12 November 2001
The Lawyer
3-4 South Sq welcomes associate from Skadden
A part-time counsel at New York firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has joined Michael Crystal QC's 3-4 South Square as an associate member.
Allen & Overy in Greek securitisation hat trick
Allen & Overy (A&O) advised the Hellenic Republic on its third securitisation of receivables in Greece.The deal involved s2bn (£1.37bn) of receivables from lottery tickets.The firm was approached by the banks in the summer and was also brought in to advise the Republic. Fresh-fields Bruckhaus Deringer was brought in at execution stage to advise the banks.Under the EU Third ...
Badhams merger focuses on insurance
A merger between part of Badhams and niche professional indemnity firm Williams Davies Meltzer has created a new insurance firm called Plexus Law.
BAT lawyer wins role on Competition Commission's new reporting panel
Three lawyers, including British American Tobacco's (BAT) in-house counsel, have been appointed to the Competition Commission's reporting panel.
Bonelli hires cement link with Slaughters
Slaughter and May's Italian ally Bonelli Erede Pappalardo is taking on two securitisation partners, giving it a specialist finance capability for the first time.
Bryan Cave opens office in Chicago
Missouri firm Bryan Cave is launching an office in Chicago with the former head of its London office.
Can West End property forms survive?
A View from the trenches
CC leads sale to allow Carrefour merger
Clifford Chance has advised Carrefour in the sale of its shareholding in Cora to Deutsche Bank for f850m (£525.61m), subject to approval by the European Commission.The French retailer holds a 42 per cent shareholding in Cora, but needs to sell in order to gain the commission's consent for phase one of the Carrefour/Promodès merger. Carrefour will be able to realise a gross ...
Cleary Gottlieb wins Euro court victory against EC
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has secured a landmark European court victory for client IMS Health against a European Comm-ission (EC) ruling.
Clifford Chance instructed by Takeover Panel as HRA demands external advice
Clifford Chance has for the first time advised the Takeover Panel, dealing with an appeal against one of its decisions.
Cloisters hires new director from Law Society
Cloisters chambers has hired a new director, who joins after 15 years at the Law Society.
Cobbetts gets set for Leeds growth with Read Hind talks
Manchester firm Cobbetts is set to merge with Read Hind Stewart in Leeds.
Deal of the week - easyjet Norton Rose conflict gifts EasyJet to Herbert Smith
Norton Rose conflict gifts EasyJet to Herbert Smith
Deals summary
Denton Wilde Sapte (Charles Wood, Anthony Alexander, David Birchall, Richard Barham) advised the Department of Trade and Industry on the transfer schemes put in place by the 14 public electricity suppliers in England, Wales and Scotland to separate their supply and distribution businesses. The separation was required by the Utilities Act 2000, which took effect last month.Weil Gotshal ...
Deals summary
Forsters (Martin Halling) advised GE Capital in association with Opus Land on the purchase of Powerhouse Distribution Centre, Walsall, from Brightside for £5.525m. Harbottle & Lewis (James John) advised the vendor.Lawrence ...
Deals summary
Linklaters & Alliance's Singapore office Linklaters Allen & Gledhill (Philip Badge, Nick Syson, Charles Dunn) advised the Singapore branch of Crédit Lyonnais on the $20m (£13.67m) restructuring of the debt in Samart Corporation Public Company in Thailand. Samart was advised in-house.Ashurst Morris ...
Death tolls
After the recent CPS decision not to prosecute over the Paddington rail crash, Jon Robins asks: will a new corporate killing law quench the public's thirst for justice? Or would it be impossible to hold an individual person accountable?
DLA seeks licence to open in Shanghai
DLA has applied for a licence to open an office in China. If the licence is granted, the national firm will set up a base in Shanghai.
DWF leads the way in EU fund blueprint
Davies Wallis Foyster (DWF) has used the expertise it has gained in handling Objective One funding in Merseyside to develop a blueprint for other qualifying regions.
Emap plans shake-up as it reviews advisory panel
Greenwood, Slaughters, Wragges and Wiggin are safe; Bird & Bird, Farrers and Brabners await verdict
Financiers demand insolvency reforms
A number of investors, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, are demanding reforms on global insolvency laws.
Flag Telecom releases Gibson Dunn stand-in
Flag Telecom has taken on a new general counsel, leaving acting head of legal Stephen Ball free to return to his firm, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.
Foreigners given go-ahead to practise Taiwanese law
Taiwan's parliament has sanctioned a law permitting overseas lawyers to set up practices providing advice on local law.
Gaymer plans change of scenery for partners
Simmons & Simmons senior partner Janet Gaymer is pushing the firm to encourage partners to take up other jobs.
Goodbodys on financial project for Irish govt
Dublin firm A&L Good-body has won a mandate from the Irish government to create a single regulatory authority for financial services.
Hot property
Pan-European real estate investments are definitely in vogue. Mark O'Neill highlights the requisite skills for law firms aiming to offer their clients the one-stop service
House rules
It has been a busy start of term for property lawyers, with a number of interesting rulings from the Appeal Courts in the past few weeks. The Lawyer reports on the top cases
Jones Day merges with Tokyo's Showa Law office
US firm more than doubles its Tokyo numbers with full economic integration
KLegal and McGrigors in secret negotiations
KLegal intent on doubling London presence by January to create top 40 firm
Last year Berryman Shacklock lost an office, but turnover remains healthy
Last year Berryman Shacklock lost an office, but turnover remains healthy
Lawrence Graham fills property head post
Lawrence Graham has appointed a new head of property following the promotion of Penny Francis to managing partner.
Lawyer 2B
This week The Lawyer is launching Lawyer 2B, its spin-off student publication, with a distribution of 25,000.
Laytons hikes IP with Lochners link-up
Niche technology practice Lochners has merged with national firm Laytons.
Leader
Wilmer Cutler's acquisition of the delightfully-named Quack - the last remaining part of Gaedertz - shows what US firms in Germany can achieve outside the glare of Frankfurt. Wilmer Cutler set up in Berlin at a time when the city was a legal backwater dominated by old-school firms. For the rest of the decade Andreas Weitbrecht built up a useful business centred for the most part on government and regulatory work - as one might expect from a Washington DC firm. As the practice began ...
Legal Widow
The Lawyer has spent all weekend in a telephone queue for the local multiplex box office, trying to get tickets for Harry Potter. "Only 365 people before me," he said cheerfully, as I put the potatoes on for Saturday lunch.He thinks he's doing it for Subbie, but in reality he's dying to see this film himself. My criticism of Harry Potter is that every adventure takes three terms to unfold - heaven forbid he'd catch the evildoer by autumn half term - but I can see how this appeals ...
Linklaters and Gianni set to strengthen relationship
Discussions centre on joint marketing and training; future merger not ruled out
Linklaters hikes Tokyo with Sullivan lawyer
Linklaters & Alliance has boosted its Tokyo office with the hire of a second US securitisation partner.
Linnells takes first step to German friendship
Oxford firm courts lower-end work from Macfarlanes' German friend Nörr Stiefenhofer
Matheson Ormsby resolves conflict to bag Eircom deal
O'Reilly connection comes good as major Irish telecoms transaction goes through
Mayer Brown Paris tiff sees Norton Rose scoop partner
M&A team exits US firm after partnership disagreements; Leleu to take clients
Nabarros elbows out SJ Berwin on Peabody deal
Nabarro Nathanson has beaten SJ Berwin to a real estate job on the largest property portfolio purchase in Central London this year.Peabody Global Real Estate Partners and Peabody International Real Estate Partners are acquiring nine London properties for £146m. These include premises in London's West End, ...
New lease of life
The CPR is finally encompassing landlord and tenant claims and other acts are making inroads into the sector. Malcolm Sheehan reports on the changes practitioners need to be aware of
Opinion
On 30 November 2001, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) will acquire its full range of powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA). Originally scheduled for 1999, the two-year delay indicates how problematic the task has been to unite such a wide array of regulatory and supervisory bodies under one statutory regulator.Solicitors are faced with a choice on regulation. This decision hangs on whether they wish to pursue mainstream investment business or not. Mainstream ...
Pillsbury axes ten per cent of NY associates
US firm Pillsbury Winthrop has become the latest victim of the downturn, announcing layoffs in its New York office.
Private Eye sees off Peter Carter-Ruck in court victory
Peter Carter-Ruck and Partners has lost a million-pound gamble in the recent case it fought against Private Eye magazine.
Proposals to reform planning law
"Planning laws are set for their biggest change for 50 years," said Prime Minister Tony Blair at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) National Conference last week.
Radcliffes merges with Le Brasseur to create healthcare giant
Radcliffes is to refocus its practice on healthcare as it announces a merger with London-based Le Brasseur J Tickle.
Real Estate & Projects
In the name of using the law to better the environment for people and wildlife, Cambridge firm Richard Buxton threw another spanner in the workings of the UK's planning process last week.The niche claimant firm has recently sent a letter, on behalf of local residents, to Tower Hamlets Council claiming that the 1997 planning applications for London's Spitalfields redevelopment did not include a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) under 1988 regulations and the ...
Simpson takes on O'Melveny partner
New York giant Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is raiding rival O'Melveny & Myers for a partner to boost its bankruptcy practice.
Spain proposes overhaul of qualification requirements
The Spanish government is pushing for Spanish lawyers to train beyond law school before they are able to practise.
Split decisions
At most such conferences, competition between law firms is at its most fierce when it comes to party time, and the IBA was certainly no different. On the Tuesday night, for example, a whole host of leading firms went head-to-head - Allen & Overy (A&O), Norton Rose, D&P (DLA & Partners),
Sullivan says assistant bonuses will stand
New York firm Sullivan & Cromwell has taken the unusual step of reassuring the firm's lawyers that they will still get bonuses later this year.
The bribe tribe
Despite muttered accusations of pomposity, at least one English silk at the International Bar Association (IBA) conference in Cancun upheld ethical conduct befitting his profession.Buenos Aires veteran litigator Mareno Ocampo, a renowned courtroom figure in his native Argentina, suggested a hypothetical scenario to a crowded session on corruption: "How would you advise your client," he asked, "whose only means of recovering the millions of pounds owed to him was by paying a bribe ...
The Cancun kid
The charming Keith Oliver, who specialises in business crime, commercial litigation and financial regulation at Peters & Peters, had his work cut out in Cancun. His multifarious talents were put to the test when he was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for firm colleagues Louise Delahunty and Monty Raphael, as well as Kin
The Human Rights Act - one year on
Joanna Brett examines how the Human Rights Act has been interpreted over the first year of its implementation and discusses what the future holds for this controversial piece of legislation.
The kids are alright
Marriott Harrison lawyer Andrew Astachowicz may be a hotshot property practitioner, but the home where his heart is resides in San Salvador
The puff daddies
After the Government's decision to take a softer line on cannabis use, Helen Power meets the managing director of the only UK company licensed to undertake research on the drug
The tall guys
The ramifications of the inquiry into the proposed Heron Tower are far-reaching for the future of the capital's tall building developments. Eleanor Levenson investigates
UK firms work on Dutch government PPP initiative
Camerons joins magic circle on rail project; Dutch firms take back seat
Watson Burton strategy pays off as half-year turnover figures rise
Newcastle firm Watson Burton has shrugged off the current downturn to announce a 16 per cent turnover increase for the first half of the current financial year.
Watson Farley handles Vivendi restructuring
Watson Farley & Williams has advised Vivendi Universal on the restructuring of its investment in leading Polish mobile telecommunications operator Elektrim Telekomunikacja.The firm's relationship with Vivendi is linked to the managing partner of the Paris office David Syed, and this deal is the first time that the London office has been closely involved in a transaction for the ...
Wilmer Cutler snaps up Gaedertz's Berlin office
The last remaining office of defunct German law firm Gaedertz has been swallowed up as the firm's Berlin presence, now renamed as Quack, is set to merge with Washington DC-based Wilmer Cutler & Pickering.
