Given the regulator’s reluctance to split up Sky, will the government realise that competition law is not fit for purpose, if the purpose is changingSky’s behaviour to make life easier for its rivals? Time for Regulators to Stop Promoting Sky’s Rivals? In December 2001, after lengthy investigations, the OFT found that Sky had a dominant […]
Two magic circle firms have secured lead roles on Sainsbury’s £445m capital raising. Linklaters corporate partner Mark Stamp advised longstanding client Sainsbury’s on the deal while Allen & Overy partners Mark Dighero and Jonathan Mellor advised the banks UBS and Morgan Stanley. The deal involves a convertible bond. Sainsbury’s aim to use the capital raised […]
Hextalls has failed in its bid to reduce a landmark compensation order made against its client Middlesbrough Football Club by a former Manchester United hopeful. Beachcroft secured former footballer Ben Collett a record £4.5m in compensation from the club last August after Collett broke his leg in a reserve game against Middlesbrough six years ago. […]
Tensions have been simmering between Gibraltar’s suspended Chief Justice Derek Schofield and its Governor Sir Robert Fulton for almost a decade. This week the row reached a climax with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, presiding over a seven-strong Privy Council panel that will determine whether Schofield J should be sacked or reinstated in his […]
Herbert Smith and SJ Berwin have advised on the £127m acquisition of Addleshaw Goddard’s new City offices. The deal, which had a shariah-compliant aspect, saw Al Salam Bank and investment house Evans Randall invest in a joint venture to buy the 200,000 square foot building on London’s Milton Gate from UBS Asset Management. The transaction […]
Birmingham-based St Philips Chambers is the latest set to create a chief executive position after appointing bar consultant Chris Owen to the role. The news comes after a series of sets created chief executive positions in recognition of the implications of the Legal Services Act. Earlier this month Quadrant Chambers hired Tim Gerrard as chief […]
GM’s crash and US govt rescue throws up some tricky issues on both sides of the Atlantic. By Margaret Taylor The world has got used to bad news over the past few months. When Lehman Brothers crashed last September, taking a raft of financial institutions with it, there was a feeling of panic in the […]
A move towards a more American approach in fraud pleas throws up new issues, say Rod Fletcher and Shula de Jersey The Attorney General’s Guidelines on Plea Discussions in Cases of Serious or Complex Fraud came into force on 5 May 2009 in an attempt to reduce both the time and cost associated with complex […]
Hammonds just cannot seem to distance itself from partner disputes. After largely resolving a High Court battle with a group of former partners relating to overdrawn profits, news of Hammonds Direct going into administration prompted a number of disputes between the law firm and the partnership of the failed conveyancing business. After Hammonds Support Services, […]
Kirkland & Ellis and Sidley Austin have scored lead roles on Bain Capital’s cash injection into Chinese retailer Gome Electrical Appliances. Kirkland Hong Kong-based partner David Eich advised Bain on the $630m (£319.53m) investment, while Sidley advised Gome on the deal using a team led by Hong Kong-based partner Constance Choy. As part of the […]
Property and private client firm Forsters has been appointed by London’s National Theatre (NT) to advise it on the development of its South Bank site over the next four years. It is the first time that the NT has put out such a tender and a first for Forsters, which has never worked with the […]
Slaughter and May has advised Punch Taverns on the sale of 11 managed pubs to Greene King for £30.4m. The deal, which is due to complete on 1 July, includes high-end pubs in Central London, such as The Bunch of Grapes in Knightsbridge. The portfolio comprises seven pubs in Central London and the South East […]