15 August 2005

Herbies, Linklaters land plum roles on RBS acquisition

Herbert Smith, Linklaters and Sullivan & Cromwell all scooped roles on Royal Bank of Scotland’s purchase of a stake in the Bank of China (BoC). Herbert Smith advised BoC’s major shareholder Central SAFE Investments. The company sold a 10 per cent stake in BoC worth $3.1bn to a consortium led by RBS. The group also […]

Coudert confirms split

In a statement issued to The Lawyer Coudert Brothers confirmed its intention to break up its international network. A Coudert spokesperson said: “After exploring various options, the partners of Coudert have authorised the firm to enter into combinations of offices and practice groups with other firms to reflect the strengths of the firm. Such combinations […]

Coudert set for dissolution

Following the collapse of Coudert Brothers’ merger negotiations with Baker & McKenzie (B&M), Coudert partners yesterday voted to release its partners from their fiduciary duties. This will allow partners to go to other firms and to solicit clients. The next step is a formal dissolution. It is understood that following due diligence B&M decided that […]

Clifford Chance makes gains in NY

Clifford Chance looks to have turned the tide on its shrinking New York office with the hire of real estate partner Howard Peskoe from US rival Winston & Strawn. Peskoe joins as co-chair of the real estate practice in the Americas, alongside current chairman David Djaha. He was previously a partner in Winston & Strawn’s […]

Foley & Lardner bolsters Chicago litigation group

US law firm Foley & Lardner has bolstered its litigation practice group with the hire of Byron Gregory following a raid on McDermott Will & Emery. Gregory joins the firm’s Chicago office as a partner within the litigation practice. He was previously a partner at McDermott Will & Emery, where he spent 37 years developing […]

Linklaters expands Asia corporate practice

Linklaters has relocated two key corporate partners to Hong Kong and Shanghai as part of an aggressive expansion drive in the region. Partner Keith Johnson rejoins the Hong Kong office this week to head the firm’s corporate and M&A practice. Johnson spent two years at Linklaters’ Hong Kong base in the early nineties but has […]

Standard & Poor’s appoints new Euro legal chief

Rating agency Standard & Poor’s has named James Penrose as its new senior European counsel. Penrose takes over from Ian Bell who now heads S&P’s European structured finance credit rating business after six years in the role. Penrose is now responsible over seeing the ratings analysts for structured finance, corporate public finance and sovereign groups. […]

Revealed: the US firms set to assault the City

Cooley, Goodwin Procter, Heller Ehrman, Nixon Peabody, Ropes & Gray battle it out for UK merger A new wave of US firms is preparing to storm London in the hope of tracking down those elusive UK merger partners. The Lawyer can reveal that Cooley Godward, Goodwin Procter, Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, Nixon Peabody, Proskauer […]

UK’s top thirty lose £1bn in revenues to strengthening US elite

The rise of the US firms continued within the London market during the last financial year, with the top 30 US firms depriving their UK rivals of total revenues amounting to £1bn. The rise of the US firms continued within the London market during the last financial year, with the top 30 US firms depriving their UK […]

CC tops the lot in Euro private equity

Partners from Clifford Chance, Lovells and Weil Gotshal & Manges have emerged as the leading rainmakers in the European private equity market. Clifford Chance Luxem-bourg partner Charles Roemers topped the individual partner private equity value table, based on instructions from the bidder company for the period 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005, according to […]

Lester Aldridge moves to expel Salans-bound banking chief

The battle between Lester Aldridge and its former head of banking has taken another twist following an extraordinary statement from the firm last week. As first revealed on Lawyer News Weekly (10 August), Lester Aldridge announced that it had started expulsion proceedings against Kevin Heath, its former head of banking and finance, after discovering his […]

DLA Piper targets Beijing in plan to grow Asian arm

DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary is set to launch in Beijing by the end of the year as it poaches a Clifford Chance partner for its Hong Kong office. DLA Piper has put in an application to set up an office in Beijing. The plan is to open with up to 10 fee-earners by the […]