• January 4, 2012 |

    SJ Berwin expands energy practice with former GTM partner

    SJ Berwin has hired a City energy partner with the addition of Neil Upton from Greenberg Traurig Maher (GTM). Upton, who was a consultant at GTM, is joining SJ Berwin as a partner and will lead the development of SJ Berwin's energy and infrastructure team alongside existing City energy partner Elaine Gibson-Bolton. He was previously head of power at White & Case and global energy head at DLA Piper. He joined White & Case from DLA Piper in 2006, moving to GTM around two years ago.

    1 minute read

  • January 4, 2012 |

    Olswang brings in real estate partner in London with BLP hire

    Olswang has bulked up its City real estate team with the hire of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) partner Graham Lloyd-Brunt. Lloyd-Brunt joined the firm yesterday (3 January) after seven years as a partner at BLP.

    1 minute read

  • December 21, 2011 |

    Reed Smith adds to structured finance taking BLP's Box

    Reed Smith has made another high-profile hire in its London office, bringing in Berwin Leighton Paisner's (BLP) structured finance chief Tamara Box. Box, who focuses on structured finance and securitisation transactions, derivatives, debt capital markets and debt restructurings, will be joining the US firm's City base in the New Year.

    1 minute read

  • December 14, 2011 |

    SJ Berwin's Yam quits to launch Reed Smith private equity practice

    SJ Berwin is set to lose City corporate partner Perry Yam, who is joining Reed Smith to launch a private equity practice in the US firm's London office. The venture capital-specialist private equity partner, who resigned yesterday had been at SJ Berwin for sixteen years, becoming a partner in 2001. Last autumn he unsuccessfully stood for managing partner, losing out to Rob Day in the last round voting.

    1 minute read

  • December 7, 2011 |

    Skadden and Travers lead on private equity energy purchase

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Travers Smith 
have taken lead roles on Doughty Hanson's £250m acquisition of oil and gas logistics company Asco. Skadden advised the UK private equity house on the transaction, which will see the group take a majority stake in Asco. The US law firm fielded a London-based team led by corporate partner Allan Murray-Jones.

    1 minute read

  • December 7, 2011 |

    CSR Initiative/Programme of the Year: Field Fisher Waterhouse

    The judging panel was hugely impressed with an initiative by Field Fisher Waterhouse to establish a website that links organisations across the globe seeking pro bono legal advice with lawyers willing to give it. Like many of the best corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, the idea to launch i-Probono bubbled up from the firm's grassroots.

    1 minute read

  • December 6, 2011 |

    Reed Smith grows Middle East practice with Holland & Knight hires

    Reed Smith has strengthened its Middle Eastern corporate practice with a two-lawyer hire from Holland & Knight. Holland & Knight corporate partner and Abu Dhabi head Donald Moore is set to join the US firm's local office as a partner, bringing the total number of partners in the office to five. Meanwhile, corporate associate Nijoe Joseph is set to join the Dubai office.

    1 minute read

  • November 23, 2011 |

    City elite give a little ground on fees but some firms still hiking rates

    Charge-out rates at the City's top firms have remained broadly static throughout 2011, with leading firms coming under pressure to reduce rates. New research carried out by costs lawyer Jim Diamond shows magic circle firms have reduced partner charge-out rates marginally, with average rates falling by 8% at the lower end of the range and 3% at the top in 2011. The reductions equate to an average partner hourly rate in the magic circle of between £600 and £700, down from a range of £650 to £725 in 2010.

    1 minute read

  • November 16, 2011 |

    US pair excel as 1,000 clients give verdict on major firms

    A select band of US-based law firms – including Weil Gotshal & Manges and Reed Smith – have outperformed key UK rivals according to a major research project based on responses from more than 1,000 clients. Legal Week Intelligence's eighth annual Client Satisfaction Report found the duo topping a ranking of major law firms operating in the UK based on feedback from 1,069 companies, including 78% of the FTSE 100.

    1 minute read

  • November 7, 2011 |

    Linklaters and Latham among firms on Virgin Media's debut legal panel

    Linklaters, Latham & Watkins and Sullivan & Cromwell are among a raft of firms to have won roles on Virgin Media's inaugural legal panel. The new panel, which will take effect from next year, also includes Ashurst and US firm Fried Frank, both of which are existing advisers to the company.

    1 minute read