Reversal of fortunes – how three mid-tiers outgunned the City elite for a decade

Posted on | Analysis | and
Reversal of fortunes – how three mid-tiers outgunned the City elite for a decade

It is dominated by mid-sized firms while global players and City leaders lag far behind. Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) sits in the third spot. You must scroll down nearly 40 positions before finding the likes of Linklaters and Clifford Chance. It is not the chart for revenue, profits or partner earnings. It is a …

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Client profile: Rushad Abadan, Standard Life Aberdeen

Posted on | In-House |
Client profile: Rushad Abadan, Standard Life Aberdeen

The general counsel of the Scots-based investment giant reflects on the lessons of the financial crisis and what it takes to run a FTSE 100 legal team Rushad Abadan always knew what he wanted to do with his life. ‘I always fancied the idea of being a lawyer, even at school. I was one of …

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Global Elite advise Siemens on €40bn German IPO of medical division

Posted on | Blogs |
Global Elite advise Siemens on €40bn German IPO of medical division

Latham & Watkins, Linklaters and Sullivan & Cromwell are all advising as German conglomerate Siemens plans to list its €40bn medical technology unit in what will be one of the largest IPOs in the country since Deutsche Telekom floated for €13bn in 1996. The listing is slated for the first half of 2018 on the …

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Goodbye lockstep – HSF latest City leader to give richer rewards for rainmakers

Posted on | Blogs |
Goodbye lockstep – HSF latest City leader to give richer rewards for rainmakers

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has backed a shake-up of its partnership that will boost top performers’ earnings by a third, hiking plateau equity shares from 100 to 130 points. The move substantially lengthens its core pay ‘ladder’ and paves the way for top City earners to take home well over £1.5m with bonuses. The overhaul comes …

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Clyde & Co, CMS and DAC Beachcroft pick up partners from an ailing Sedgwick

Posted on | Blogs |

As US firm Sedgwick heads towards closure in the New Year, UK-based outfits Clyde & Co,  CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang and DAC Beachcroft have profited by picking up a number of partners. DAC has hired a team comprising two partners and four associates from Sedgwick that will join its London office in January. This …

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Deal watch: HSF, Travers and Linklaters front of the queue on Intu acquisition as WFW picks up $2.3bn Asia energy project

Posted on | Blogs |
Deal watch: HSF, Travers and Linklaters front of the queue on Intu acquisition as WFW picks up $2.3bn Asia energy project

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), Travers Smith and Linklaters are all acting as retail property powerhouse Hammerson acquired its rival Intu for £3.4bn, meanwhile Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe have advised on a $2.3bn coal-fired power project in Vietnam. Hammerson’s £3.4bn buyout of Intu will create a £21bn pan-European shopping mall …

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International growth drives Simmons’ H1 revenues up 12% despite tough conditions

Posted on | Blogs |
International growth drives Simmons’ H1 revenues up 12% despite tough conditions

Building on respectable 2016/17 results, Simmons & Simmons has announced a 12% hike in its half-year revenues to £167.3m. The figure is up considerably on last year’s H1 result of £149.4m, and comes after the 900-lawyer firm went on a recruitment drive adding 27 partners since May 2017 (including 13 promotions). Simmons managing partner Jeremy Hoyland …

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CC and partner Panayides fined £50,000 each by SDT over Excalibur saga

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CC and partner Panayides fined £50,000 each by SDT over Excalibur saga

Clifford Chance (CC) and its disputes partner Alex Panayides have both been fined £50,000 by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) for their involvement in the Excalibur professional negligence saga. The sanction is the first fine ever levied on one of London’s Magic Circle law firms. Both Panayides and CC admitted to conducting High Court litigation under …

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Slater and Gordon to close four UK offices amid further upheaval

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Slater and Gordon to close four UK offices amid further upheaval

Capping off a challenging year, Slater and Gordon (S&G) is to close four of its UK offices as it seeks to consolidate its operations. S&G, which saw its UK revenues for 2017 decline by 17%, told staff on Monday (27 November) that it plans to relocate employees from smaller regional outposts to the firm’s larger …

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Clifford Chance partner Panayides to face SDT over Excalibur involvement

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Clifford Chance partner Panayides to face SDT over Excalibur involvement

In another twist in the Excalibur professional negligence saga and a clear sign of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) clamping down on lawyers at the City’s top firms, a case management hearing over Clifford Chance (CC) disputes partner Alex Panayides took place at Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) on Friday (24 November) following an investigation by the …

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