Mayer Brown is in advanced talks with teams from several firms in London to significantly bulk up its capital markets and corporate practice groups in the City The US firm, which was recently hit with the loss of former co-vice-chair Paul Maher, is understood to be in talks with groups of partners from up to four firms as it seeks to […]
National firm to outsource litigation work to South Africa as offshoring revolution gathers pace Pinsent Masons is gearing up to make significant cost savings by outsourcing work to South Africa, becoming the first firm to offshore the work of qualified lawyers. Pinsents is outsourcing litigation work to lawyers working for business services company Exigent in […]
The Premier League continues to attract foreign investors in need of expert legal advice. When US tycoon Malcolm Glazer launched his bid to buy Manchester United in 2005, it quickly became clear to lawyers on both sides that this was no ordinary takeover deal. Allen & Overy (A&O), the firm acting for the Glazers, was […]
Did you know that as a citizen of the EU it is almost impossible for you to challenge decisions made by community institutions in the European Court of Justice (ECJ)? This right is available to individuals and environmental organisations challenging decisions in the UK and much of the EU, but not the European Community. Carol […]
Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Sullivan & Cromwell have led on the $13.5bn (£8.20bn) sale of Barclays Global Investors to BlackRock. Clifford Chance corporate partners Guy Norman and Patrick Sarch represented Barclays in the UK, alongside Los Angeles-based Sullivan & Cromwell partners Alison Ressler and Eric Krautheimer, and firm chairman […]
Clifford Chance and Lovells are involved in the preliminary stages of real estate investment trust (Reit) Segro’s proposed takeover of rival Brixton – a move that would create the largest industrial property company in the UK. Brixton, which is one of the few property companies not to have made a cash call so far, has […]
Eversheds advised the Department for Transport on its £534m South Central rail franchise, which has been awarded to Dickinson Dees client Southern Railways. Eversheds partner Mark Brunton led on the deal, which will see South Central provide services on the London to Brighton and Gatwick Express route.Dickinson Dees’ partner David Rewcastle advised Southern Railways. The deal will […]
Slaughter and May has advised longstanding client Punch Taverns on a £350m rights issue, the second of its kind in the pub industry. Partners David Johnson and David Watkins advised Punch on the placement, made last Monday (15 June). London-based finance partner Philip Boeckman at Cravath Swaine & Moore advised Punch on US matters. Punch […]
The consortium attempting to take control of Portsmouth Football Club has dumped legal adviser Hammonds midway through the bidding process. Rob Hamill Sulaiman Al Fahim, chief executive of Hydra Properties and leader of the bidding group, initially instructed Hammonds but switched to Mayer Brown after an apparent disagreement over fees. Mayer Brown corporate partner Rob Hamill […]
The downturn has proved a fertile environment for the rise of litigation funders. James Delaney examines the evidence Few lawyers can have escaped the publicity surrounding litigation insurance and funding in recent years. Numerous high-profile cases have been cited in the legal press heralding the revolution that has occurred in the use of litigation risk […]
Litigation funding is a complex market, but it’s up to solicitors to ensure they’re able to keep clients fully informed of what’s available. A solicitor’s duty to appraise clients of the litigation funding options available to them is clearly set out in Rule 2 (2.02 and 2.03) of the Solicitors Code of Conduct. However, […]
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 […]