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  • November 24, 2010 |

    Slaughters, Simmons and Bird & Bird top-rated by clients in new research

    Slaughter and May, Simmons & Simmons and Bird & Bird have emerged as the City's top-performing law firms based on client feedback, as part of a major research project from Legal Week. The trio were the top-rated international firms according to Legal Week Intelligence's seventh annual Client Satisfaction Report, which is based on responses from 1,265 senior in-house lawyers and finance directors. The flagship project from Legal Week's independent research arm is its most comprehensive client survey to date and includes rankings of 71 UK and US firms based on responses from 903 companies operating in the UK. The report covers 71% of the FTSE 100.

    1 minute read

  • November 16, 2010 |

    France's Gide eyes London laterals as firm launches City funds practice

    Leading French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel has launched a London funds practice, reports The Am Law Daily. The move comes as the firm attempts to diversify a finance-focused practice that left the office exposed to the rigours of the downturn. A steep decline in transactional work saw City revenues drop by 51% to £9m in 2009, while UK income contributed just £2.9m, down from £9.4m in 2008.

    1 minute read

  • November 16, 2010 |

    Mayer Brown heads up raft of US firms on multibillion-dollar Caterpillar deal

    A line-up of US firms have taken roles on Caterpillar's $7.6bn (£4.7bn) acquisition of mining equipment manufacturer Bucyrus International, reports The Am Law Daily. Mayer Brown advised Caterpillar on the the all-cash transaction - which when including debt, is valued at $8.6bn (£5.4bn) - with a team led by Chicago M&A partners John Sagan and William Kucera. Last month Mayer Brown advised Caterpillar on its €580m (£517m) acquisition of German engine maker MWM Holding, a deal with also handed roles to Clifford Chance and SJ Berwin.

    1 minute read

  • September 29, 2010 |

    Wall St duo advise on $3.7bn acquisition of haircare co

    Cravath Swaine & Moore and Sidley Austin have taken the lead corporate roles on a multibillion-dollar US acquisition by consumer products group Unilever. The acquisition sees Unilever acquire haircare rival Alberto Culver - owner of brands such as V05, St. Ives and TRESemme - in a $3.7bn (£2.3bn) deal, adding to the Anglo-Dutch group's portfolio of haircare brands such as Dove and Sunsilk.

    1 minute read

  • September 27, 2010 |

    Cravath, Slaughters and Sidley lead on $3.7bn Unilever deal

    Cravath Swaine & Moore and Sidley Austin have taken the lead corporate roles on a multibillion dollar US acquisition by consumer products group Unilever. The acquisition sees Unilever acquire hair care rival Alberto Culver - owner of brands such as V05, St. Ives and TRESemme - in a $3.7bn (£2.3bn) deal, adding to the Anglo-Dutch group's portfolio of hair care brands such as Dove and Sunsilk.

    1 minute read

  • September 16, 2010 |

    CC City partner duo quit for Sidley Austin and corporate finance client

    Two senior Clifford Chance (CC) partners are set to quit the firm's London office, with former Asia capital markets chief Stephen Roith and veteran real estate partner Iain Morpeth both leaving the firm. Roith, who stood unsuccessfully in the firm's London managing partner elections last year, is joining the London office of US firm Sidley Austin as co-head of capital markets, while Morpeth is joining Oppenheimer Investments as the corporate finance advisory firm's first global chief operating officer.

    1 minute read

  • August 27, 2010 |

    Orrick leads as China cement giant transfers AIM listing to Hong Kong

    A raft of law firms have taken advisory roles as West China Cement became the first Chinese issuer to transfer its listing from London to Hong Kong earlier this week (23 August). The deal handed roles to West End firm Memery Crystal, US firms Sidley Austin and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, and offshore practice Carey Olsen.

    1 minute read

  • August 17, 2010 |

    Mayer Brown adds partner duo to Asia offices

    Mayer Brown JSM has bulked up its Beijing and Hong Kong offices with the hire of two partners from Winston & Strawn and Sidley Austin. Xiang Yang Ge joined Mayer Brown last month to head up the Beijing projects practice from Winston & Strawn's local office, where he was also office head. Prior to joining Winston & Strawn in 2009 he had spent 18 years at Baker & McKenzie.

    1 minute read

  • June 22, 2010 |

    Risky business - A return on Simmons/Mayer Brown won't come easy

    If transatlantic merger bids are the current flavour of the month, in one important sense the talks between Simmons & Simmons and Mayer Brown are a break with recent convention. The birth of Hogan Lovells and SNR Denton and the ongoing talks between SJ Berwin and Proskauer Rose all represent deals that come with minimal risks given their strategic importance. Lack of overlap in practices and clear areas of responsibility mean that putting these businesses together will somewhat limit the always daunting challenges of integration.

    1 minute read

  • June 17, 2010 |

    Band of US firms ready for UK tie-up as SJB/Proskauer talks continue

    Reed Smith, K&L Gates and Bryan Cave are among a group of US-based practices that would actively consider a merger with a London firm, according to Legal Week research. The finding is contained in Legal Week's annual international firms in London focus, which includes submissions from most major foreign practices operating in the Square Mile.

    1 minute read