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  • August 2, 2012 |

    Herbert Smith and Slaughters lead on $1.5bn Chinese North Sea purchase

    Herbert Smith and Slaughter and May have advised on a $1.5bn (£959m) energy M&A deal which has seen China's Sinopec acquire almost half of Talisman Energy's UK North Sea business. The Chinese energy and petrochemical giant has taken a 49% stake in Talisman Energy (UK) Limited, which owns 46 North Sea fields and operates 11 offshore platforms.

    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 24, 2012 |

    Davis Polk, Paul Weiss among firms on $15bn China-Canada energy deal

    Herbert Smith is advising alongside a raft of US and Canadian law firms on the $15.1bn (£9.7bn) acquisition of Canadian oil and gas company Nexen by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), reports The Am Law Daily. Davis Polk & Wardwell is advising state-owned energy giant CNOOC, with a corporate team including New York partners George Bason and Leonard Kreynin, as well as Beijing partner Howard Zhang and Hong Kong partner Kirtee Kapoor.

    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

  • July 6, 2012 |

    Hong Kong: Coming out on its own

    As a gateway to China, Hong Kong has drawn huge interest from foreign law firms. Alice Gartland asks if it is set to become a key market in itself

    1 minute read

  • July 5, 2012 |

    Linklaters partner joins hedge fund manager as first head of legal

    Linklaters equity capital markets partner Brigid Rentoul is leaving the firm after almost 20 years to join UK hedge fund manager Winton Capital as head of legal. Rentoul, who made partner at the magic circle firm in 1997, focuses on international equity offers, domestic equity issues and takeovers.

    1 minute read

  • July 4, 2012 |

    Latham and Davis Polk net lead roles on Manchester United's US float

    Latham & Watkins and Davis Polk & Wardwell have taken lead roles on Manchester United's initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), ending long-running speculation as to where the football club would make its stock market debut. US firm Latham is advising Man Utd, which submitted its F-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday (3 July). The club is aiming to raise $100m (£64m) to reduce its debts, which as of 31 March stood at £423.3m.

    1 minute read

  • June 14, 2012 |

    The new, new wave - the rapid expansion of the newest entrants to the London legal market

    As new firms continue to flock to London, the cautious growth of earlier entrants has been cast aside in favour of heavy investment and dramatic expansion. JDG Chambers reports

    1 minute read

  • June 14, 2012 |

    Learning the ropes - reflections on entering the London legal market

    Ropes & Gray's Maurice Allen reflects on how the London legal market has changed since the firm's entry

    1 minute read