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  • June 22, 2010 |

    Risky business - A return on Simmons/Mayer Brown won't come easy

    If transatlantic merger bids are the current flavour of the month, in one important sense the talks between Simmons & Simmons and Mayer Brown are a break with recent convention. The birth of Hogan Lovells and SNR Denton and the ongoing talks between SJ Berwin and Proskauer Rose all represent deals that come with minimal risks given their strategic importance. Lack of overlap in practices and clear areas of responsibility mean that putting these businesses together will somewhat limit the always daunting challenges of integration.

    1 minute read

  • June 18, 2010 |

    Simmons confirms Mayer Brown merger talks to partnership

    Simmons & Simmons has informed its partners that it is discussing a merger with Mayer Brown. Senior partner David Dickinson confirmed the talks in an email to the partnership last night (17 June), which stated that the two firms are in "preliminary discussions" about a merger. The note also said that the partners will be informed further about the talks next week. It has been added as a point to the agenda of a scheduled partner meeting due to take place next Friday (25 June), at which other topics will include the voting on this year's new partner promotions.

    1 minute read

  • June 17, 2010 |

    Band of US firms ready for UK tie-up as SJB/Proskauer talks continue

    Reed Smith, K&L Gates and Bryan Cave are among a group of US-based practices that would actively consider a merger with a London firm, according to Legal Week research. The finding is contained in Legal Week's annual international firms in London focus, which includes submissions from most major foreign practices operating in the Square Mile.

    1 minute read

  • June 17, 2010 |

    In depth: International firms in London

    As profits buckle at their City rivals, will international firms in London seize the moment?

    1 minute read

  • June 16, 2010 |

    Ex-Mayer Brown partner settles with SEC one year after Refco conviction

    Former Mayer Brown partner Joseph Collins, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the $2.4bn (£1.6bn) Refco fraud, has settled charges filed against him by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), reports The Am Law Daily. Corporate partner Collins was sentenced in January for his role in the fraud that brought down commodities trader Refco - Collins' largest client when measured by billable hours. The final judgment against Collins enjoins him from violating a section of the securities code on the use of manipulative and deceptive practices in the purchase and sale of securities. Collins consented to the judgment without admitting or denying the SEC's charges.

    1 minute read

  • June 16, 2010 |

    International firms in London: Old game, new rules

    In the second half of 2008, as we all know, the global financial system suffered the largest meltdown in recent memory with unprecedented consequences for some major financial institutions and the global business community. The ensuing economic crisis shook global capitalism to its core. In the legal services community, the crash challenged many preconceived ideas about how international law firms do business around the globe and how they view themselves and their future development.

    1 minute read

  • June 16, 2010 |

    International firms in London: Swoop to conquer

    June 2009, and it was just another not-so-hectic day in the finance department of Addleshaw Goddard's London office - which, after some busy years in the middle of the decade, had slowed dramatically following the onset of the credit crunch in 2007. The firm had recently posted its annual financial results, announcing a fall in revenue of 11.4% and a 30.9% decline in profits per equity partner (PEP), having earlier that year cut 10% of its partnership. Needless to say, acquisition finance partner Phil Slater was on hand to answer his phone when it rang that morning.

    1 minute read

  • May 28, 2010 |

    A&O boosts energy team with Herbert Smith partner duo

    Allen & Overy (A&O) has boosted its corporate energy team in the City with the recruitment of two partners from Herbert Smith. The transfer of the pair - Paul Griffin and John Geraghty - marks a rare partner-level appointment in the London market for A&O.

    1 minute read

  • May 28, 2010 |

    Mayer Brown adds partner to City base with A&O finance hire

    Mayer Brown has added a partner to its London finance practice with the hire of Allen & Overy (A&O) finance specialist Chris Arnold. Arnold is set to join Mayer Brown's derivatives and structured products practice as a partner on 1 June after eight years in A&O's international capital markets practice in both London and New York.

    1 minute read

  • May 26, 2010 |

    Mayer Brown seals hire of Hogan Lovells partner in New York

    Mayer Brown has recruited Hogan Lovells partner David Alberts in New York, marking the office's fifth lateral hire so far this year. Alberts, a legacy Lovells partner in the UK firm's insurance and reinsurance practice, left after the recent Hogan & Hartson tie-up on 21 May to join Mayer Brown's corporate & securities practice and insurance industry group.

    1 minute read