West meets East – CMS latest to announce Istanbul office launch

Posted on |

The latest move by CMS to enhance its international offering lies at the cross roads between Europe and Asia, with the Global 100 firm today (7 Nov) announcing that it is to launch an office in Istanbul – the latest western firm to open in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

As partners Döne Yalçin and John Fitzpatrick relocate to Istanbul to lead the new venture, the office will offer services in project finance and infrastructure work, with further plans to expand in the fields of energy, capital markets, and M&A. Continue reading “West meets East – CMS latest to announce Istanbul office launch”

Deal watch: Corporate activity in October

Posted on |

Arrow Global IPO

Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May landed roles on Arrow Global’s initial public offering (IPO). Slaughters was the primary adviser to Arrow Global and its primary shareholder RBS Special Opportunities Fund (RBS), led by corporate partners David Johnson and Richard Smith. The London office of Debevoise, led by David Innes, advised members of the executive committee and other shareholders on its successful IPO last month, which valued the company at £357m. The successful IPO marks a partial exit for RBS, which acquired the company in 2009.

Cleary advises Inter Milan on equity sale

Inter Milan has turned to Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton on the sale of equity to International Sports Capital (ISC), which will give ISC a controlling 70% stake in the club. Cleary’s team was led by  Continue reading “Deal watch: Corporate activity in October”

More news from Asia – Clydes first to enter South West China under JV deal

Posted on |

Long a trailblazer in the insurance sector, Clyde & Co has now become the first international law firm to launch in southwest China after setting up a joint law venture (JLV) in China with local practice West Link Partnership in Chongqing.

Clydes this week became the first among its peers to launch an office in South West China after local regulators permitted the London-headquartered practice to form an association with West Link.

Continue reading “More news from Asia – Clydes first to enter South West China under JV deal”

The Last Word: India

Posted on |

With a slowing economy and the political landscape unsettled, we ask leading international partners with noted Indian practices for their prognosis on the country and whether tougher times will shake up the local legal market

Policy paralysis

‘It is the understatement of the year to say that India has been having problems.

At the beginning of the year there was policy paralysis; there were taxation problems which caused a negative reaction and the budget wasn’t well received. The growth rate is slowing down and inflation Continue reading “The Last Word: India”

Asia Pacific: DLA hires four-strong Jones Day team in Beijing

Posted on |

DLA Piper has further bolstered its Asia Pacific offering with the hire of a four-lawyer IP team from Jones Day in Beijing, led by the US firm’s former head of IP in China, Horace Lam.

Lam will join DLA’s Beijing office in October along with counsel Stacy Yuan and associates Alicia Ma and Helen Ding, together with the additional hire of IP lawyer Miya Wen from Rouse.

Prior to joining Jones Day in May 2011, Lam was the Beijing managing partner of Hogan Lovells and head of the firm’s IP practice. He focuses on IP disputes, protection strategies and licensing. Continue reading “Asia Pacific: DLA hires four-strong Jones Day team in Beijing”

Clydes and Charles Russell establish new footprints while Kinstellar snares 10-lawyer team from Dentons’ expanding Kazakhstan operation

Posted on |

The start of September has seen international firms reinvigorate their expansion plans, with Clyde & Co revealing an Indonesian alliance after joining forces with Indonesian law firm, while Charles Russell has extended its global footprint with the opening of an office in Qatar. Elsewhere, central and eastern European focused firm Kinstellar launched its seventh office located in Kazakhstan, hiring a team from Dentons, which has just opened a second office in the CIS state.

Continue reading “Clydes and Charles Russell establish new footprints while Kinstellar snares 10-lawyer team from Dentons’ expanding Kazakhstan operation”

Revolving doors: Linklaters boosts Asia restructuring practice while SJ Berwin makes key disputes hire

Posted on |

In the second recruit to its Hong Kong office in the last couple of weeks, Linklaters has hired former Allen & Overy (A&O) partner David Kidd to lead its restructuring & insolvency (R&I) practice as the Magic Circle firm strengthens its finance and litigation teams in the region.

Kidd, who has operated under his own banner for around a year since leaving A&O in 2012, will make the move to Linklaters next month, joining former Herbert Smith Freehills Asia disputes head Gavin Lewis, whose appointment as partner to Linklaters litigation team was announced in August.

Continue reading “Revolving doors: Linklaters boosts Asia restructuring practice while SJ Berwin makes key disputes hire”

SJ Berwin’s high stakes tie-up with KWM dares to bring a new equation to global law

Posted on |

David Stevenson and Alex Novarese assess SJ Berwin’s audacious Asia-Pacific tie-up and ask if the union can truly propel the firm into the global premier league

‘This isn’t about doing anything with our backs against the wall,’ says Jonathan Blake, the former senior partner of SJ Berwin, and one of the architects of his 165-partner firm’s impending tie-up with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM).

Despite some well publicised reverses in recent years for the mid-pack City player, Blake’s comment is undoubtedly true. But as to what the deal that goes live on 1 November does signify, well, opinion is sharply and starkly divided. Continue reading “SJ Berwin’s high stakes tie-up with KWM dares to bring a new equation to global law”

India calling: Freshfields and Linklaters make key India hires as Amarchand opens up its partnership

Posted on |

The periodic excitement over the liberalisation of the Indian legal market may currently be reduced to background chatter but the past fews days have been a reminder that the top UK firms continue to position themselves for India work while leading local firms are themselves bulking up and adopting far more expansive strategies.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed Linklaters’ Arun Balasubramanian to co-head the firm’s India group out of Singapore, working alongside Pratap Amin, chairman of Freshfields’ India group. Continue reading “India calling: Freshfields and Linklaters make key India hires as Amarchand opens up its partnership”

Quinn’s global master plan – elite disputes shop hits HK for third foreign launch of the year

Posted on |

Having only launched its first foreign office in 2008, US disputes leader Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan clearly now has the taste for foreign expansion. The latest stop on its global tour is Hong Kong, with the ultra-profitable litigation shop today (15 May) unveiling details of its long-awaited local launch, coming only days after it sealed a deal to enter the Australian legal market. Continue reading “Quinn’s global master plan – elite disputes shop hits HK for third foreign launch of the year”