Ruth Green
The Lawyer
Rebuilding society
As Portuguese firms face liberalisation in a post-bailout world and the home market remains tough, many are setting their sights overseas
Law FX
As GC at visual effects company The Mill, Jamie Smith combines his two interests - law and computer science
Lawyers pressed to work on posthumous Magnitsky trial
Little suspense about verdict in posthumous trial of lawyer Magnitsky
The India Opportunity
Is India still the jewel in the BRICs’ crown? Managing risk when investing in the country was the subject of a lively debate in London recently
Russia appoints lawyer to represent Magnitsky ahead of posthumous trial
The Russian government has appointed a lawyer to represent Sergei Magnitsky in a trial now set to take place on 4 March.
Profit on the margins
You don’t have to be a big firm to innovate and thrive in a downturn, as our look at the lower half of the UK 200 shows. We pick 10 inspiring stories
Akin Gump and Skadden advise as Vimpelcom issues $2bn eurobond
Akin Gump and Skadden scoop lead advisory roles as a eurobond issued by mobile phone operator Vimpelcom raises $2bn to refinance company’s debt.
White & Case and Speechly advise on Handelsbanken-Heartwood deal
White & Case and Speechly Bircham advise as Swedish bank Handelsbanken acquires wealth and investment manager Heartwood Wealth Group.
Former BLP partners launch tax boutique with CMS lawyer
Two former tax partners from Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) have joined forces with a consultant from CMS Cameron McKenna to launch tax boutique Rosetta Tax.
Number crunching: Watson Farley & Williams
Watson Farley & Williams narrowly missed the £100m turnover barrier for the 2011/12 financial year, posting a 12 per cent revenue hike to £99.8m
Recruiters: Cobbetts was continuing to hire lawyers up until December
Cobbetts was recruiting associates as recently as December 2012, with many recruiters that work with the firm expressing shock that it is planning to go into administration.
White & Case forms Jakarta association with MD & Partners
White & Case has entered into an association with Indonesian firm MD & Partners six years after ending its association with local firm Ali Budiardjo Nugroho Reksodiputro (ABNR).
Magnitsky hearing postponed as mother urges Russian lawyers to boycott trial
The preliminary hearing of the posthumous trial of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky has been postponed after his family and their lawyers refused to take part in the trial.
CMS, Morgan Lewis lead as Shell signs $10bn shale gas deal with Ukraine
CMS Cameron McKenna, Morgan Lewis & Bockius and local firm Asters have been retained as legal advisers on the Ukrainian side of several aspects of a 50-year production sharing agreement (PSA) deal between Royal Dutch Shell and the Ukrainian government to develop the country’s untapped shale gas resources in a bid to put an end to its dependence on Russian gas supplies.
'Witch hunt' punch-up hearing postponed due to absence of Lebedev lawyers
A pre-trial hearing in Moscow related to charges of hooliganism against Russian businessman Alexander Lebedev has been postponed due to the absence of Lebedev’s lawyers.
Threestyle
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania escaped the worst of the eurozone crisis, making them attractive to foreign investors. That trend is set to grow
Fenwick and O'Melveny join local firm as Cisco buys Israeli software group
US firms Fenwick & West and O’Melveny & Myers and Israel’s Herzog Fox & Neeman have landed roles as Cisco acquires Israeli software maker Intucell for an estimated $475m (£300m).
White & Case and WilmerHale lead on Sberbank JV with search engine
White & Case and WilmerHale have scooped the lead roles as Sberbank forms a joint venture with Russian search engine Yandex, a deal that kickstarts the two companies’ plans for a new online payment service.
Veale Wasbrough Vizards and Hewitsons call off merger talks
Veale Wasbrough Vizards and Hewitsons have announced their decision to end merger talks six months after they were initiated.
Portugal's Miranda enters the Democratic Republic of Congo
Miranda Correia Amendoeira & Associados has announced its decision to expand into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) via an association with local firm MBM-CONSEIL, giving the firm its eighth outpost on mainland Africa.
KPMG continues hiring spree with addition of Garrigues tax specialist
KPMG Abogados has hired former Garrigues tax specialist Pedro Pablo Rodés, making him the firm’s third lateral hire in the past eight months.
Veale Wasbrough takes on school employment specialist in education push
Veale Wasbrough Vizards has announced it has hired education employment specialist Alice Reeve to join the firm’s education practice group.
Payne Hicks Beach kickstarts new construction team with partner hire
City firm Payne Hicks Beach has launched its new construction and energy practice with the hire of Julian Critchlow from construction specialist Fenwick Elliott.
EMW, Morgan Cole and Shoosmiths install Cambridge software group's MBO
EMW, Morgan Cole and Shoosmiths have all won headline roles as WestBridge Capital backs the £6m management buyout (MBO) of Cambridge-based Anglia Business Solutions in return for a 43 per cent stake in the business.
Health service
GlaxoSmithKline vice-president of legal Sean Roberts’ appetite for a challenge has led to the creation of two industry legal bodies for the pharmaceutical sector
Nabarro's Spanish ally signs deal with criminal firm
Nabarro’s Spanish ally Roca Junyent has signed a cooperation agreement with 14-lawyer white-collar crime boutique Molins & Silva.
SNR Denton enters into association with Kuwait's Jamal Ahmed Al-Shehab
SNR Denton has announced that it is entering into an association with local lawyer Jamal Ahmed Al-Shehab, replacing its existing association with International Legal Group (ILG).
Estonia's Glikman and Alvin Rödl join forces
Estonian law firms Glikman & Partnerid and Alvin Rödl & Partner have announced their decision to merge to form Law Firm Glikman Alvin & Partners.
Squire Sanders hires DLA regulated procurement specialist
Squire Sanders has hired DLA Piper’s head of regulated procurement as a regulatory partner in its Birmingham office.
Varul relaunches in Latvia via merger with BDO Zelmenis & Liberte
Baltic firm Varul has relaunched an office in Latvia following a merger with local Riga outfit BDO Zelmenis & Liberte.
Linklaters and White & Case lead as Bupa buys Polish healthcare group
Linklaters and White & Case have landed the lead mandates as Bupa makes its first foray into the Polish healthcare market by acquiring the country’s largest healthcare provider LuxMed Group from Mid Europa Partners for €400m (£326m).
Ashurst and Dechert land roles on Kazakh bond as banks switch adviser
Ashurst and Dechert have scooped lead roles advising on a €1.1bn (£890m) bond issued by the finance arm of Kazakh national rail company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy.
Herbies and Hogan Lovells lead on BlackRock-Deutsche property fund merger
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and Hogan Lovells have taken the lead roles as global asset manager BlackRock merges its UK property fund with Deutsche Bank’s real estate fund group RREEF to form what the parties describe as the UK’s largest property unit trust.
Squire Sanders turns to BLP and Wragges for City banking hires
Squire Sanders has made two lateral hires to boost its London finance offering, bringing in Berwin Leighton Paiser (BLP) project finance head Philippa Chadwick and Wragge & Co banking head Paula Laird.
Liverpool Victoria promotes general counsel to company secretary
Bournemouth-based insurance company Liverpool Victoria (LV) has promoted general counsel Rachel Small to group company secretary.
Akin Gump and Linklaters lead on ExxonMobil-Rosneft Siberian JV
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Linklaters have landed mandates as Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft and America’s ExxonMobil sign an agreement to jointly explore tight oil reserves in the far reaches of western Siberia.
Freshfields and Linklaters clinch roles as Rosneft issues debut €3bn eurobond
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters have won advisory roles on a eurobond issued by Rosneft raising €3bn (£1.87bn), as the Russian oil group seeks to finance its $55bn buyout of TNK-BP.
Akin Gump, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters lead on $1.2bn MegaFon mobile deal
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Hogan Lovells and Linklaters have taken the lead roles as Russian telephone giant MegaFon acquires an indirect 50 per cent stake in Russian mobile retailer Euroset for $1.2bn (£750m).
Supreme Court to hear high-stakes Prest divorce case
The former wife of oil tycoon Michael Prest is to take her case to the Supreme Court in March next year after the Court of Appeal (CoA) ruled against her claim that Prest should be forced to hand over assets totalling £17.5m.
Linklaters joins Norton Rose and new SA ally on £1.3bn Barclays Africa sale
Linklaters and Norton Rose have advised alongside the magic circle firm’s new South African ally Webber Wentzel as Johannesburg bank Absa Group buys Barclays’ African operations for £1.3bn.
Veale Wasbrough hires Bristol City Council legal head
Veale Wasbrough Vizards has announced that it has hired Bristol City Council legal head Stephen McNamara as a consultant in its public sector department.
Opportunities outweigh challenges in Latin America, says Bakers LatAm chair
When Baker & McKenzie broke the news earlier this year that it was launching an office in Peru, managing partners at other international firms across the world were no doubt nodding their heads silently in agreement.
Akin Gump and Dechert win roles as Kazakh oil group restructures debt
US firms Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Dechert won roles on the debt restructuring of Kazakhstan-focused oil and gas group Max Petroleum through a new $90m (£56m) credit facility.
BRIC builder
An ever-changing taxation environment and a booming resources sector mean life is never dull for Clovis Torres, GC and head of tax at Brazilian super-miner Vale
Goal difference
Euro 2012 was a boost for troubled Ukraine but its benefits are unlikely to be felt in the longer term. However, prospects are emerging elsewhere
CC, Freshfields and Links among firms on call for Kazakh mobile IPO
Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters have all clinched roles as Kazakh mobile operator Kcell looks to list in London and Kazakhstan.
Taylor Wessing joins double-digit ranks with half-year turnover rise
Taylor Wessing has reported double-digit growth in its half-year revenues, joining a small rank of firms that have increased their revenues in the first half of the 2012/13 financial year
Clarks Shoes legal chief returns to Veale Wasbrough for City push
Veale Wasbrough Vizards has rehired former partner Sue Malthouse, who returns to the firm after 18 months at Clarks Shoes as group director of legal and company secretary.
Cuatrecasas chief cleared of tax fraud as judge dismisses case
A judge in Barcelona has dismissed allegations that the chair of Iberian firm Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira, Emilio Cuatrecasas, committed tax fraud totalling an estimated €3.7m (£2.9m).
CC and Linklaters lead as Carlyle and StanChart make Tanzanian investment
Clifford Chance has advised private equity outfit the Carlyle Group on its $210m (£132m) investment in Tanzania-based agricultural company Export Trading Group (ETG), with Linklaters and South African firm Webber Wentzel also acting for investors.
Ghost in the machine
US moves forward on Magnitsky case, with Canada next. When will the UK act?
Egorov ups English law capacity with hire from Herbies' Moscow team
Russian law firm Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners has hired Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) English-qualified corporate and energy partner Robin Wittering to join its Moscow office.
Magnitsky Act overcomes further hurdle in US Congress
The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Magnitsky Act, with 365 to 43 in favour of passing the bill
Herbert Smith and Travers field City teams for Polish energy deal
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and Travers Smith have scooped roles as San Leon Energy acquires Aurelian Oil & Gas in a bid to become the largest foreign holder of shale licenses in Poland.
Turcan Connell hires family law duo from Maclay Murray & Spens
Scottish private client firm Turcan Connell has hired a senior family law team from Maclay Murray & Spens to join its Glasgow office, which opened just over two months ago.
Portugal's Miranda launches London base to boost transatlantic offering
Miranda Correia Amendoeira & Associados has become the first major Portuguese law firm to open an office in London, taking advantage of the growing interest from both UK and international investors in the African market.
Cleary joins Slaughters' French ally on Franco-Belgian bailout of Dexia
Bredin Prat, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and former Clifford Chance partner Yves Herinckx have all landed roles as France and Belgium inject €5.5bn (£4.4bn) to bail out ailing Dexia, as part of a recapitalisation deal approved by the company’s board of directors yesterday (12 November).
White & Case shifts strategy with hire of Emirati partner in Abu Dhabi base
White & Case has appointed UAE-qualified lawyer Abdulwahid Al Ulama as a partner in Abu Dhabi, making it the first international law firm to add an Emirati partner to its headcount there.
Lewis Silkin to open Cardiff base with Welsh government backing
City firm Lewis Silkin has announced that it is opening an office in Cardiff, making it the firm’s third office in the UK after London and Oxford.
Spanish trio acts as Bertelsmann takes over Random House Mondadori
Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira, d’Urso Gatti e Bianchi, Garrigues and Uría Menéndez have all landed roles as the Bertelsmann Group acquires a 50 per cent stake in Barcelona-based Random House Mondadori, Random House’s trade book publisher in Spain and Latin America, for €54.5m (£43.6m).
Light and shade
The Russian legal market faces a new era as the government opens the door to greater business transparency, but not everything is open to scrutiny
Pepeliaev Group expands footprint with Siberia launch
Russian firm Pepeliaev Group has launched an office in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, making it the firm’s third office in the region after Moscow and St Petersburg.
Prudential hires Tesco GC for company secretary role
Tesco group general counsel Alan Porter has left the supermarket chain to take up the role of group company secretary at Prudential.
Bingham joins local trio on Spanish constructor's €200m debt refinancing
Bingham McCutchen has joined Spanish firms Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo and Uría Menéndez in advising on building manufacturer Uralita’s debt refinancing.
Eurovision
Monte Carlo was the location for The Lawyer’s annual European Awards and Conference. Here are the highlights
Garrigues promotes 15 to equity as turnover drops by 5 per cent
Spanish firm Garrigues has made up 15 equity partners as revenue figures for the financial year 2011-12 showed a dip of 5 per cent.
Akin Gump and Weil win roles as AAR apes BP with TNK-BP stake sale
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Weil Gotshal & Manges have all scooped roles as the Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR) consortium that owns a 50 per cent stake in TNK-BP prepares to sell its stake to Rosneft for $28bn (£17.5bn).
Clifford Chance and Linklaters lead on $1.5bn Sberbank loan amid panel review
Clifford Chance and Linklaters have landed the lead roles as Russia’s Sberbank raises a three-year $1.5bn (£930m) loan from a syndicate of ten foreign banks.
Capital transfer
Susan Mann’s experience in both the US and UK legal markets is invaluable at financial software specialist Dealogic
Open goal
Destination transparency, as Russian bank publishes law panel application results
Starting blocks
The 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics are a springboard for sports-related legal projects, but the potential doesn’t end there
Sberbank publishes winners and losers on first formal legal roster
Russia’s largest bank has launched its inaugural legal panel, appointing 37 firms across 13 sub-panels in a move that is indicative of a growing trend in the Russian market for banks and companies to establish more formal panel arrangements for their external legal providers.
RBS slashes panel appointments by 40 per cent in latest review
The Royal Bank of Scotland has revamped its group and UK legal panels, slashing the number of sub-panels from 13 to five and reducing the number of law firms on the panel by 40 per cent from around 100 to between 55 and 60.
Baker Botts sets sights on Rio opening
US firm Baker Botts has become the latest international law firm to confirm its plans to open an office in Rio de Janeiro.
After the bailout
The world downturn has hit Portugal particularly hard and trainee numbers have been slashed, but there are grounds for cautious optimism
Number crunching: Stone King
In 2012 Bath-headquartered Stone King commemorated 227 years in business, but the firm also had another cause for celebration: a promising hike in turnover, with unaudited total revenue for the 2011-12 financial year-end jumping by 8.49 per cent to £11.5m.
US duo joins De Brauw as ASML acquires Cymer for €1.95bn
De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Skadden Arps Meagher Slate & Flom and Sullivan & Cromwell have acted as Dutch chip equipment manufacturer ASML acquires US microchip maker Cymer for €1.95bn (£1.58bn).
Mother of dead Russian lawyer Magnitsky makes plea to ECHR
The mother of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in November 2009 while being detained in a Moscow prison cell, has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to declare that Russia has violated the European Convention of Human Rights in relation to Magnitsky’s death.
Clifford Chance names finance partner as new Moscow head
Clifford Chance has appointed Logan Wright as managing partner of its Moscow office, succeeding Jan ter Haar, who has managed the office since 2009.
CMS to launch in Barcelona after hiring partner from Ernst & Young
The Spanish member of the CMS network, CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo, has unveiled plans to open an office in Barcelona following the hire of Ernst & Young partner José María Rojí.
IBA Conference: Bar talk
Thousands of lawyers descended on Dublin last week for the annual International Bar Association conference. Of course, The Lawyer was there too, to bring you the inside knowledge
Clifford Chance and Norton Rose appointed to revamped LV panel
Clifford Chance and Norton Rose have made first-time appearances on the corporate legal panel of Bournemouth-based insurance group Liverpool Victoria (LV).
Cleary, Linklaters and Sullivan advise as Coca-Cola bottler exits Greece
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Linklaters and Sullivan & Cromwell have gained the lead roles as Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH) moves to switch its main listing from Athens to London following the Greek-based Coca-Cola bottler’s credit downgrading by agencies in the wake of the country’s economic crisis.
Tequila sunrise
Mexico is becoming a land of opportunity and lawyers from all over the world are looking at ways to get a piece of the action
White & Case promotes five in London in 28-strong global promos round
US firm White & Case has promoted five lawyers to the partnership in London as part of a global promotions round that sees 28 made up to partner.
Freshfields holds on to banks role on MegaFon IPO despite Goldman exit
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has retained its role advising the underwriters on the IPO of MegaFon, despite lead bank Goldman Sachs pulling out of the deal.
Linklaters and SullCrom scoop roles as UnitedHealth pushes into Brazilian healthcare market
Linklaters and Sullivan & Cromwell have landed lead roles on UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of a majority stake in leading Brazilian healthcare company Amil Participações for $4.9bn (£3bn).
Freshfields and Linklaters take the lead as Barclays buys ING Direct UK
Freshfields and Linklaters have landed the lead roles as Barclays takes over ING Direct UK, the UK online banking arm of Dutch financial services group ING.
Linklaters and Uría take jobs as bankrupt Schlecker sells Iberian units
Linklaters and Uría Menéndez have landed the lead roles as Spanish discount supermarket Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentación (Dia) acquired bankrupt German pharmacy chain Schlecker’s Spanish and Portuguese arms.
SA Law and Pickworths merge in Hertfordshire tie-up
Hertfordshire-based SA Law and Pickworths have merged to form a 15-partner firm to boost their presence in the region.
Carson McDowell steers Wrightbus contract for 600 London buses
Carson McDowell has acted as sole adviser to public transport supplier Wrightbus as it secured a multi-million pound contract to build 600 buses for Transport for London (TfL).
Firm favourite
Kazakhstan is becoming a bright spot in the global market for legal services
US trio lands roles on $1.15bn Mexichem bond offering
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Davis Polk & Wardwell, Ritch Mueller and White & Case have all scooped roles as Mexichem issues a $1.15bn (£700m) two-tranche bond offering.
CMS launches Beijing office to tap China's life sciences sector
CMS has opened an office in Beijing as part of a joint venture between the firm’s UK member CMS Cameron McKenna and German firm CMS Hasche Sigle.
Olswang ups TMT offering with hire of tech duo
Olswang has boosted its technology and outsourcing offering with the hire of a technology partner each for its London and Singapore offices.
Santander taps Uría for legal head as part of team restructure
Banco Santander has hired Uría Menéndez corporate finance partner Javier Illescas as the Spanish bank restructures its legal department into two separate divisions, business legal affairs and internal legal affairs.
Clifford Chance and US duo fuel €750m Turkish power plant financing
Clifford Chance, Paul Hastings and White & Case have led on the signing of a €750m (£600m) loan to finance the construction of a 450MW lignite-fired power plant and related lignite mine and limestone quarries project in Tufanbeyli in Turkey.
Ad value
The world of outdoor advertising got a boost from London 2012, says Grainne Brankin, international legal director at CBS Outdoor International
Cleary and Sullivan steer Colombian bank's $1bn debt offering
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Sullivan & Cromwell have acted as lead advisers as Colombia’s Bancolombia completed its $1.15bn (£700m) debt offering on the international markets.
Deripaska shakes up Rusal legal team
Rusal chief legal officer, Igor Makarov, has been promoted to deputy chief executive officer for legal affairs at Basic Element, the holding company owned by Rusal chief executive Oleg Deripaska.
White & Case joins European duo on $1.2bn Chinese loan to Telefónica
De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Uría Menéndez and White & Case have all landed roles advising the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) on a $1.2bn (£740m) loan to Telefónica.
Raft of firms act as Mexico's Cemex brings to a close $7.2bn debt restructuring
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Clifford Chance, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Slaughter and May are among the firms that have acted on Cemex’s $7.2bn debt restructuring package.
Cleary and Linklaters act as Russia's Sberbank poised for London-Moscow SPO
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Linklaters have landed roles on Sberbank’s long-awaited secondary public offering (SPO), which will see the bank raise $5.4bn in London and Moscow.
Portugal's Sérvulo & Associados appoints new managing partner
Portuguese independent Sérvulo & Associados has elected Lino Torgal as the firm’s new managing partner
A&O and Freshfields lead as Maersk sails into Russian cargo market
Allen & Overy (A&O) and Freshfields have taken the lead roles on a strategic partnership between the ports arm of Danish shipping group AP Moller-Maersk and logistics group N-Trans, which owns a controlling stake in Russia’s Global Ports Investments.
Market value
World stock markets brace for a flurry of major flotations
Fontana appointed as CEO as Cuatrecasas reshuffles board
Iberian firm Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira has appointed new members of its board of directors, which will see the roles of chairman and chief executive separated for the first time.
FSA to launch first ever investigatory panel
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is to launch its first ever panel of external advisers to carry out investigations at banks.
Cleary and Freshfields win roles as MegaFon plans $4bn London IPO
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have taken advisory roles as Russian telecoms group MegaFon prepares to list on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in the coming weeks, with an IPO tipped to raise up to $4bn (£2.5bn).
Cuatrecasas chairman called to give evidence against tax fraud allegations
The chair of Iberian firm Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira, Emilio Cuatrecasas, has been called to give evidence on allegations of tax fraud made against him totalling an estimated €3.7m (£2.9bn)
Davis Polk and Shearman lead on Santander's $4.3bn Mexican float
Davis Polk & Wardwell and Shearman & Sterling have taken advisory roles as Banco Santander prepares to list its Mexican subsidiary in New York and Mexico, aiming to raise an estimated $4.3bn (£2.7bn).
Morgan Lewis hires former Latham tax head in Paris
Morgan Lewis & Brockius has hired Christian Nouel, a tax partner at Paris-based STC Partners and former tax head at Latham & Watkins’ Paris office.
Foreign Office refutes claims of issuing Magnitsky visa sanctions
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has denied claims that it has introduced a blacklist naming 60 Russian officials believed to be involved in the fraud, subsequent detention, torture and death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky
Keystone Law lawyer tragically killed in accident in central London
A woman who died after being crushed by falling window frames in central London has been named by police as Amanda Telfer, a lawyer at Keystone Law.
DMH Stallard seals merger with Surrey-based Callaghans
DMH Stallard has announced the completion of its merger with Surrey-based Callaghans, which specialises in property, litigation and private client work.
Herbert Smith snaps up Salans' Moscow disputes head
Herbert Smith has hired Moscow-based disputes partner Alexei Panich from Salans to help fill the gap left by the departure of the firm’s Moscow disputes head in June.
Freshfields, Linklaters and Morgan Lewis advise as Rosneft teams with Statoil
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters and Morgan Lewis & Bockius have all been retained as advisers as Russian state-owned energy giant Rosneft signed four new joint ventures to explore oil and gas fields in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans with Norwegian rival Statoil.
SRA slashes intervention panel from 24 to eight
Eight firms have succeeded in winning spots on the radically reduced Solicitors Regulation Authority intervention panel after a competitive tender process.
Norton Rose and Bär & Karrer get slice of action as Domino's goes Swiss
Norton Rose and Swiss firm Bär & Karrer have acted for Domino’s Pizza Group as it reached an agreement to acquire the Domino’s Swiss franchise.
Cravath, Pepper Hamilton lead as IBM buys Kenexa for $1.3bn
Cravath Swaine & Moore and Pepper Hamilton have taken the helm as IBM acquired human resources management company Kenexa for $1.3bn (£820m) to boost its cloud-based software offering.
A&O, Freshfields and Simmons ink pre-pack sale to save Mouchel
Allen & Overy (A&O), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Simmons & Simmons have advised on the financial restructuring of public infrastructure group Mouchel, which involved the pre-pack sale of its assets to its lenders and management.
Scottish firm Gillespie MacAndrew to open office in Perth
Scottish firm Gillespie MacAndrew is to open an office in Perth on 3 September.
A&O and Morgan Lewis lead as Russia's Rosneft signs Arctic gas deal
Allen & Overy (A&O) and Morgan Lewis & Bockius scooped roles as Russian oil major Rosneft completed a strategic joint venture with natural gas producer Itera to jointly develop gas fields in the Russian Arctic.
Russia's Nadmitov Ivanov signs cooperation deal with Finnish firm
Moscow-based law firm Nadmitov Ivanov & Partners has established a cooperation agreement with Finnish finance boutique Attorneys-at-Law Trust.
Memery Crystal focuses on Africa after strong year
Memery Crystal has had another successful year with turnover rising 14 per cent from £15.1m in 2010-11 to £17.2m.
Skadden among advisers on French security deal
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has landed the lead role alongside local lawyers on the acquisition of private security company Neo Security by Fiducial Private Security, a subsidiary of French multidisciplinary services company Fiducial.
Volume firm Minster Law breaks £100m turnover barrier
Minster Law has boosted its turnover by 27 per cent to break the £100m barrier for the first time, posting an overall turnover of £104.1m for the 2011-2012 financial year.
US Congress postpones signing Magnitsky Act
The US Congress has postponed its final vote on the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012.
Fire fighting
Russia is on the verge of becoming a WTO member, but practitioners with in-depth, first-hand experience of the country’s legal, political and business infrastructure believe it is rotten to the core
Move On Up: Berwin Leighton Paisner
Consistent promotions keep Berwin Leighton Paisner’s London office buoyant, while international hiring continues apace
No leaf unturned
Based in green-belt Richmond, Celerant legal chief Darryl Coulter has challenged the company’s culture to create a legal function capable of tackling international issues
Keystone Law goes global with Israel and South Africa next on agenda
After already expressing an interest in launching a commercial arm in Australia, Keystone Law has revealed plans to set up similar joint venture structures in Italy, France, Israel and South Africa.
Ashurst joins US duo as Axa PE backs French engineering MBO
Ashurst, Latham & Watkins and Weil Gotshal & Manges have all landed roles on the management buyout of French industrial engineering company Fives Group in a deal backed by Axa Private Equity (Axa PE).
Cuatrecasas lawyer questioned in data-trafficking scandal
A lawyer from Iberian firm Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira is one of the latest high-profile figures to be questioned in relation to a data-trafficking scandal that first came to light in Spain last year.
Morgan Lewis ex-Dewey team acts alongside Norton Rose on Kazakh potash purchase
Morgan Lewis & Bockius and Norton Rose have scooped roles on Sprint Capital’s acquisition of a potash business in Kazakhstan.
Drug test
The knock-on effect of NHS reforms has shaken the pharma industry, forcing Roche managing counsel Funke Abimbola to hit the ground running
Gómez-Acebo Pombo to launch New York office
Spanish firm Gómez-Acebo Pombo will launch an office in New York this autumn.
Fenwick & West and Gunderson Dettmer scoop roles on Cisco's acquisition of Virtuata
Fenwick & West and Gunderson Dettmer have landed roles on Cisco’s acquisition of cloud security startup Virtuata.
Cuatrecasas loses partner to Spanish firm Abdón Pedrajas & Molero
Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira partner Sonia Cortés has defected to labour boutique Abdón Pedrajas & Molero.
Spain's Cuatrecasas looks to trim partnership in wake of all-equity move
Iberian firm Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira has put 28 non-equity partners on notice that they must improve their performance or leave the firm, just months after announcing plans to to move to an all-equity partnership.
Beyond oil
The Eurovision Song Contest was Azerbaijan’s chance to show it can shine for things other than energy supplies
Cuatrecasas, the €35bn bailout and the E1 fee
Cuatrecasas’ decision to take on Spain’s ?financing business for just €1 has been branded ridiculous by its competitors, but times are tough and there may be some canny thinking behind the measly deal
Move On Up: Faegre Baker Daniels
After a couple of mergers the London office’s retention has wavered but it been reinforcing numbers with lateral hires, particularly in corporate, employment and real estate
House of Commons launches probe into MoJ interpreting contract
The House of Commons justice select committee has launched an inquiry into how Applied Languages Solutions (ALS) was awarded a contract to act as the sole supplier for court interpreters throughout England and Wales.
Stone King focuses on education with partner addition
Bath firm Stone King has hired education specialist John Clarke from Maitland Walker, making him the firm’s second high-profile hire in this sector in a matter of months.
Allen & Overy and Freshfields join raft of firms on Deutsche Annington refinancing
Allen & Overy and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have scooped lead roles on a €4.3bn (£3.3bn) debt refinancing deal for Germany property owner Deutsche Annington Immobilien.
MoFo elects successor for longstanding chair Wetmore
Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) has appointed longstanding bankruptcy partner Larren Nashelsky as its elected chair
Latham and White & Case lock horns on blockbuster Qatari sukuk
Latham & Watkins and White & Case have landed roles on one of Qatar’s largest-ever dollar-denominated Islamic bond issuances.
Ashurst wins $700m finance role for Brazil's Petra after taking on legal chief as secondee
Ashurst and SNR Denton have landed UK roles on a finance agreement that sees Citibank provide an affiliate of Brazilian oil and gas group Petra Energia with an estimated $703.6m (£452.6m) credit line to fund its exploration projects.
Spain's Olleros Abogados hires ex-Garrigues managing partner
Spanish firm Olleros Abogados has hired Miguel Gordillo Moro, a former managing partner of Garrigues, as of counsel
Baker Hughes legal chief takes compliance role at Wood Group
The Europe legal and compliance director at oilfield services giant Baker Hughes is set to leave the company to join global energy business Wood Group.
Metal guru
Becoming legal boss at the world’s biggest aluminium producer and dealing with plants in far-flung locations was a change and a challenge for Igor Makarov
Lewis Silkin and Osborne Clarke lead as Publicis buys out Levi Strauss's ad agency
Lewis Silkin has acted opposite Osborne Clarke as lead counsel to Publicis Groupe on its acquisition of the remaining 51 per cent stake of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), the advertising agency famous for the Levi Strauss and Johnnie Walker adverts.
Deutsche Bank legal officer joins ThyssenKrupp to kickstart department restructure
Deutsche Bank’s long-standing chief legal officer Arne Wittig is leaving the bank’s Frankfurt office to take up the role of general counsel at German steel and industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp.
Qatar Rail appoints seven firms to first legal panel
Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has launched its inaugural legal panel with the appointment of seven law firms.
Move On Up: Winckworth Sherwood
Slow but steady has been the way for this London-based firm as its clear career structure sees trainees progress through the ranks
No trainers
Is your firm cool enough to get on Russian bank RenCap’s legal roster?
Regional-merger trend continues as Attwaters and Jameson & Hill tie the knot
Essex law firm Attwaters and Herts-based Jameson & Hill have announced their plans to merge in a deal that will see the two firms form Attwaters Jameson Hill.
Orrick and Perkins Coie land roles on Microsoft’s $1.2bn acquisition of Yammer
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and Perkins Coie have scooped roles on Microsoft’s acquisition of corporate social networking operator Yammer for $1.2bn, making it one of the company’s biggest acquisitions in recent years.
Team of labour lawyers quits Cuatrecasas for KPMG
Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira labour partner Antonio Bartolomé has joined KPMG’s Madrid office.
Last of the dog days
Lennox the pit bull to meet his maker as Defra plans further clampdown
The in-house candidates for The Lawyer Awards 2012
The increasing influence of the in-house sector is reflected in the quality of the shortlist for this year’s gong at The Lawyer Awards. So could general counsel teach private practitioners a thing or two?
Herbert Smith reels as Europe litigation head quits for Dechert
The head of Herbert Smith’s litigation, arbitration practice and employment group is leaving the firm for Dechert, barely a year after he was promoted to the role.
Linklaters and White & Case land roles on Sberbanks $3.9bn Denizbank deal
Linklaters and White & Case have scooped roles on the acquisition of Denizbank by Russia’s Sberbank for $3.9bn (£2.51bn).
Met Police on hunt for legal chief as Solomons prepares for retirement
The director of legal services at the Metropolitan Police Service, Edward Solomons, is due to retire in the next few weeks.
White & Case loses Monterrey executive partner to spin-off firm
The office executive partner of White & Case’s Monterrey office has left to join former White & Case partner Thomas Heather’s firm in Mexico City.
Turnover and PEP up at Manchester's DWF
DWF has broken through the £100m turnover barrier for the first time after posting a rise of 23 per cent to £102m for the 2011-12 financial year.
Number crunching: Mongolia
Among emerging markets the BRICs, and latterly the CIVETS (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa), tend to take centre stage.
Mexican litigation boutique launched by White & Case team
Four partners are due to leave White & Case’s Mexico City office to launch a firm that will focus on administrative litigation matters.
Hogan Lovells and Davis Polk lead on $3bn Venezuelan bond issuance
Hogan Lovells has scooped a role as both US and Venezuelan counsel to Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA on its $3bn (£1.9bn) bond issuance.
Bear freshener
Russian lawyers scent a rosier future as transparency and stability top the political agenda
French leave
Ex-president may face legal questions sooner than he thinks
Ashurst turns to Gide for energy hire
Ashurst has appointed Gide Loyrette Nouel associate Nicolas Bonnefoy as a partner in its global energy team.
PLMJ tax lawyers spin off to form Rogério Fernandes Ferreira & Associados
Eight tax lawyers have left Portuguese law firm PLMJ - AM Pereira S Leal O Martins Júdice & Associados to form tax boutique Rogério Fernandes Ferreira & Associados.
Virgin Money hires new cosec as director of legal resigns
Virgin Money has appointed a new deputy company secretary following the decision by incumbent director of legal and company secretary Jasan Fitzpatrick to take a career break.
Shell kicks off global litigation group with Fulbright hire
Royal Dutch Shell has launched a new global disputes group to handle all of its litigation and arbitration, appointing Fulbright & Jaworski partner Richard Hill as the group’s associate general counsel.
I did it my way
Like all US presidents before him, President Barack Obama was subject to a deluge of scrutiny as politicians and pundits alike tried to assess his first 100 days in office three years ago. It is not a purely Rooseveltian idea: les cent jours concept originated in France during Napoleonic times.
BLP continues magic circle hiring spree with addition of Linklaters partner
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has announced the hire of Linklaters real estate finance partner Claire Watson, making her the firm’s ninth lateral hire since the beginning of the year.
Akin, Skadden and White & Case advise on £5,3bn MegaFon deal
Akin Gump, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and White & Case have all landed roles on the $8.5bn (£5.3bn) shareholder restructuring of Russia’s second largest mobile phone operator OAO MegaFon.
Field Fisher Waterhouse promotes six to partnership
Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) has made up six partners in its annual round of promotions, with five of the new partners based in London.
Linklaters promotes 23 to partner, six in London
Linklaters is making up 23 new partners in its 2012 promotions round, with only six of the new partners coming from the London office.
What the clients think: BLP, the Moscow merger and its Russian evolution
It took a brave firm to have a crack at Russia during the downturn. And as our exclusive poll of Russian in-house lawyers shows, BLP’s gamble is starting to pay off
Scottish private client firm Turcan Connell launches Glasgow base
Scottish law firm Turcan Connell is set to expand into the west of Scotland with the opening of a new office in Glasgow.
Interpreting error leads to £25,000 retrial costs
A trial at a London court collapsed last Friday after it was revealed that an interpreter employed by Applied Language Solutions had made an interpreting error.
Steppe back in time
Déjà vu for Chadbourne in Russia as lawyers defect to Dechert
Dewey exits continue as New York partner heads to Mayer Brown
Dewey & LeBoeuf is understood to have lost another partner to Mayer Brown with the departure of corporate finance partner Richard Spitzer.
Cleary and Linklaters lead on $7bn Russian eurobond deal
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Linklaters have landed roles on a $7bn (£4.4bn) eurobond issue from the Russian Federation that is set to be one of the largest eurobond deals to hit the emerging markets since 2000.
Addleshaw Goddard to launch in Singapore after six-month hiatus
Addleshaw Goddard is preparing to open its long-awaited Singapore office, with a London partner set to relocate to lead the launch.
Revealed: two-thirds of solicitors would take in-house role
More than 65 per cent of private practice solicitors would consider moving into an in-house role, a survey by The Lawyer reveals today.
Number crunching: Russian IPOs in London
After enjoying the coveted position as the top-choice listing venue for large Russian companies, leading aluminium producer Rusal shocked the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in 2010 when it opted to go public on the Hong Kong Exchange, with the aim of tapping into the Chinese market.
Vinson & Elkins and Machado Meyer advise on $5.16bn Sinopec deal
Vinson & Elkins and Brazilian law firm Machado, Meyer Sendacz e Opice Advogados have advised Sinopec on acquiring a 30 per cent stake in the Brazilian unit of Portuguese oil company Galp Energia for $5.16bn (£3.24bn).
Shepherd and Wedderburn promotes deputy chief executive to top role
Scottish-headquartered firm Shepherd and Wedderburn has announced the appointment of Stephen Gibb as the firm’s new chief executive following a unanimous vote by the firm’s partnership.
Motherhood is no bar
Women make the cut in this year’s QC round
Thinking outside the box
Television is a lot more than what appears on the screen. BBC Worldwide general counsel Martyn Freeman has a lot to keep up with
Females make up just 20 per cent of honorary silk nominations
Just 20 per cent of the people nominated for the honorary QC title in the past three years were women, The Lawyer can reveal.
New orders
With real estate and energy in the doldrums, legislative reform is keeping lawyers busy as the government attempts to cure Spain’s recession hangover
Number crunching: Mexico subscription
Mexico, dragged down by the slump in US consumer spending, has not done as well out of the recession as many of its Latin American neighbours. However, things started to look up in 2010 when its economy grew by 5.5 per cent - its fastest annual growth rate in more than a decade.
Eversheds and Irwin Mitchell rank in corporate responsibility index
Eversheds and Irwin Mitchell are the only two law firms to scoop a ranking in Business in the Community’s (BITC) 2012 Corporate Responsibility Index, which manages and measures the effectiveness of businesses’ social responsibility activities.
White & Case partner set to join Morgan Stanley
White & Case London-based partner Mark Glengarry is set to join Morgan Stanley as a managing director in its investment banking division.
Bonelli appoints founding partner as London head
Italian firm Bonelli Erede Pappalardo is set to appoint senior and founding partner Andrea Carta Mantiglia as head of its London office.
Clydes signs alliance with Mongolia's Khan Lex Advocates
Clyde & Co is set to formally enter the Mongolian market via an association with local firm Khan Lex Advocates.
Honour without cause
It’s time to make the honorary QC system more transparent or rethink the whole idea
Ringing the changes
Vodafone Group already had a strong legal team when Rosemary Martin took over as general counsel, but she’s still found ways to make her mark
Government's court interpreting agency hit with wasted costs orders
The agency appointed by the Government as the sole provider of court interpreters has been issued with a number of wasted costs orders after issues with its service led to some cases being adjourned.
2012 QC list shows silk road is not always paved with gold
As the downturn lingers, junior barristers are wary of outpricing their solicitor clients
Number crunching: UK law firms in Spain subscription
For a market that has experienced some of the worst of the global financial crisis - with Moody’s recently slashing its credit rating to A3 - there continues to be a surprising amount of interest in Spain from UK law firms.
Tory minister admits new court interpreter system is 'unacceptable'
The parliamentary under-secretary of state for prisons and youth justice has admitted that the Government’s new court interpreter system is “unacceptable”.
Clydes senior partner awarded honorary silk
Clyde & Co senior partner Michael Payton is one of five lawyers to be awarded honorary Queen’s Counsel this year.
Hogan Lovells set for Rio de Janeiro launch
Hogan Lovells has become the latest international law firm to announce its intention to open an office in Brazil.
McGrigors appointed sole adviser to Belfast's Queen's University
Queen’s University Belfast is to appoint McGrigors as its sole legal adviser following a competitive tendering process.
Kuwaiting game
Kuwait is instituting reforms with the aim of becoming the trade centre of the Middle East, but only a handful of global firms have grasped the nettle
Safer bet
Iraq’s legal market is showing signs of stability following a decade of turmoil, and with energy featuring, highly international firms are beginning to take note
MoJ ditches new court interpreting system in face of major backlash
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has decided to allow courts to revert to the old system of selecting interpreters from the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) in order to avoid further hearings being adjourned as a result of interpreters from a new agency failing to turn up to court.
Squire Sanders launches international shipping team in London
Squire Sanders is to launch a shipping team in London following the hire of three partners.
Lost in translation
Court interpreters row raises spectre of miscarriages of justice
Lawyers slam Government’s new court interpreting system
As recent changes to the provision of interpreters for court hearings are set to save the Government £18m a year, many are concerned that the new system is leading to severe delays and costing more money.
DLA Piper launches in Mexico City with Thompson & Knight team
DLA Piper has kickstarted its launch in Latin America’s second largest economic hub by swiping the entire legal team from Thompson & Knight’s Mexico City office.
Kilroy woz GC
General counsel moves up to take CEO role at Misys
Welsh Government unveils slimmed-down panel
Five law firms have been re-appointed to the Welsh Government’s legal panel but three firms have lost their places.
Government efficiency group appoints ex-Slaughters partner as GC
Lucy Wylde, the current general counsel at the HM Treasury’s Asset Protection Agency (APA) has been appointed as general counsel for commercial law of the Government’s Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) – a cross-government role based in the Cabinet Office.
Move On Up: Bristows
?All-equity, a hugely consistent growth strategy and plenty of female partners
Number crunching: Brazil
While the world was still reeling from the impact of the economic crisis, Latin America was thriving. Brazil in particular has experienced an enormous surge in growth in recent years and was recently named the sixth largest economy in the world.
Cleary and Shearman lead on $7bn Petrobras bond deal
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Shearman & Sterling have both scooped roles advising on Brazilian oil giant Petrobras’s up to $7bn bond issue.
RBS: is the well running dry?
When the Government bailed out RBS for £45.5bn in October 2008 all the bank’s prayers seemed to have been answered.
Squire Sanders announces new line-up to global leadership
Squire Sanders has named Stephen Mahon as the new managing partner of its US LLP as the same time to adding a partner each from London and Paris to its global board.
CC and Milbank fly high with RBS aviation sale
Clifford Chance is advising the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) on the sale of its Dublin-based aviation unit RBS Aviation Capital to Japan’s largest bank for $7.3 billion (£4.7 billion).
Ten firms win spots on BNP Paribas's revamped global panel
BNP Paribas has revamped its roster of external advisers with 10 firms understood to have made the grade.
Raft of firms sign up to Nick Clegg's Business Compact
Ten law firms are among over 100 businesses to sign up to the Government’s Business Compact on social mobility, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today.
Barclays' harvest
On a balmy day in July 2011 nearly 150 lawyers congregated on the fourth floor of 1 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf.
Bingham McCutcheon kickstarts Beijing launch with lateral hire
US firm Bingham McCutcheon has hired Jones Day partner Xiaowei Ye to manage its newly launched Beijing office alongside corporate partner Brian Beglin, who is relocating from Tokyo.
White & Case makes up six City partners in 21-strong global round
US firm White & Case has made up six lawyers to partner in London as part of a global promotions round that has seen 21 make the grade.
Actuarial Profession hires Kingsley Napley partner as general counsel
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (the Actuarial Profession) has named Ben Kemp as its general counsel.
Simpson Thacher makes up 12 in bumper promotion round
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is the latest US firm to announce the promotion of 10 corporate lawyers and two litigators. The appointments will take effect on 1 January 2012.
Simmons' profits up 24 per cent at half-year point
Pinsents posts turnover rise of 6 per cent at half-year stage
Pinsent Masons has announced half-year results of £105 million, a 6 per cent increase on revenue figures for last year.
Norton Rose revenues up 7 per cent at half-year
Norton Rose has revealed a 7 per cent increase in revenues for the first half of the 2011-12 financial year.
Ex-Bradford & Bingley legal chief takes on new role at Leeds Building Society
Leeds Building Society has installed Bradford & Bingley’s former legal chief as head of legal services.
Northern Irish police decide against questioning lawyer ahead of Massereene murder trial
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has made a rapid U-turn on its decision to interview a lawyer from Belfast-based firm Kevin R Winters & Co as he begins to lead the defence of a high-profile murder trial in Northern Ireland.
Bonelli appoints founding partner as London head
Italian firm Bonelli Erede Pappalardo is set to appoint senior and founding partner Andrea Carta Mantiglia as head of its London office.
