6 August 2007

Champagne flows as A&O tops M&A charts

There’s every sign that the party’s coming to an end. The world’s markets got one hell of a wake-up call this morning when billions of dollars were wiped off share values. There’s every sign that the party’s coming to an end. The world’s markets got one hell of a wake-up call this morning when billions […]

A&O and CC top Thomson M&A rankings

Allen & Overy (A&O) and Clifford Chance have topped the latest league tables of European M&A advisers for the year to date. The results, released this week by data provider Thomson, will be a boon to both corporate teams, traditionally viewed as not as strong as their magic circle counterparts’. But A&O and Clifford Chance […]

Cleary gives boost to Akzo bid

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is the latest firm to land a role in the ICI and Akzo Nobel saga, which is now set to run until Monday (13 August). The US firm advised German consumer goods company Henkel in agreeing a £2.7bn conditional partnership with Akzo Nobel ahead of any deal with ICI. If […]

Simpson Thacher seals landmark Blackstone fund

The Blackstone Group has turned to regular adviser Simpson Thacher & Bartlett for the raising of its latest fund, the $21.7bn (£10.67bn) Blackstone Capital Partners V. The firm’s New York-based corporate partner Michael Wolitzer led the team acting on the fund, which is thought to be the world’s largest private equity vehicle, alongside tax partner […]

Thring Townsend to represent farmers over foot and mouth

South West firm Thring Townsend was instructed yesterday (9 August) by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) in relation to a potential action for losses suffered by farmers as a result of last week’s foot and mouth outbreak. The head of Thring Townsend’s agricultural litigation team Peter Cusick has been retained by the union to carry […]

Lawyers caught on the hop by foot and mouth outbreak

Lost: one strain of foot and mouth, one law firm and one licence to practice law. Last seen in Surrey. Lost: one strain of foot and mouth, one law firm and one licence to practice law. Last seen in Surrey. Merial general counsel Horace Nalle is probably wishing he could give the company some legal […]

Lawyer at foot-and-mouth company has no US licence

The general counsel for US animal research company Merial, one of the companies at the heart of the investigation into the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey, has not had an active US legal licence since 2000, it has emerged. Horace Nalle has been general counsel at Merial since 1997, but asked the State Bar of Pennsylvania […]

Mayer Brown claimant sued by Refco creditor

The scandal surrounding the bankruptcy of insolvent commodity trader Refco took a new twist yesterday when a creditor’s trustee sued Thomas H Lee, the private equity house that itself filed a claim against Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw (MBRM) two weeks ago. Advised by Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, trustee Marc Kirschner filed a multimillion-dollar […]

Freshfields boosts German associate salaries

Junior associates at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer‘s German arm will be some of the best paid in the country once a salary boost of €10,000 (£6,800) kicks in this autumn. As first revealed by German publication Juve, the magic circle firm has increased its base salary for associates to between €90,000 (£61,000) and €100,000 (£68,000) from […]

Bakers scores second Arqiva deal in a week

Baker & McKenzie has secured its second contract this week for communications company Arqiva, advising on a deal with Digital 3 and 4. As reported on www.thelawyer.com (7 August), Bakers commercial partner Duncan Reid-Thomas led a team advising the company on a £500m contract to design, build and operate a national digital terrestrial TV network […]

DLA Piper picks up DWS asset finance partner

Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) asset finance partner Stephen Marais is set to join DLA Piper as a partner in the finance and projects group. Marais, who joined Dentons in 1996 and made partner in 2005, focuses on the shipping, aircraft and film sectors, acting for banks and export credit agencies in a range of UK […]

Crutes targets North East rivals with director swoop

North East firm Crutes has appointed its first-ever commercial director in chartered accountant Tim Robinson. Robinson joins the firm from £400m North East-based specialist vehicle and engineering business Tanfield Group, where he was finance director. He is charged with expanding the firm’s service offering from its current portfolio of litigation, insurance and public sector work […]