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  • November 2, 2010 |

    More worlds to conquer - Slaughters and the emerging economies

    Thirteen years after the firm moved to first publicly articulate its global outlook, the international strategy of Slaughter and May continues to spark intense debate among the upper reaches of the global legal market. Shunning the committed international expansion of its magic circle rivals in the 1990s, Slaughters, under then senior partner Giles Henderson, outlined a vision of elite independent law firms co-operating globally in a cover feature for Commercial Lawyer. Though the phrase was never used, it was the system that came to be widely known, somewhat incongruously, as 'best friends', a model built around a core of allied firms in Europe.

    1 minute read

  • October 28, 2010 |

    Dealmaker: Alex Bafi

    Herbert Smith's corporate veteran on duff DIY skills and why ECM deals still get the heart pumping...

    1 minute read

  • October 20, 2010 |

    US duo take top roles on Danish jewellery retailer's €1.5bn listing

    Latham & Watkins and Davis Polk & Wardwell have taken lead roles on the €1.5bn (£1.3bn) initial public offering (IPO) of Danish jewellery maker Pandora. Davis Polk advised the jewellery company on its listing, fielding a team led by London corporate partner John Meade. Latham, meanwhile, advised the financial sponsors on the deal, which completed earlier this month on Copenhagen's NASDAQ OMX exchange.

    1 minute read

  • October 1, 2010 |

    US trio reprise roles as AIG confirms bailout repayment plan

    Davis Polk & Wardwell, Sullivan & Cromwell and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett have taken roles as AIG finalises plans to repay the US government, reports The Am Law Daily. The three law firms, which played leading roles crafting the first of many AIG bailout provisions were on hand again, two years later, when the government and the limping insurer finally worked out a complex plan to sever ties, according to lawyers who worked on the deal.

    1 minute read

  • September 28, 2010 |

    Gibson Dunn, Debevoise advise as Vivendi sells $2bn NBCU stake to GE

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Debevoise & Plimpton have taken roles as French media conglomerate Vivendi has sold a portion of its stake in NBC Universal to General Electric (GE) for $2bn (£1.3bn), reports AmLaw Daily.

    1 minute read

  • September 22, 2010 |

    Number of US lawyers applying to practice HK law quadruples in two years

    The number of US lawyers applying to practice local law in Hong Kong has quadrupled over the past two years as the region becomes a hot spot for companies listing on its stock exchange. Figures from the Hong Kong Law Society show that 64 US lawyers took the Hong Kong overseas lawyers qualification examination (QLQE) exam last year compared to 14 in 2008, and the trend looks set to continue with an estimated 65 having taken the exam so far in 2010.

    1 minute read

  • September 22, 2010 |

    Latin America: Tomorrow's country today

    From the dark days of the 1980s, a newly-confident Brazil has emerged. Alex Aldridge reports on one of the most hotly-tipped emerging economies and the lawyers scrambling to keep up

    1 minute read

  • August 19, 2010 |

    US firms in driving seat on upcoming General Motors listing

    Jenner & Block and Davis Polk & Wardwell have secured lead roles on General Motors' highly-anticipated initial public offering (IPO), reports The Am Law Daily. The car manufacturing giant filed for the IPO yesterday (18 August), just over a year after the company emerged from bankruptcy. Jenner corporate partners Joseph Gromacki, William Tolbert and Brian Boch are lead issuer's counsel for the IPO. Gromacki chairs Jenner's corporate practice and serves as co-chair of the firm's securities practice.

    1 minute read

  • August 16, 2010 |

    Freshfields Beijing managing partner joins Davis Polk for HK law launch

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's Beijing managing partner is leaving the firm to launch a Hong Kong law practice for Davis Polk & Wardwell, reports The Am Law Daily. Antony Dapiran (pictured), a capital markets lawyer at Freshfields, has taken roles on several high-profile transactions for Chinese state-owned enterprises, including working side-by-side with Davis Polk representing Agricultural Bank of China on its dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai, which this week became the world's largest initial public offering (IPO) ever with over $22bn (£14bn) raised.

    1 minute read

  • August 12, 2010 |

    Weil and Skadden head up latest billion-dollar AIG sell-off

    Weil Gotshal & Manges and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom have taken the lead roles on AIG's sale of an 80% stake in its consumer finance lender, American General Finance (AGF), to the Fortress Investment Group, reports The Am Law Daily. The purchase price of the deal - which will allow AIG to offload between $17bn (£11bn) and $19bn (£12bn) worth of debt - has not been disclosed, but AGF has been previously valued at around $2bn (£1.3bn).

    1 minute read