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  • September 13, 2012 |

    Freshfields breaks lockstep in Asia to stave off US firm advances

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has taken steps to protect its Asian partnership from US firms' advances by breaking away from its lockstep and allowing new partners to be promoted more quickly in the region, it has emerged.

    1 minute read

  • August 20, 2012 |

    Slaughters lines up with Danish firms to advise on latest ISS bid

    Slaughter and May has lined up alongside a raft of Danish firms on a €500m (£390m) deal that saw Lego billionaire Kirk Kristiansen team up with a pension fund to secure a stake in Danish facilities giant ISS. Slaughters took a role advising ISS and majority shareholders GS Capital Partners and EQT Partners as Canadian pension fund Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) and Kirkbi Invest - a holding company that invests on behalf of the family behind Lego - took a 26% stake in the company.

    1 minute read

  • August 16, 2012 |

    Four US firms in the picture as Carlyle snaps up Getty for £2.1bn

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Debevoise & Plimpton and Davis Polk & Wardwell have snapped up advisory roles as the Carlyle Group yesterday (15 August) agreed to acquire Getty Images for $3.3bn (£2.1bn), writes the Am Law Daily. The acquisition of the world's largest archived photo distributor comes three months after reports surfaced that private equity firm Hellman & Friedman was looking to sell as much as $4bn (£2.5bn).

    1 minute read

  • July 26, 2012 |

    Disruptive innovation: has Axiom got what it takes to break up the law firm party?

    "We came to the conclusion that [the temporary staffing] model works well. But if we wanted to be transformative, we have to do more than that. We have to be scalable..." Look out law firms, Axiom is trying to beat you at your own game, as Drew Combs discovers

    1 minute read

  • July 22, 2012 |

    O'Melveny takes key London role on $5.5bn private equity fundraising

    The London office of US firm O'Melveny & Myers has taken the lead role for longstanding client Coller Capital on the $5.5bn (£3.5bn) final closing for its sixth private equity fund. Coller VI, which exceeded its initial $5bn (£3.2bn) target, is thought to be the second-largest secondaries fundraising ever.

    1 minute read

  • July 17, 2012 |

    Magic circle trio win spots as Novartis overhauls legal panel

    Novartis has finalised its first legal panel since its $40bn (£25.6bn) takeover of Alcon last year, with magic circle trio Allen & Overy (A&O), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters securing positions on the pharma company's global roster. The line-up, known as the Novartis Legal Preferred Firm Program, consists of four panels - with the core global roster sitting alongside advisers for US country, US country specialist and US country specialist intellectual property.

    1 minute read

  • July 12, 2012 |

    Simpson and top UK trio head up £1.5bn Melrose acquisition

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Allen & Overy (A&O) are among a line-up of top law firms to have taken roles on Melrose's £1.5bn acquisition of German utility meter manufacturer Elster Group.

    1 minute read

  • July 12, 2012 |

    That escalating Libor scandal – a great big wind, but not an ill one for lawyers

    "Law firms are having a field day on Libor," comments a London litigation head at a US law firm, summing up the private mood in the week following Barclays' admission to manipulating global interest rates. Even for banking advisers grown used to continually expanding levels of contentious and regulatory work from institutional clients, the furore in the wake of the bank's announcement that it had agreed a $450m (£290m) settlement looks to kick things up to a whole new level, legally speaking

    1 minute read

  • July 8, 2012 |

    CC takes on double Libor role for Barclays and RBS with Chinese wall

    Clifford Chance (CC) is advising both Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) on the fallout from the Libor scandal, with a Chinese wall set up to avoid potential conflicts. The magic circle firm has been instructed as UK counsel to Barclays alongside US firm Sullivan & Cromwell, which recently advised the bank on its multimillion-dollar settlement with US regulators for interest rate manipulation and false accounting charges.

    1 minute read

  • June 28, 2012 |

    Bain Capital credit arm set to assemble European adviser panel

    Bain Capital's credit affiliate Sankaty Advisors is set to create an informal panel of law firms in Europe, with Kirkland & Ellis (pictured), Ropes & Gray and Ashurst among those hoping to benefit from the move.

    1 minute read