Keystone becomes second UK law firm to float in 2017 while Gordon Dadds goes shopping

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Keystone becomes second UK law firm to float in 2017 while Gordon Dadds goes shopping

Recently listed Gordon Dadds acquires tax advisory business CW Energy

November saw New Law player Keystone Law become the third UK law firm to float on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), following the trail blazed by Gateley two years ago and Gordon Dadds earlier this year. The mid-market challenger firm, which was granted an alternative business structure (ABS) licence in 2013, saw shares priced at 160p and raised £15m from its initial public offering (IPO). It will be known as Keystone Law Group plc. Continue reading “Keystone becomes second UK law firm to float in 2017 while Gordon Dadds goes shopping”

‘It’s no different to being a deal lawyer’ – Jacobs reflects on a year at Linklaters’ helm

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‘It’s no different to being a deal lawyer’ – Jacobs reflects on a year at Linklaters’ helm

Last October, Linklaters’ Charlie Jacobs took over as senior partner amid high hopes that the rainmaker would bring flair and dynamism to leadership at a City giant that looked in danger of losing its way. One year on, Legal Business sat down with Jacobs to discuss progress made.

On taking the senior partner role:

‘When I stood for senior partner, I had a lot of questions: “Why are you doing this? Why don’t you wait a few years?” I wanted to set the tone. There is a lot going on in our industry and we could do with someone dynamic and at a young age. Continue reading “‘It’s no different to being a deal lawyer’ – Jacobs reflects on a year at Linklaters’ helm”

Bird & Bird eyes outbound China work as it seals co-operation deal with local leader AllBright

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Bird & Bird eyes outbound China work as it seals co-operation deal with local leader AllBright

After 26 consecutive years of revenue increases Bird & Bird, which has grown its top line by 162% over the last decade – largely through international expansion – has moved its Asia ambitions further forward by teaming up with noted Chinese firm AllBright Law Offices.

Although the deal is no more than a non-exclusive co-operation agreement, it will see AllBright gain a base in London. The firm will open its operation within Bird & Bird’s Fetter Lane headquarters next year, staffed in the medium term by a permanent representative. Continue reading “Bird & Bird eyes outbound China work as it seals co-operation deal with local leader AllBright”

Bristows points to Brexit as TMT specialist launches first-ever international office in Brussels

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Bristows points to Brexit as TMT specialist launches first-ever international office in Brussels

The impact of Britain’s exit from the EU on the international strategy of City firms is still largely obscure – those announcing Dublin launches since the referendum have sought to play down the role of Brexit in their decision.

But Bristowsʼ joint managing partner Marek Petecki is clear: the rationale for launching the firm’s first international office in its 180-year history ‘is about addressing the challenges of Brexit’. Continue reading “Bristows points to Brexit as TMT specialist launches first-ever international office in Brussels”

Latham, Ropes and Travers get physical as US buyout house takes control of PureGym in the UK

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Leonard Green acquires gym chain for £600m

2017 has continued to provide rich pickings for firms with marquee private equity practices on either side of the Atlantic, with Latham & Watkins, Ropes & Gray and Travers Smith leading as US private equity house Leonard Green & Partners announced its £600m acquisition of PureGym from buyout firm CCMP Capital Advisors in November. Continue reading “Latham, Ropes and Travers get physical as US buyout house takes control of PureGym in the UK”

Dealwatch: 2017 closes out with slew of energy, tech and transport deals

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Dealwatch: 2017 closes out with slew of energy, tech and transport deals
    • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Slaughter and May advised UK’s ‘big six’ energy providers Npower and SSE on the merger between their domestic retail operations. Freshfields corporate partners Simon Marchant, Julian Pritchard and Andrew Craig advised SSE, along with competition partners Deirdre Trapp and James Aitken. Slaughters corporate partners Richard Smith and Tim Boxell led the team advising Npower parent company Innogy, alongside competition partner Lisa Wright, financing partner Ed Fife, IP/IT partner Rob Sumroy, tax partner Gareth Miles, and pensions and employment partners Charles Cameron, Padraig Cronin and Daniel Schaffer. Best-friend firm Hengeler Mueller also advised Innogy, led by corporate partners Andreas Austmann and Thomas Meurer.

Continue reading “Dealwatch: 2017 closes out with slew of energy, tech and transport deals”

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?”