Scottish firm Burness has won a choice mandate to advise the preferred bidder for the development of the athletes’ village for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The firm, led by partner Stephen Philips, is advising the City Legacy Consortium, which was named preferred bidder by Glasgow City Council last month. The firm provided legal support […]
Vinson & Elkins is advising Chinese oil company Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation on its proposed $8.8bn (£5.3bn) takeover of Addax Petroleum. Francois Feuillat Vinson was instructed through a longstanding relationship struck up by China head Xiao Yong and Beijing office partner Paul Deemer. The transaction would see Sinopec increase substantially its global coverage through the […]
Rob_Moulton Bankers may have breathed a sigh of relief that the media’s focus moved away from City bonuses and on to scrutinising the expense claims of MPs recently. But last month the Treasury Select Committee tried to put some of the heat back on, saying the Financial Services Authority (FSA) needed to “sweep away […]
Linklaters’ global head of technology, media and telecoms (TMT) and IP has left the firm to take up roles with Bird & Bird and Chinese healthcare group Sinocare. Tim Schwarz joins Bird & Bird as a partner in its London office. He will also be part-time general counsel at Sinocare in London, but will work […]
Linklaters has been dropped from three Barclays panels a year after siding with the bank in litigation that destroyed its relationship with JPMorgan. Last week’s panel announcement came 12 months after JPMorgan ditched the firm for helping Barclays sue Bear Stearns after Bear Stearns was taken over by JPMorgan. The Barclays panel review saw Linklaters lose its […]
The lawyer for the British & Irish Lions rugby team is looking forward to Saturday’s final test with cautious optimism, pointing out that the fact the team has been hampered by injuries makes the result difficult to call. Guildhall Chambers’ Richard Smith QC, who has been working with the England team since its high of […]
Linklaters has lost almost half its panel places on Barclays’ revamped roster of legal advisers while Addleshaw Goddard has increased its presence on the panel, winning four additional places. Following a three-month review, the bank has finalised the 129 places on its 11 sub panels, with Linklaters being retained for four of the categories. Following […]
The UK courts could be forced to recognise the binding powers of pre-nuptial agreements following a judgment handed down by the Court of Appeal today. German heiress Katrin Radmacher went to the Court of Appeal to fight a High Court ruling that found she should pay over £5.8m to her ex-husband, despite him agreeing in […]
Ashurst is advising National Express on the planned termination of its East Coast mainline franchise. Ashurst has been sole adviser to the transport company since the franchise was awarded to National Express subsidiary NXEC in 2007, with corporate partner Steven Fox believed to be taking a lead role. The firm declined to comment today on […]
Today will go down as being one of the most memorable of Lord Hoffmann’s career. Hoffmann retired at the end of April, but today a judgment was handed down on his final case, Chartbrook v Persimmon Homes. He can now officially hang up his judicial wig and head to his tenancy at Brick Court Chambers […]
Ashurst has won the instruction to help a 12-strong banking consortium reach financial close on the R1 Expressway, Slovakia’s first-ever road PPP project. The firm has been briefed by a consortium that includes the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and commercial entities on a deal to finance the 30-year e1bn (£850m) project. One source […]
With leveraged finance hit hard by the credit crunch, Stuart Brinkworth considers what’s in store for the beleagured sector There is no doubt that the last two years have been the toughest in living memory for the leveraged finance market. Problems first began in the summer of 2007 with the onset of the credit […]