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  • January 10, 2012 |

    Cleary, Simpson Thacher field City teams on $2.1bn France Telecom sale

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's London offices have taken lead roles on France Telecom's proposed $2.1bn (£1.4bn) sale of its Orange Switzerland mobile phone business to Apax Partners, reports The Am Law Daily. London-based Cleary international capital markets partner Pierre-Marie Boury is leading the firm's team advising France Telecom on financing aspects of the potential sale, which will be submitted to France Telecom's board this week.

    1 minute read

  • January 6, 2012 |

    Davis Polk launches UK law team with Freshfields heavyweight

    Wall Street leader Davis Polk & Wardwell has launched an English law practice in the City with the hire of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer corporate veteran Simon Witty. Witty is set to join the US law firm's London arm in April this year. It is not yet known whether he is bringing any associates with him.

    1 minute read

  • January 5, 2012 |

    Simpson Thacher confirms plan to launch in Korea

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has announced plans to open an office in Seoul, reports The Asian Lawyer. The US firm said in a statement that it will open in the South Korean capital "as soon as practicable in 2012." The announcement follows the ratification of a trade deal between the US and Korea, the passage of which opens the way for US firms to apply to enter Korea's legal market as of this month.

    1 minute read

  • December 22, 2011 |

    Weil promotes one partner in London as 11 make the grade

    Weil Gotshal & Manges has become the latest US firm to announce its partners promotions with only one lawyer making the cut in the City. Jamie Maples, a member of the London arbitration team for more than eight years, has acted in a wide range of major international commercial disputes including telecoms infrastructure work and - most recently - hedge fund investments.

    1 minute read

  • December 16, 2011 |

    Davis Polk, Clifford Chance latest to announce US bonus rates

    Davis Polk & Wardwell has become the latest firm to announce US associate bonuses, with the firm opting to match rates first set by Wall Street rival Cravath Swaine & Moore last month, writes The Am Law Daily. Like Cravath, Davis Polk's bonus scale starts at $7,500 (£4,800) for those in the class of 2010 and increases incrementally to $37,500 (£24,200) for the class of 2004, according to an announcement sent out to the firm's associates on Monday (12 December).

    1 minute read

  • December 15, 2011 |

    Shearman adds four to City partnership in annual promotion round

    Shearman & Sterling has become the latest US firm to announce its global partner promotions, with nearly half of new partners joining in the firm's City office. Thomas Donegan is joining the global financial regulatory practice area in London, while Peter Hayes will be joining the finance department. M&A lawyer Jeremy Kutner and bankruptcy specialist Solomon Noh have also been promoted in London.

    1 minute read

  • December 13, 2011 |

    Herbert Smith and Freshfields lead on Pearson's FTSE sale

    Herbert Smith and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have lined up to advise on the £450m sale of Financial Times publisher Pearson's 50% stake in FTSE International to the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Herbert Smith is advising longstanding client Pearson on the sale, which gives the LSE full ownership of the FTSE indices.

    1 minute read

  • December 8, 2011 |

    Two tribes – the co-existence of corporate and litigation at Herbert Smith

    If you were a company in need of a tough litigator in the 1980s there would have been one name at the top of your list: Herbert Smith. The firm was acknowledged to be streaks ahead of its rivals, with star names including Lawrence Collins, Charles Plant, David Higgins, David Natali and David Gold helping to cement its reputation as the go-to firm for litigation. After all, Herbert Smith pretty much wrote the book for the modern City litigator having, after World War II, pioneered a partner-led style of running disputes under legendary practitioners like John Barker and Francis Mann. Previously, litigation was run by clerks and outside counsel - but Herbert Smith developed a style of proactive litigation with parallels to the US tradition of trial lawyering.

    1 minute read

  • December 7, 2011 |

    The institution - can Herbert Smith reinvent itself for a fast-changing global market?

    With cracks appearing in Herbert Smith's venerable exterior, Suzanna Ring and Georgina Stanley ask if this proud City firm can renew itself for a rapidly changing global market

    1 minute read

  • November 30, 2011 |

    First into Seoul? No thanks - many firms reluctant to launch in the local Korean market

    As South Korea has inched towards the liberalisation of its legal market over the past several years, there has been much speculation about which international law firms will be first into Seoul. Now, with the US Congress ratifying a free trade agreement (FTA) with Korea in October, the time for action is close at hand. So that means the race is on, right? Not exactly. Although a number of firms have been vocal about their desire to enter Korea at the earliest opportunity, many leading Korea practice lawyers privately express reservations about relocating to Seoul. They cite everything from children's school commitments to a preference for the warmer weather, lower taxes and the more expat-friendly environment of Hong Kong, where most international firms currently base their practices.

    1 minute read