9 May 2011

Société Générale, Paris

City firms seek places on SocGen’s global panel

French investment bank Société Générale has launched a global panel review, with a number of City firms expected to bid for places on the coveted roster. SocGen last unveiled its list of legal advisers in early 2009 when Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and White & Case lost out as eight firms were […]

Preeti Mehta

Liberalisation steps out of the limelight at The Lawyer’s public debate on India

As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India is increasingly becoming a focus for investment and a source of capital for foreign businesses. Global Debate During the debate The Lawyer’s international Twitter account, @LawyermagEurope, ran a commentary on the main points raised. Check them out using hashtag #lawyerdebate.

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Anatomy of a merger

Hogan Lovells’ honeymoon period has seen the firm attempting to integrate cultures and expand its client base. But has it lost something in the process? Shortly after Hogan Lovells’ much-­anticipated merger was signed and sealed last May, its London ­partners were incensed to find that their free car parking at Atlantic House had been whipped away and replaced […]

Maclay uses new laws to protect Scotch whisky brand

Maclay Murray & Spens and Axiom Advocates acted for the Scotch Whisky ­Association (SWA) against a drinks manufacturer that branded its products falsely as Scotch whisky. Maclay IP partner Robert Buchan instructed Axiom’s Jonathan Lake QC on the case against Glasgow-based company Reynald & Sons, which was brought at the Court of ­Session in Edinburgh. […]

Kirkland helps Teva win bid battle for Cephalon

US firms Kirkland & Ellis and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom snared the prize mandates on the $6.8bn (£4.12bn) sale of biopharmaceutical ­company Cephalon to rival drugs giant Teva. Kirkland acted for longstanding client Teva on the deal. The Israeli company saw off a hostile approach for Cephalon from Canadian rival Valeant before agreeing to […]

Bridget Barker

Montagu sticks with Macfarlanes for establishment of buyout fund

Macfarlanes has won an instruction acting for Montagu Private Equity on the creation of its e2.5bn (£2.25bn) pan-European buyout fund. Funds partners Stephen Sims and Bridget Barker led the fundraising for the ­Montagu IV fund, which is said to be substantially oversubscribed, with tax partner Mark Baldwin also acting on the deal. Macfarlanes has acted […]

Ofcom: bestowed the power to intervene in telecoms disputes

Blackstone comes through for Ofcom as BT loses CAT appeal

Blackstone Chambers’ Pushpinder Saini QC has won a major dispute on behalf of Ofcom after the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled that Ofcom held jurisdiction to resolve telecoms providers’ disputes over British Telecom’s (BT) regulated prices. The appeal stemmed from a long-running row between BT and Everything Everywhere (EE) over BT’s termination charges for calls […]

Grant Stein

Walkers’ management rejig lays bare aspiration to build global presence

Offshore firm Walkers is reaffirming its commitment to a global footprint as it undergoes a management shake-up. The firm’s current global chairman Wayne Panton is set to retire in July this year. He will be replaced by Grant Stein, currently global ­managing partner. Stein will in turn be replaced by Diarmad Murray, who will also […]

Jonathan Smith

Poppleston Allen

Nottingham-headquartered boutique Poppleston Allen has built a reputation both for licensing work and embracing change since it launched in 1994. So much so, in fact, that one of its most recent clients, Paddy Power, found its way to the firm via Google. “We use Twitter and Facebook and work hard at improving our Google hit […]

Robert Elliott, Linklaters

Banking status elevated as Links votes in Elliott

The election of global head of banking Robert Elliott as senior partner at Linklaters represents the apotheosis of a practice that once played ­second fiddle to the firm’s corporate base. Linklaters” src=”Pictures/web/w/o/j/Robert_Elliot_150.jpg” /> Robert Elliott, Linklaters Elliott saw off challenges from litigation chief John Turnbull and European managing partner Jean-Pierre Blumberg to land a job […]

Squire Sanders duo poised for MAB move

Squire Sanders Hammonds London associates Charny Sanghera and Andrew Bowden-Brown are to join Matthew Arnold & Baldwin (MAB) as partners in its asset-based lending litigation team. MAB head of banking and finance Steven Mills said the hires would give his firm a significant presence in the receivables finance and asset-based lending market. He added: “They […]

33 Bedford Row team defects to Tanfield

Gray’s Inn set Tanfield Chambers has added a four-member team to its ranks after a raid on 33 Bedford Row. The property litigation barristers are Daniel Dovar, Piers Harrison, Jonathan Upton and Michael Walsh. Dovar said the group wanted to pick up larger instructions and so needed to be involved with a larger set. “They […]