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  • April 21, 2011 |

    New regulation wreaks havoc on private equity houses' returns

    The burden of regulatory compliance is causing "misery" for private equity houses, with associated legal and compliance costs eating into returns, according to Better Capital managing director Jon Moulton. Speaking at Legal Week's Private Equity Forum last week (13 April), Moulton said regulation such as the European Commission's Directive for Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFM), the forthcoming UK Bribery Act, the US' Dodd-Frank Act and carbon reporting requirements were causing undue problems for buyout houses.

    1 minute read

  • April 13, 2011 |

    Kirkland boosts London base with Shearman partner hire

    Kirkland & Ellis has strengthened its City office with the addition of a partner from Shearman & Sterling. Shearman capital markets partner Ward McKimm (pictured) is understood to have handed in his notice yesterday (12 April), with the intention of joining US rival Kirkland.

    1 minute read

  • 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