• March 3, 2010 |

    Simmons set to launch environment practice with Travers partner hire

    Simmons & Simmons is to launch a dedicated environment practice with the hire of Travers Smith's head of environment and planning Steven McNab. McNab, whose start date is still being negotiated, will take the title of head of environment at Simmons. He has been with Travers since 2006, having previously practised with Jones Day and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

    1 minute read

  • March 1, 2010 |

    Slaughters takes headline role for Prudential on $35bn AIG Asia buyout

    Slaughter and May and Debevoise & Plimpton have scored advisory roles on Prudential's high-profile plans to purchase the Asian assets of American International Group (AIG) for more than $35bn (£23.3bn). The two insurance groups are in advanced discussions over the sale of US Government-controlled AIG's subsidiary AIA, with Prudential this week (1 March) confirming both the discussions and the suspension of its shares as a result.

    1 minute read

  • February 26, 2010 |

    Skadden and Cleary take top roles on $12bn Coca-Cola buyout

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has advised Coca-Cola on its $12.2bn (£8bn) deal to acquire the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, reports The Am Law Daily. The deal follows PepsiCo's move in August to take control of its two largest bottlers for $7.8bn (£5.1bn).

    1 minute read

  • February 24, 2010 |

    The outsourcers are coming

    The news that Microsoft is sending out legal work to a team of lawyers at legal process outsourcing (LPO) provider CPA Global in India is the latest indication that one of the most talked-about trends in recent years is no flash in the pan. That the announcement followed the defection earlier this month of former Rio Tinto managing attorney Leah Cooper to a business development role at CPA only adds further credence to the growing acceptance of legal outsourcing - particularly since Cooper herself was the driving force behind an agreement struck between CPA and Rio last June that saw a team of CPA lawyers take on work such as document review and legal research for the mining giant.

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  • February 17, 2010 |

    Kelly hire settles dispute over Cleary's City litigation plans

    With even the notoriously conservative Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton making a senior disputes appointment in the Square Mile, it appears that the much-touted banking litigation market really does have legs. The US firm made a big splash last week with the news that it was making a rare lateral hire in the shape of Jonathan Kelly from Simmons & Simmons, one of the best-known banking litigators in the City.

    1 minute read

  • February 17, 2010 |

    Russia and Ukraine: Standing their ground

    The ongoing turf war between Russia's independent and foreign law firms moved up a gear in 2009. Local lawyers, long resigned to sharing their market with the crowd of international firms that began arriving in droves at the end of the Soviet era, regained a little of that lost ground thanks to the economic downturn.

    1 minute read

  • February 15, 2010 |

    Bingham sets standard for London salaries with £100,000 pay for NQs

    Bingham McCutchen has emerged as one of the best-paying firms for newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers in London with NQ salaries of more than £100,000. The firm said that it pays New York rates, which currently stand at around $160,000 (£102,000) for NQs.

    1 minute read

  • February 10, 2010 |

    Cleary makes rare City lateral with hire of high-profile Simmons litigator

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has made a rare lateral hire in the City, picking up high-profile finance litigator Jonathan Kelly from Simmons & Simmons. Kelly, one of the City's best-known banking litigators, will launch a dedicated UK litigation practice for Cleary on his arrival at the US firm in April.

    1 minute read

  • February 2, 2010 |

    Howrey recruits from Cleary to expand City competition team

    Howrey is set to boost its London arm with the hire of a competition partner from US rival Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, with the New York leader also seeing a capital markets partner depart for an in-house role. Shaun Goodman will join the top 50 US law firm next month (1 March) as the second full-time partner in Howrey's London antitrust group, which is led by partner Tom McQuail

    1 minute read

  • January 11, 2010 |

    US duo lead on Heineken's €5.3bn buyout of Mexican drinks company

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher have taken lead roles on Heineken's acquisition of Mexican drinks company FEMSA for €5.3bn (£4.8bn). FEMSA, the largest beverage company in Latin America, will receive a 20% stake in Heineken as part of the all-share deal, which sees Heineken take over FEMSA's beer business, which includes brands such as Sol.

    1 minute read