• May 8, 2012 |

    Weil hires Dewey West Coast corporate team as Italy prepares to spin off

    Weil Gotshal & Manges has hired a highly-regarded five partner corporate team from Dewey & LeBoeuf's Silicon Valley office led by partner Richard Climan. The sought after team, which also held talks with firms including Greenberg Traurig and Reed Smith, includes Silicon Valley-based corporate partners Keith Flaum, Jane Ross, Jim Griffin and John Brockland.

    1 minute read

  • May 8, 2012 |

    Linklaters, Weil and Mills & Reeve lead on £1.2bn Weetabix sale

    Linklaters, Weil Gotshal & Manges and Mills & Reeve have advised on a £1.2bn deal that is set to see iconic breakfast brand Weetabix becoming majority Chinese-owned. The deal has seen Linklaters act for Chinese food giant Bright Foods, which has bought a 60% stake in Weetabix from owner Lion Capital.

    1 minute read

  • April 30, 2012 |

    Trio of firms line up on £825m Four Seasons sale to Terra Firma

    Slaughter and May, Macfarlanes and Latham & Watkins have lined up to advise on the £825m sale of Four Seasons Health Care to private equity house Terra Firma. Slaughters is advising Terra Firma on the acquisition, with corporate partner Jeff Twentyman leading a team alongside finance partner Mark Dwyer.

    1 minute read

  • April 22, 2012 |

    Greenberg confirms Dewey talks as firm considers 'strategic combination'

    Greenberg Traurig has confirmed that it has held discussions about hiring an unspecified number of lawyers from Dewey & LeBoeuf, which is reportedly considering a prepackaged bankruptcy plan in order to keep the bulk of the firm intact, reports The Am Law Daily. Multiple news reports late last week included claims that Dewey is evaluating the merits of a prepackaged bankruptcy plan, which would see the firm agree to pay creditors while also pushing forward with a possible merger with an as-yet-unnamed partner.

    1 minute read

  • April 19, 2012 |

    A heavy burden - the huge US pension plans weighing down on younger partners

    A remnant of a simpler time, the generous pension plans at many Am Law 100 law firms place an increasing weight on younger partners. Is a generational battle looming? Julie Triedman reports

    1 minute read

  • April 17, 2012 |

    Weil doubles Hong Kong office space ahead of planned expansion

    Weil Gotshal & Manges is set to ramp up its Hong Kong presence as the firm moves to new premises in Hong Kong's business district. The move to Alexandra House, which will more than double the US firm's current office space, will allow it to accommodate all its current lawyers in Hong Kong as well provide capacity for expected future expansion.

    1 minute read

  • April 17, 2012 |

    Skadden makes up London duo to partnership among 11 promotions

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has appointed two London lawyers to its partnership as part of a global promotions round of 11. The promotions, which will take effect next month, include Scott Hopkins - an M&A lawyer who has spent two years on secondment at the Takeover Panel - and Penny Madden - an international arbitration lawyer. The new additions take the number of partners in the London office to 31.

    1 minute read

  • April 10, 2012 |

    Top US firms saw China lawyer count grow 10% last year, research shows

    China lawyer headcount at the top 250 US law firms rose by almost 10% last year, as the region continues to grow in importance for international law firms. The largest 250 US-based law firms by lawyer headcount - as compiled by The National Law Journal - added 194 lawyers to their China offices during the past year to reach a total of 2,249, while the total number of offices grew from 124 to 132.

    1 minute read

  • April 4, 2012 | International Edition

    The agenda - sizing up the profession's efforts to tackle social diversity

    The legal profession has finally put social diversity 'on the agenda'. Georgina Stanley asks if it will be enough to counter an increasingly unequal British society

    1 minute read

  • April 4, 2012 | International Edition

    PRIME membership rises to 75 as firms push forward on diversity

    Weil Gotshal & Manges, Baker & McKenzie, White & Case, Reed Smith and Olswang are among a host of firms signing up to social mobility initiative PRIME, with 75 now committed to the scheme. The increased tally means PRIME - which is intended to raise the aspirations of students from under-privileged backgrounds by encouraging them to consider careers in the legal sector - has tripled the number of participating law firms since it launched in September last year.

    1 minute read