Reed Smith continues aggressive expansion with California merger
US firm swoops for fourth merger in three years; partners to vote on deal by the end of the month
The lone rearranger
The doyen of corporate restructuring is now at Nomura. Dearbail Jordan talks to Richard Gitlin about Maxwell, the IMF and being big in Japan Culture is an important issue for Richard Gitlin. The former Bingham McCutchen partner quietly glides into the office within the rabbit warren that is Nomura’s London branch and perches on the […]
German deals round-up
Baker & McKenzie Düsseldorf (Benedikt von Schorlemer) acted for E-Plus on the sale of its call centres to operator SNT. Linklaters Oppenhoff & Rädler (Wolfgang Krauel) represented SNT.Luther Menold (Mark Kersting) and Nauta Dutilh (Reinhoud Bredius) both acted for D Logistics in the sale of its holdings in the Cargo Service Centre and the Gateway […]
Global firms witness boom in German asset finance market
A&O, CC Pünder and Freshfields face up to wave of unexpected competition. Aled Griffiths reports If you had asked German finance lawyers two years ago to predict a growth area, few would have chosen asset finance. Until then the market was dominated by three firms: Clifford Chance Pünder (CCP), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & […]
A sporting chance
The growing number of claims in the sporting world has sparked a new interest in ADR. Jon Siddall reports on how many sports are making mediation part of the game plan Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in sport – if one includes arbitration as well as mediation within the range of accepted ADR disciplines – is […]
SJ Berwin targets clients US-style
In a radical departure, SJ Berwin has adopted US-style marketing in an attempt to generate litigation clients by mailing UK institutional investors who may have suffered significant losses on the US stock market following financial restatements To do this, the firm has linked up with Washington-based Hagens Berman and the two firms are offering to […]
Pillsbury Winthrop is defending a $45m claim as ex-partner sues for libel
Former partner Jensen brings action as proposed Latham move goes sour after allegations of sexual harassment Pillsbury Winthrop is defending a $45m (£28.8m) defamation suit by a former partner, who is accusing the firm of “character and commercial assassination of a disgraceful and repugnant sort”.Frode Jensen, a former member of Pillsbury’s managing board and co-head […]
Bahrain Bank picks Norton Rose
Norton Rose has received its first major instruction from Bahrain International Bank (BIB) to advise on the restructuring of its $460m (£294m) debt Historically, BIB has relied on Bahrain lawyers or overseas firms in jurisdictions receiving the bank’s investment – often the US.The instruction is likely to signal the start of a trend of Middle […]
CC picks three regional chiefs as votes continue
Three Clifford Chance partners have been elected unopposed as regional managing partners, as the firm continues its series of leadership votes. Peter Charlton has been re-elected as regional managing partner for London and Dubai for an initial term of three years beginning in January. Jim Baird has been re-elected as regional managing partner for Asia. […]
HENDERSON BOYD JACKSON
Careful diversity is Scottish firm Henderson Boyd’s route to continued strong performance “It’s a tough time for professional services firms, and this year we’ve bucked the trend and have been busier than we’ve ever been, particularly in the corporate area,” says Henderson Boyd Jackson managing partner Philip Dacker. “There aren’t many other Scottish law firms […]
Realty bites
Which firms are kings of the castle in terms of their real estate portfolios? Julia Cahill and Emma Vere-Jones reveal the findings of The Lawyer’s real estate survey The real estate survey by The Lawyer offers an unprecedented snapshot of how the UK’s leading real estate practices are shaping their businesses. Twenty firms were quizzed […]
DEAL OF THE WEEK – LITTLEWOODS
Lovells hikes M&A market with Littlewoods instruction The struggling M&A market last week saw a glimmer of hope as Lovells helped sell off retailer Littlewoods to the reclusive billionaire Barclay brothers. The deal, which signals the end of the Moores family’s 80-year ownership of Littlewoods, is worth £750m and adds to Sir David and Sir […]