Bridge equity challenges the traditional approach of banks in financing transactions, offering them new opportunities – and new risks. By Tihir Sarkar and Jeffrey Karpf As leveraged buyouts (LBOs) in the US get ever larger and more lucrative for banks, financial sponsors continue to push the boundaries on participation terms and develop new concepts, such […]
A group of survivors and relatives of victims of London’s 7 July 2005 bombings are to take legal action against the government to force an inquiry into the events of that day. The group is being represented on a pro bono basis by London’s Oury Clark Solicitors, a 20-lawyer white collar crime boutique. The firm […]
Olswang has landed a deal advising on the £325m sale of the Mid City Place building in London’s High Holborn. Corporate partner Paul Blackmore and real estate partner Stephen Hughes led the team acting on the deal, representing clients of Delancy and Invista Real Estate Investment Management, who owned the property. According to Blackmore, Olswang […]
Real estate lawyers need to familiarise themselves with updated construction regulations in order to best serve their clients, says Gillian Birkby Whether you act for a landlord or a tenant, all real estate lawyers need to understand the changes to the Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations 2007 and the impact they will have on […]
As the go-to person in disputed Land Registry applications, the independence of the adjudicator is of key importance. By Michelle Stevens-Hoare The adjudicator to HM Land Registry is an independent judge appointed for the purpose of overseeing disputed applications that arise at the Land Registry. The adjudicator, his deputies and staff constitute an independent tribunal […]
Insurance specialist Davies Lavery has hired two insurance partners, including Halliwells London head of insurance, reinsurance and professional indemnity John Groome. Groome acts for profes-sional indemnity insurers as well as general insurance companies, Lloyd’s of London syndicates, brokers and underwriting agencies. Also joining Davies Lavery is Browne Jacobson professional indemnity associate Samantha Hanson, who joins […]
Lovells has won compensation from budget airline Ryanair in a pro bono appointment on behalf of some visually impaired passengers. The passengers were refused carriage on the grounds that their flight had already met its quota of ‘mobility-impaired’ passengers. The group was travelling to Italy for a walking holiday and had already boarded the aircraft […]
The outsourcing team at Pinsent Masons has raised its public sector profile by advising the Cabinet Office on a framework contract for sharing IT services. The firm was picked through a competitive tender process against firms on the Government’s legacy L-Cat panel. Other firms on the panel include CMS Cameron McKenna and Field Fisher Waterhouse. […]
Slaughter and May‘s best friends strategy has again proved its viability, with the firm acting on a £470m takeover alongside Bredin Prat. Slaughters’ French best friend Bredin introduced the firm to Paris-based IT services provider Groupe Steria. Both firms advised Steria on its £471.1m takeover of Xansa, a UK-headquartered IT services and outsourcing group, which […]
Shoosmiths has defeated London Mayor Ken Livingstone in a landmark planning inquiry to build the UK’s first large-scale desalination plant. The £200m Thames Water scheme at Beckton in Essex will use an energy-intensive process to remove salt from the tidal section of the Thames. The process will provide enough clean water for roughly one million […]
Compulsory purchase orders are often a necessary evil when it comes to development. By Katherine Evans The existence of compulsory purchase powers, as the recent experience of the London Development Agency (LDA) in assembling the land required for the 2012 Olympic Games has shown, is often a necessary part of any regeneration project. The powers […]
A growing interest in hotel ownership by investors has thrown up new opportunities for lawyers. Simon Price reports This year UK lawyers are being presented with an unprecedented volume of transactions involving hotels. This is due to a number of factors. First, real estate investors seeking opportunities to make high capital returns against a backdrop […]