Barclays to extend value accounts framework as part of latest panel review

More firms set to repay bank if targets missed

Barclays is planning to extend the value account system it introduced in 2014, where law firms are required to pay a rebate if they fail to hit their value targets, to all external advisers as part of its current panel review.

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Pearson kicks off second US panel review after finalising litigation roster

Launch of US corporate review follows UK panel selection

Pearson, the largest education company and book publisher in the world, has launched its US corporate panel review after finalising spots on its litigation roster for the region. The US changes come after Pearson finalised its UK roster in recent months with the help of Accenture.

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Deal watch: Corporate activity in May 2016

SULLIVANS AND WACHTELL ADVISE ON $62m BAYER DEAL

Sullivan & Cromwell, Allen & Overy (A&O), and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz all won roles as healthcare and agriculture company Bayer placed a bid to acquire agricultural company Monsanto for $62bn in May. Sullivans and A&O are acting for Bayer on M&A and financing matters respectively, while Wachtell has taken the lead for US firm Monsanto.


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Sidley secures TowerBrook work despite K&E charm offensive

Tussle continues over lucrative work after K&E raid

After a high-profile tussle and one of the biggest team hires in the City, Sidley Austin has secured the corporate work of key Kirkland & Ellis client TowerBrook Capital Partners, amid claims that Sidley pushed aggressively to secure the work.

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One-stop shopping is here but it’s not doing what it was supposed to

Sometimes in business what you correctly forecast can prove as problematic as what you get wrong. Because even when you manage the considerable feat of identifying what will happen in the world you are left with problems of unintended consequences.

Take the one-stop shop, a dominating idea during the legal industry’s defining 1990s-era globalisation as firms fought to become larger players that could serve clients across borders and product lines. The idea was that plc clients would narrow their adviser lists to smaller numbers of larger law firms. And this has largely come to pass – the trend of smaller panels has been well documented for years and the shift shows no sign of changing. There is also ample evidence that being a one-stop shop for high-end work across borders is highly profitable for law firms.

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