Online January 2015

Pastures new at Freshfields

The senior partner race at Freshfields will be fascinating to watch. The magic circle firm is widely recognised to be the only UK outfit to have built a credible top-level US presence, but with increasing competition among the global elite, the new senior partner will need to be an effective ambassador. Freshfields senior partner race: […]

Conyers advises Xiabuxiabu Catering Management on HK$1.1bn IPO

Conyers Dill & Pearman HAS provided Cayman and BVI legal advice to Xiabuxiabu Catering Management (China) Holdings Co, Ltd on its HK$1.1bn (£94.5m) IPO on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (HKSE) by way of Hong Kong public offering and international offering. Xiabuxiabu Catering Management (China) Holdings Co., Ltd. is China’s leading […]

Gateley appoints new partners Rattray and Raize to London team

Gateley has expanded its London team with the appointment of two new partners. Craig Rattray joins the firm’s commercial, technology and media team and Steven Raize has been appointed to the firm’s corporate team. New Zealand-born Rattray is a technology, commercial and payment services specialist and joins the firm from Olswang, where he was a partner […]

Conyers Dill & Pearman advises Autohome Inc. on its secondary offering

Conyers Dill & Pearman has provided Cayman Islands legal advice to Autohome Inc. and BVI legal advice to the BVI subsidiary in connection with a secondary offering in the US of 1,500,000 class A ordinary shares. Autohome Inc is an online destination for automobile consumers in China. Anna Chong of Conyers’ Hong Kong office advised […]

This week’s top 15 legal briefings – 03 February 2015

Popular beat artist Robin Thicke made headlines last year with a really very catchy tune and some really very unfortunate lyrics. We looked them up for the purposes of this email and quite apart from the sexism, there are some crimes against language in there. “In a hundred years not dare, would I / Pull […]

Money

DLA Piper International revenue and headcount fell in 2013/14, accounts show

DLA Piper International – the firm’s operations outside the US – saw a 2 per cent drop in revenue in 2013/14, the firm’s LLP accounts have shown. Turnover for the firm’s International LLP, which includes its offices in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the UK, dropped by almost £13m from £800.4m in 2012/13 to […]

Ogier to attend MIPIM 2015 property event

Ogier is attending MIPIM 2015, the annual real estate event for property professionals, at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, 10–13 March. If you would like meet to discuss the latest trends and developments in outsourced administration of real estate funds, or discuss how Ogier can service you or your clients in one of our eight […]

Eversheds advises Places for People Group on acquisition of residential developer

Eversheds has advised Places for People Group (PfP) on its acquisition of ZeroC, a sustainable residential developer active across the UK. ZeroC focuses on designing new and sustainable communities in conjunction with significant landowners, including the Homes & Communities Agency and The Duchy of Cornwall. PfP is one of the largest property management, development and […]

Herbert Smith

HSF cuts debt by 21 per cent in first full year after merger

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) reduced its debt position in its first full year as a merged firm, although it still ended the 2013/14 year with borrowings of £141m. As the firm in its current form was created via the October 2012 merger of UK firm Herbert Smith with Australia’s Freehills (28 June 2012) the previous […]

Conyers’ aviation lawyers receive top honours for second straight year

Five Conyers Dill & Pearman lawyers have been recognised as experts in aviation finance by Who’s Who Legal Transport 2015 for offshore aircraft finance work. Of the offshore lawyers named for the jurisdictions of Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands, the Conyers lawyers made the substantive majority. Julie McLean, Jason Piney and Stephen […]

UK construction jobs boom needs talent and long-term government plans, says Eversheds

Michael Conroy-Harris, construction expert at Eversheds, has commented on figures on the promise of a UK construction jobs boom. Conroy-Harris said: ‘It’s incredibly encouraging news that the recovery in UK construction is being predicted as strong enough to need 200,000 more workers (an increase of nearly 10 per cent) in the next five years. ‘The reality, […]