Travers’ grip on Bridgepoint challenged as it wins Burger King franchise buyout

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Travers’ grip on Bridgepoint challenged as it wins Burger King franchise buyout

Travers Smith, one of Bridgepoint’s go-to firms, has sealed another mandate in the form of the private equity (PE) house’s acquisition of a raft of UK Burger King franchises.

The mid-market deal saw Travers advise its longstanding client, while Macfarlanes – itself no stranger to Bridgepoint – advised the management buy-in team. The acquisition from Burger King Europe (BKE) means Bridgepoint will now own Caspian UK Group, the franchisee of some 74 fast food outlets. Continue reading “Travers’ grip on Bridgepoint challenged as it wins Burger King franchise buyout”

Life during law: Mark Elsey, Ashurst

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Life during law: Mark Elsey, Ashurst

My father was in the Ministry of Defence. There was a naval base in Singapore. Our family moved there when I was a baby. Left on a boat and arrived three-and-a-half weeks later. Singapore was pre-independence – a low-rise post-colonial town. Now you can stand on the waterfront and see skyscrapers for miles.

I trained at Cameron Markby and they offered me work in property and banking when I qualified. I’d set my heart on corporate. I had to decide: Ashurst or Linklaters. The partners at Cameron were supportive. They universally said that they would go to Ashurst if it were their decision. Continue reading “Life during law: Mark Elsey, Ashurst”

Who Represents Who: The data behind the story – AT&T and Time Warner

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Who Represents Who: The data behind the story – AT&T and Time Warner

To the public dismay of AT&T’s chief executive Randall Stephenson and general counsel David McAtee, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed a lawsuit to block the company’s $85bn takeover of Time Warner, in a decision described by McAtee as an ‘inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent’. The DoJ insists that the deal would be likely to harm competition. A court battle looms.

The Legal 500’s Who Represents Who data shows both companies have engaged a broad range of law firms on a host of instructions in recent years, though the would-be-combined media giants have little in common in terms of who they turn to for advice, with only Arent Fox issued instructions for both in 2015 and 2016 in the same sector (TMT). Continue reading “Who Represents Who: The data behind the story – AT&T and Time Warner”

Client Intelligence Report: Data view – Who provides better service among the world’s elite – US or UK law firms?

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Client Intelligence Report: Data view – Who provides better service among the world’s elite – US or UK law firms?

The chart below illustrates the overall key performance indicator (KPI) scores as defined by the Client Intelligence Report (www.clientintelligencereport.com), for 30 of the largest law firms in the world by size.

The overall KPI ratings show US firms are significantly outperforming their UK counterparts when it comes to client reviews. Of the 15 firms listed here, all but four exceed the average, while only one solely UK-headquartered firm hit comparable scores. Continue reading “Client Intelligence Report: Data view – Who provides better service among the world’s elite – US or UK law firms?”

Looking stateside again: BLP in ‘surprising’ merger talks with Bryan Cave

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Looking stateside again: BLP in ‘surprising’ merger talks with Bryan Cave

‘Surprising’ was the adjective frequently deployed by City partners in October when merger talks between Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and US firm Bryan Cave were unveiled, with BLP going back to the US market 19 months after its attempts to tie up with Greenberg Traurig ended brutally.

The new candidate for a transatlantic union is closer in size and profitability to BLP compared to Greenberg and the union would create a 1,700-lawyer entity with 32 offices in 12 countries.

Continue reading “Looking stateside again: BLP in ‘surprising’ merger talks with Bryan Cave”

‘Selling the crown jewels’ – Gateley partners in £10m share sale

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‘Selling the crown jewels’ – Gateley partners in £10m share sale

Following Gateley’s landmark listing in 2015 where partners pocketed a combined £25m, some senior partners have taken home almost £500,000 each after a stake in the top 50 UK law firm was sold for nearly £10m in October.

Documents at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) show a sale of 6.21% of the firm’s equity due to a ‘strong demand from new institutional shareholders’.

Continue reading “‘Selling the crown jewels’ – Gateley partners in £10m share sale”

Watchstone Group files defence as war of words with S&G over Quindell continues

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Watchstone Group files defence as war of words with S&G over Quindell continues

The ongoing Slater and Gordon (S&G) saga shows no sign of abating, as the Watchstone Group (formerly Quindell) in October denied fraudulently misrepresenting itself over the sale of its professional services arm to the beleaguered law firm.

The £637m buyout in May 2015 proved to be the beginning of a downward spiral for S&G as, following the deal’s completion, the Serious Fraud Office launched a probe into Quindell’s accounting practices. As a result, S&G’s shares tumbled. Continue reading “Watchstone Group files defence as war of words with S&G over Quindell continues”

As Nextlaw swells, will Dentons’ platform mark the end of referral clubs… or something bolder?

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As Nextlaw swells, will Dentons’ platform mark the end of referral clubs… or something bolder?

Marco Cillario assesses whether Nextlaw is a network or Dentonsʼ Uber

With typical distaste for the status quo, Dentons chair Joe Andrew last year described the launch of Nextlaw Global Referral Network as the beginning of the end for traditional law firm networks. The new platform, conceived and paid for by Dentons, differed from other networks in not charging membership fees and being open to any number of members globally. Continue reading “As Nextlaw swells, will Dentons’ platform mark the end of referral clubs… or something bolder?”

‘Good people are expensive’: Simmons to launch in Dublin through local hire

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‘Good people are expensive’: Simmons to launch in Dublin through local hire

As speculation continues in the Irish market as to which international law firm will be the next to come knocking on the door of local partners, Simmons & Simmons has confirmed plans to launch in Dublin with a lateral hire from Mason Hayes & Curran (MHC).

Simmons, which had long been rumoured to be considering a launch in the city, has hired MHC’s head of investment funds and financial regulation Fionán Breathnach. The firm will focus on asset management initially, a core practice area for Simmons, with plans to expand further into the financial institutions sector with more local hires. Continue reading “‘Good people are expensive’: Simmons to launch in Dublin through local hire”

The Legal 500 view: we are changing to reflect the needs of in-house UK

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Alexander Boyes and Hayley Eustace review the latest launch of the UK edition

The 2017 edition of The Legal 500 is our biggest yet, for a number of reasons. The demand for ʻlegal directoriesʼ has increased in the past few years, due in part to more movement in the market, firms getting smarter at marketing, clients having less time, globalisation – which all leads to a need for independent third-party review. Continue reading “The Legal 500 view: we are changing to reflect the needs of in-house UK”