Lobby groups set up on both sides as questions loom large for the country’s legal framework
Debate among lawyers over Brexit stepped up last month as lawyers from chambers 8 New Square and Legal Business 100 firms Slaughter and May, CMS Cameron McKenna and Wedlake Bell formed a new pro-Brexit lobby.
Continue reading “City lawyers form pro-Brexit coalition led by 8 New Square QC”
A&O, Freshfields and Hogan Lovells advise on €2.55bn sell-off
In preparation for one of the largest corporate deals of the year, Allen & Overy (A&O), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Hogan Lovells won roles on the proposed divestment of SABMiller’s European beer brands to Japanese brewer Asahi, the latest sale aimed at facilitating the $275bn merger between SABMiller and Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev). Continue reading “City firms line up on Asahi deal as SABMiller’s merger with AB InBev draws nearer”
Continued interest in European assets by Chinese investors peaked last month, as Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Davis Polk & Wardwell landed key roles on China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina)’s $43bn bid for Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta – in what will be the largest-ever acquisition by a Chinese firm.
Simpson Thacher advised state-owned ChemChina on M&A, acquisition finance and regulation with a team led by partners Alan Klein, Shaolin Luo, Chris May and Sinead O’Shea, alongside Swiss corporate leader Homburger. Davis Polk and another top-tier Swiss player, Bär & Karrer, acted for Syngenta. Davis Polk’s team included partners Louis Goldberg and Oliver Smith, with John Reynolds providing regulatory advice; Ronan Harty and Jon Leibowitz advising on competition law; and Avishai Shachar advising on tax.
Continue reading “Wall Street elite go head to head in largest ever Chinese acquisition”
Clifford Chance sees senior exits as Clydes makes more hires in region
The Australian market saw some of the world’s largest firms make changes last month, including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, which shut its small Sydney practice after nearly three decades of operation.
Continue reading “All change Down Under as Skadden closes Sydney office after 27 years”
With many major law firms losing money in the Middle East after overinvesting during the oil boom in the 2000s, Simmons & Simmons has followed Latham & Watkins and Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) in shutting down its Abu Dhabi operations.
Simmons carried out ‘a detailed review’ after its losses in the Middle East, which also includes offices in Dubai and Doha, rose from £243,000 in 2014 to just under £2m in the 12 months to 30 April 2015. The closure of the Abu Dhabi office affects five lawyers, including three partners. The firm’s accounts show in total Simmons has 56 staff, including 29 fee-earners and three partners in the Middle East.
Continue reading “Abu Dhabi exodus continues as Simmons becomes the latest major firm to pull out”
Victoria Young speaks to the management duo about the transformed mid-market player
‘We’ll be the first to admit the firm of five years ago wasn’t delivering what the partners wanted,’ says Fieldfisher managing partner Michael Chissick. In 2012, Legal Business took a close look at Field Fisher Waterhouse and at the time the mid-market law firm was desperate for a suitor. Three years, two failed merger talks and several high-profile partner exits later, and Fieldfisher has undergone a reboot far beyond its change of name.
Continue reading “‘We needed to move on’: Why Fieldfisher has turned its back on the dating game”
I had no intention of doing law. My father was a detective in the Scottish flying squad. I wanted to join the police.
I got a traineeship at Dundas & Wilson where I was the only female trainee. I was also one of the very few that hadn’t been to public school. People were nice but it did feel very odd.
EE LEGAL HEAD REVEALS PLANS POST-TELCO MERGER
Following BT’s high-profile £12.5bn takeover of UK mobile business EE, it has emerged the telco plans to consolidate external legal panels, while EE’s general counsel (GC) James Blendis has been appointed to BT’s legal leadership team. Blendis will now sit on BT’s legal leadership board, which comprises senior legal management, including group GC Dan Fitz.
CMS, Eversheds and NRF also picked as Ashurst, Simmons and HSF miss out
Several London-headquartered law firms, including the entire Magic Circle, have won places on JPMorgan Chase’s panel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) following a review.
Firm increases bonus pool and launches three-year lockstep for new partners
DLA Piper International partners have approved an overhaul of its pay structure, introducing a points-based remuneration system and a larger bonus pot as it targets greater profitability, while bringing in a separate lockstep for new partners while they grow their practices.
Continue reading “DLA Piper partnership votes to overhaul remuneration system”
