash per share for rival Gallaher, making it the biggest overseas acquisition by a Japanese company. Gallaher, the producers of Silk Cut and Benson & […]
Hewlett-Packard (HP) has dumped Silicon Valley firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati from its role as primary outside counsel in the wake of the identity fraud scandal surrounding the company. As of January 1, Wilson Sonsini will no longer be HP’s primary outside counsel. Up until now, the firm has been the go-to legal advisers […]
Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham confirmed last night (14 December) that it is to merge with US firm Preston Gates & Ellis. The merger, which takes effect on 1 January 2007, will create a new firm called Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis but which will be branded K&L Gates. The deal, and the corresponding […]
Travers Smith has elected Chris Carroll as its managing partner for a third term, making him the second partner to have won three successive elections at the firm. As widely expected, Carroll stood in an uncontested election and the partner vote was unanimous, according to the firm’s senior partner Alasdair Douglas. The term for a […]
Herbert Smith has negotiated a settlement with the Accountants’ Joint Disciplinary Scheme on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) which will see the Big Four accountant pay out fines totalling £500,000 plus costs of £1m in relation to the collapse of TransTec. Partner Peter Burrell was instructed by PwC after the Joint Disciplinary Tribunal laid complaints against […]
O’Melveny & Myers has promoted a record 18 of its associates to the partnership with the two lawyers elected in London marking the first newly elected lawyers based in its London office. The election of Paul Loynes and Solomon Wifa in London is a boost, given they are the office’s first two partner promotions. Arthur […]
Clifford Chance and Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) have bagged lead roles advising on the world’s largest ever Islamic bond. Clifford Chance advised longstanding client Dubai World and its subsidiary Nakheel PJSC (Nakheel) on Nakheel’s US$3.52bn (£1.8bn) Islamic-compliant bond issue, which is the largest sukuk issue in the world to date. The sukuk certificates will be […]