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  • July 26, 2010 |

    Freshfields adds high yield partner with Simpson Thacher hire

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has boosted its high yield capabilities with the hire of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett counsel Gil Strauss. Strauss, whose practice focuses on US corporate finance and securities, will join Freshfields in the City as an equity partner in September. Freshfields joint head of capital markets Sarah Murphy said: "Gil's expertise in acquisition financing, high yield debt offerings and bridge financing will be a valuable addition to our high yield, US and capital markets practices and we are very excited about the opportunities that will come from the combined experience of Gil and our existing teams."

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  • July 23, 2010 |

    Letter from Asia: Should US firms build local practices in Hong Kong?

    The Agricultural Bank of China's initial public offering (IPO), expected to become the world's largest, debuted this week, landing squarely in the middle of a debate over whether leading Wall Street law firms should build local practice capability in Hong Kong. The IPO on the Hong Kong and Shanghai exchanges would seem an obvious rallying cry for those arguing that top US capital markets firms will miss out on deals without their own Hong Kong lawyers - except that the lead lawyers on the AgBank deal are from New York's Davis Polk & Wardwell, which only practises US law.

    1 minute read

  • July 20, 2010 | International Edition

    CC funds chief Glover to set up City practice for Simpson Thacher

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has hired high-profile Clifford Chance (CC) partner Jason Glover to launch a funds practice in the City. Glover, the head of CC's much-touted global private funds team, will join the US firm as a partner to establish a UK funds practice. Glover made partner at CC in 1998, having held a number of industry posts including serving as operations director at Hambro European Ventures (now Duke Street Capital) between 1996 and 1997.

    1 minute read

  • July 20, 2010 |

    CC funds chief Glover to set up City practice for Simpson Thacher

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has hired high-profile Clifford Chance (CC) partner Jason Glover to launch a funds practice in the City. Glover, the head of CC's much-touted global private funds team, will join the US firm as a partner to establish a UK funds practice. Glover made partner at CC in 1998, having held a number of industry posts including serving as operations director at Hambro European Ventures (now Duke Street Capital) between 1996 and 1997.

    1 minute read

  • July 16, 2010 |

    KKR listing documents reveal $6.9m pay for buyout giant's legal chief

    Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) general counsel David Sorkin has been revealed as one of the buyout giant's top earners, according to documents showing he was paid a total of $6.9m (£4.6m) last year. Sorkin's compensation was revealed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month as KKR geared up for its listing on the New York Stock Exchange, writes Corporate Counsel. KKR debuted on Thursday (15 July). His compensation, which was disclosed in his employer's Form S-1, is listed alongside KKR's four other top-earning executives: co-chief executives Henry Kravis and George Roberts, chief administrative officer Todd Fisher and chief financial officer William Janetschek.

    1 minute read

  • July 8, 2010 |

    Blackstone recruits Simpson Thacher M&A partner as new top lawyer

    Private equity fund The Blackstone Group has appointed a new top lawyer with the hire of John Finley, the co-chair of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's M&A group, reports The Am Law Daily. Notable transactions that Finley has worked on in recent years at Simpson Thacher include representing Lehman Brothers on the sale of its North American operations to Barclays and Mars's $23.1bn (£15.3bn) leveraged buyout-style purchase of chewing gum manufacturer Wrigley.

    1 minute read

  • July 7, 2010 |

    Freshfields leads on CVC's multimillion-pound investment into amusement parks operator

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has taken a lead role on CVC Capital Partners' multimillion-pound investment in Merlin Entertainments Group. The magic circle firm advised private equity house CVC on its purchase of a 28% stake in Merlin from the company's existing shareholders, which include buyout giant Blackstone, and Kirkbi, the investment arm of the Lego Group. The deal values Merlin, the world's second-largest amusement parks operator, at £2.25bn.

    1 minute read

  • June 29, 2010 |

    Trio of firms advise on £300m sale of fashion retailer Republic

    A trio of firms have secured roles on a £300m fashion deal that has seen TPG Capital acquire UK-based retailer Republic. Top 20 City law firm SJ Berwin took the lead role for Republic and the seller Change Capital Partners on the transaction, having initially advised the private equity house when it bought the fashion outlet in 2005.

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  • May 26, 2010 |

    China: Years of the dragon

    On Tuesday 4 May at 7:30am a car arrived to pick up former Lovells Beijing managing partner Robert Lewis from his house in the Shunyi district of the Chinese capital, a part of town popular with expats. As it weaved its way off the estate and onto the traffic-choked main road leading to the city centre, Lewis thought about what lay ahead for him at AllBright Law Offices, the Chinese law firm where he was about to start his first day's work. His decision to join the firm, where his brief is to overhaul AllBright's structure and expand its Beijing office to match its market-leading offering in Shanghai, is one Lewis has been edging towards for years now, and he maintains it is unrelated to Lovells' recently concluded merger with US firm Hogan & Hartson.

    1 minute read

  • May 19, 2010 |

    Hogan Lovells acts for Russian investor on basketball buyout

    Hogan Lovells' London team has completed its first corporate deal since the transatlantic merger went live at the beginning of May. The newly-formed firm has advised Onexim Sports and Entertainment on its acquisition of a majority stake in US basketball team the New Jersey Nets.

    1 minute read