• April 12, 2011 |

    Simpson Thacher to open Houston base with Vinson partner hire

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is opening an office in Houston later this year with the addition of Vinson & Elkins capital markets partner Robert Rabalais, reports The Am Law Daily. "Opening in Houston is a natural outgrowth of our already strong and longstanding energy practice," firm chairman Philip Ruegger said in a statement. "The Houston office, with a resident partner as talented as Robert, will provide a tremendous benefit to our clients active in the oil and gas space." Rabalais will join the firm once the Houston office officially opens. He has represented clients including UBS, Credit Suisse and BNP Paribas.

    1 minute read

  • April 6, 2011 | International Edition

    CC tops Q1 European M&A rankings despite global drop in deal volumes

    Clifford Chance (CC) has topped Mergermarket's European deal rankings by volume for the first three months of 2011 - a quarter that saw deal volumes fall both globally and in Europe. The magic circle law firm jumped from sixth place in Europe at Q1 2010 to first place in 2011, with roles on 43 deals worth $34.6bn (£21.3bn). These include transactions such as Criteria CaixaCorp's takeover of the banking business of majority owner La Caixa, worth around $13bn (£8bn).

    1 minute read

  • April 6, 2011 |

    CC tops Q1 European M&A rankings despite global drop in deal volumes

    Clifford Chance (CC) has topped Mergermarket's European deal rankings by volume for the first three months of 2011 - a quarter that saw deal volumes fall both globally and in Europe. The magic circle law firm jumped from sixth place in Europe at Q1 2010 to first place in 2011, with roles on 43 deals worth $34.6bn (£21.3bn). These include transactions such as Criteria CaixaCorp's takeover of the banking business of majority owner La Caixa, worth around $13bn (£8bn).

    1 minute read

  • March 30, 2011 |

    Top private equity advisers line up on £480m Chiswick Park office sale

    A raft of international law firms have advised on buyout house The Blackstone Group's £480m acquisition of the Chiswick Park office development in West London. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and City firm Herbert Smith were jointly instructed by Blackstone on the deal, with SJ Berwin and Ashurst advising the seller, Chiswick Park Unit Trust.

    1 minute read

  • March 29, 2011 | International Edition

    Reaching out - can a globalising funds market help buyout houses regain their former vigour?

    Can a globalising investor market for private equity help the leading houses fulfil their funding needs? Charlotte Edmond reports

    1 minute read

  • March 29, 2011 |

    Reaching out - can a globalising funds market help buyout houses regain their former vigour?

    Can a globalising investor market for private equity help the leading houses fulfil their funding needs? Charlotte Edmond reports

    1 minute read

  • March 29, 2011 |

    Back at the gate - the challenges ahead for private equity

    A few weeks ago news got out that Bain Capital, one of the world's leading private equity firms, was holding interviews for junior investment professionals a month earlier than usual. Bain's competitors, which include Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) and The Blackstone Group, moved quickly, bringing forward their pre-scheduled cocktail party recruiting events. This was not a surprising development. Five years ago private equity houses often did their entry-level hiring in September. During the boom, such intakes kept drifting earlier into the year as rivals jostled to secure the best aspiring deal-doers.

    1 minute read

  • March 23, 2011 |

    Paying the piper - can law firms' love affair with banks survive a series of tough panel reviews?

    Can City law firms' love affair with leading banks survive a bruising round of adviser reviews? Sofia Lind and Friederike Heine report

    1 minute read

  • March 21, 2011 |

    Sullivan and Wachtell take lead on AT&T's $39bn T-Mobile USA buyout

    Sullivan & Cromwell and Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz have taken lead roles on AT&T's $39bn (£24bn) purchase of T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom, reports The Am Law Daily. The cash-and-stock deal will create the largest mobile phone company in the US. AT&T has 95.5 million subscribers, while T-Mobile USA has 34 million.

    1 minute read

  • March 17, 2011 |

    CC and Simpson Thacher advise on €4bn post-Lehman fundraise

    Former Clifford Chance (CC) funds chief Jason Glover has completed his first deal since joining Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's City office in January, advising on a €4bn (£3.4bn) fundraising for private equity firm BC Partners. The deal, which is the biggest fundraising in Europe since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, saw Glover advise European buyout house BC Partners alongside a team from his former firm, with corporate partner Nick Benson taking the lead role at CC.

    1 minute read