Cofely, a subsidiary of French energy giant GDF Suez, is to establish its first legal panel in a bid to reduce legal fees and the number of firms it deals with. In what will be a mass reorganisation of the company’s legal services expenditure, which currently involves business managers in selecting law firms, general counsel …
Continue reading “After major acquisitions, Cofely set to create first legal panel”
Carlyle abandons flotation to sell half of its majority stake Since the summer, London’s IPO market has seen postponements, cancellations and low pricings as confidence ebbed. Feeling the effects, US private equity giant Carlyle, advised by Linklaters corporate partners Charlie Jacobs and Alex Woodward, recently abandoned plans to exit roadside recovery service company RAC through …
Continue reading “Linklaters, Freshfields and Travers Smith fix RAC deal with Singapore’s GIC”
Jonathan Scott, who began a five-year term as senior partner at Herbert Smith Freehills in May 2010, will step down early, sparking a four-man race for one of the most powerful roles at the firm.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer litigator Paul Lomas is leading Sotheby’s defence against a professional negligence claim after the auction house sold a painting in London for £42,000 that is now claimed to be by baroque master Caravaggio and worth over £11m.
The world’s second largest energy utility GDF Suez, which generated €39.4bn in the first six months of this year, is reviewing its procurement of legal services ahead of a major panel review set for the start of the New Year.
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has become the tenth major law firm in the UK to establish a gender target, committing to ensure that 30% of the partnership by the end of 2018 are female.
Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg are suing trans-Atlantic firm DLA Piper for its role in bringing a case which they allege was ‘based on fabricated evidence, for the purpose of extorting a lucrative and unwarranted settlement’.
Bird & Bird is establishing an Australian office by merging with Sydney-based Truman Hoyle, 20 months after entering into a cooperation agreement with the firm.
Squire Patton Boggs has recruited a London projects team from Nabarro spearheaded by partner Robin Baillie, as Arnold & Porter bolsters its life sciences group and Bird & Bird brings in Gide Loyrette Nouel partner Rafał Dziedzic to head its corporate practice in Poland.
Magic Circle duo Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters have advised on the sale of Porterbrook Rail Finance, one of the three major train leasing companies in the UK.
