• February 8, 2012 |

    Misys GC takes acting CEO role amid £2bn merger

    FTSE 250 technology company Misys has handed general counsel Tom Kilroy a role on the company's board as acting CEO amid £2bn merger negotiations with Swiss rival Temenos. Misys announced the appointment on 8 February after former chief executive Mike Lawrie's resignation from the company. Kilroy (pictured) has taken over the CEO role with immediate effect, although Lawrie will remain at Misys until 31 March this year.

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  • February 2, 2012 |

    K&L Gates merges with Italian indie to launch in Milan

    K&L Gates is set to merge with Italian firm Marini Salsi Picciau Studio Legale, giving the firm its first presence in the country. The new Milan office will become the US firm's 41st office globally and gifts the firm capabilities in a range of practices including corporate, infrastructure projects, restructuring and bankruptcy, as well as litigation and arbitration.

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  • January 26, 2012 |

    A&O and Linklaters top slim 2011 EMEA capital markets rankings as volumes dip

    Allen & Overy (A&O) and Linklaters have topped Thomson Reuters' EMEA rankings for bank roles on debt and equity capital markets (ECM) transactions in 2011 – a year in which the volume of debt issues fell more than 7%. A&O advised managers on 472 debt issues generating proceeds of $272.5bn (£175.1bn) to head the bank-side rankings across the EMEA region, with Linklaters, Clifford Chance (CC), Davis Polk & Wardwell and Cahill Gordon & Reindel making up the rest of the top five.

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  • January 19, 2012 |

    A fresh start - reinvigorating one of America's leading law firms

    After a few tough years, O'Melveny has a new chair and a revamped strategy. Drew Combs reports

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  • January 12, 2012 |

    At last Davis Polk hits the City, but is the Wall St leader ready to go on offensive?

    Suzanna Ring sizes up Davis Polk & Wardwell's prospects as the US leader makes its English law debut in the City...

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  • January 10, 2012 |

    Morgan Stanley and News Corp confirm new top in-house lawyers

    Morgan Stanley and News Corporation have both confirmed the appointment of new top in-house lawyers. At Morgan Stanley, Eric Grossman is being promoted to succeed Francis Barron as the company's next chief legal officer. Barron, whose retirement was announced earlier this week, joined the financial services giant in July 2010 after 32 years at Cravath Swaine & Moore...

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  • January 10, 2012 |

    MoFo wraps up Hong Kong capital markets deal hat-trick

    Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) has completed three multimillion-dollar listings on the Hong Kong stock exchange in recent weeks, as Asian capital markets continues to grow in importance for international law firms. The US firm advised the underwriters - China International Capital Corporation, UBS and RBS - on the $300m (£194m) initial public offering (IPO) of Chinese power company Guodian Technology and Environment Group, which listed on 30 December.

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  • 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.

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  • 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).

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  • December 15, 2011 |

    Slaughters & Freshfields score mandates on New China Life Insurance listing

    Slaughter and May and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have advised on a billion-dollar dual initial public offering (IPO) for China's third-largest life insurance company. New China Life Insurance expects to raise $1.9bn (£1.2bn) through the dual listing on the Hong Kong and Shanghai exchanges. The headline deal was announced 2 December with the shares going live on the exchanges today (15 December). The deal saw Freshfields acting for the Chinese insurance giant, while Slaughters advised the underwriter consortium. The key banks underwriting the deal included China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited (CICC), UBS and Goldman Sachs, with Slaughters' team led by Hong Kong corporate partner Benita Yu. Sullivan & Cromwell advised the banks on US law aspects of the deal led by Wei Chun, while King & Wood took the PRC law advisory role on the deal, led by Yang Xiaolei. On the issuer side, Freshfields floated a team led by capital markets partner Teresa Ko. Wall Street firm Davis Polk & Wardwell took the US law role, led by He Li and Chinese law firm Commerce & Finance advised on PRC law led by Wu Gang. PRC-based New China Life Insurance provides a broad range of life insurance products and services to individual and institutional customers. The company was the third-ranked life insurance company in the PRC in terms of gross premium income last year.

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