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  • 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

  • June 16, 2010 |

    International firms in London: Swoop to conquer

    June 2009, and it was just another not-so-hectic day in the finance department of Addleshaw Goddard's London office - which, after some busy years in the middle of the decade, had slowed dramatically following the onset of the credit crunch in 2007. The firm had recently posted its annual financial results, announcing a fall in revenue of 11.4% and a 30.9% decline in profits per equity partner (PEP), having earlier that year cut 10% of its partnership. Needless to say, acquisition finance partner Phil Slater was on hand to answer his phone when it rang that morning.

    1 minute read

  • June 15, 2010 |

    Dealmaker: Matthew Dening

    Sidley structured products partner and tragic Wolves reject Matthew Dening counts the 'colleague cost'...

    1 minute read

  • June 10, 2010 |

    A&O advises alongside US trio on $1.3bn software company stake sale

    Allen & Overy (A&O) has taken a lead role alongside a trio of US firms on a $1.3bn (£900m) deal which will see tech company Misys offload its healthcare software portfolio in the US. The deal, which also handed roles to US firms Sidley Austin, King & Spalding and Winston & Strawn, will see Misys sell the majority of its 55% stake in US healthcare software company Allscripts to rival provider Eclipsys.

    1 minute read

  • June 1, 2010 |

    Ashurst private equity partner duo set to join Kirkland in the City

    Kirkland & Ellis has hired highly-rated private equity partners Gavin Gordon and David Arnold from Ashurst, Legal Week can reveal. The duo are set to join Kirkland's City office, marking the US firm's first major investment in London since 2008. It is understood that Kirkland has offered seven-figure pay deals to the pair, who are expected to be tied into a six-month notice period at Ashurst.

    1 minute read