Linklaters and Slaughter and May have landed major roles advising on the government’s record-breaking £13bn sale of former Northern Rock mortgages acquired during the financial crisis.
It’s a people game – what PE lawyers can teach global law firms
If a good chunk of the latest issue of Legal Business is focused on technology and machines replacing lawyers, our extended focus this month on private equity is an interesting contrast. After all, what good would a supercomputer be in the clubby, driven and entrepreneurial world of leveraged buyouts?
But then private equity has for years been an outlier in City law. Leading law firms built their businesses around banks and multinational clients, ushering in globalisation, one-stop-shopping and customer relationship management programmes.
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City firms poised to ride fintech wave
Victoria Young reports on the diverse mix of law firms looking to take advantage as finance meets technology
UK Economic Secretary Harriett Baldwin isn’t holding back on the government’s ambitions for the fintech industry in the UK.
‘We are already a major player in financial technology; our ambition is now to be the major player – the leading fintech centre in the world,’ she recently said, ahead of announcing reviews of so-called ‘robo-advisers’ – online wealth management services.
Fine wine and classic cars don’t necessarily make vintage investments
Chris Cole at Towry advises on financial planning.
Knowing where to invest your money can be a challenge, especially if you don’t have the time to be on top of what’s happening in the financial markets. It can therefore be tempting to invest your savings in areas
where you have a keen interest, in things like wine, art, classic cars or even violins as I heard recently.
However, while mixing hobbies and investment together may seem like a good idea, it can actually involve quite a lot of risk and may not help you achieve your long-term financial goals. Continue reading “Fine wine and classic cars don’t necessarily make vintage investments”
Finance view: The night of the living wills – bank resolution work offers opportunity for FinReg counsel
Michael West reports on the introduction of bank resolution protocols
Financial regulatory lawyers returned from their holidays this year to a lot of calls on one topic – bank resolution. The implementation this year of the EU’s Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) combined with the Greek crisis has pushed an issue that’s been simmering for years back up the list of priorities for bank and investment firms’ legal teams.
Your Legal Friend brings £9m shareholder group action against Quindell
Liverpool-based law firm Your Legal Friend, formerly known as Camps Solicitors, has launched a shareholder group action against Quindell under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), following the £312m swing from profit to loss in its professional services division (PSD).
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Gates set to open for new financial court in London
A newly created financial court at the Rolls Building in London, the first of its kind in the City and a sales pitch for the English courts, will open next Monday, 5 October.
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Weil Gotshal, A&O and Freshfields advise on Worldpay float
Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Allen & Overy and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have all picked up work advising card payment services provider Worldpay Group as it sells shares on the London stock exchange.
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The finance view: Bigger, simpler, cheaper? How to position the modern securitisation counsel
Securitisation lawyers have been hard pressed since the financial crisis, diversifying their practices and often even ditching the S word. Continue reading “The finance view: Bigger, simpler, cheaper? How to position the modern securitisation counsel”
Hard graft – The pan-Europe bribery crackdown
As European agencies turn up the heat on bribery and corruption, we team up with Simmons & Simmons to assess how clients are responding.
Until 1999 German laws allowed for some bribes to be tax deductible. Bribes or grease payments enabled German companies to get ahead overseas, or so many claimed. These payments were viewed as good for business and good for the German economy. At worst, they were a necessary evil.
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