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  • 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 16, 2011 |

    SJB, CC and others act as music company EMI split in two and sold

    SJ Berwin and Clifford Chance (CC) are among a host of firms to win roles as beleaguered music company EMI is split into two, with Universal Music set to take over the recording unit for £1.2bn and a Sony-led consortium bidding $2.2bn (£1.4bn) for the publishing business. EMI, home to artists including Pink Floyd, the Beatles and Blur, has been under Citigroup's ownership since February this year when it took it over from buyout house Terra Firma.

    1 minute read

  • November 11, 2011 |

    SJ Berwin and CC lead as Universal and Sony-consortium split EMI

    SJ Berwin and Clifford Chance (CC) are among a host of firms to win roles as beleaguered music company EMI is to be split into two, with Universal Music set to take over the recording unit for £1.2bn and a Sony-led consortium bidding $2.2bn (£1.4bn) for the publishing business.

    1 minute read

  • November 1, 2011 |

    Weil, Ashurst head up administration first in new post-Lehman regime

    Weil Gotshal & Manges' London office has advised on the administration of the UK arm of broker MF Global - the first company to enter Britain's special administration regime set up to protect market stability. Weil is acting for the company's administrators, KPMG, with London restructuring head Adam Plainer and fellow partner Paul Bromfield taking the lead for the US firm.

    1 minute read

  • October 26, 2011 |

    Jones Day and Cleary advise on $1bn pharma notes offering

    Jones Day and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton have won lead roles on a $1bn (£626m) US notes offering by pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi. Jones Day advised Sanofi with a team headed by Paris capital markets partner Linda Hesse. Meanwhile, Cleary advised the underwriters – Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank Securities and Natixis – led by Paris capital markets partner Andrew Bernstein.

    1 minute read

  • October 25, 2011 |

    Weil and Latham fix $680m sale of Bob the Builder production company

    Weil Gotshal & Manges and Latham & Watkins have won lead roles on Mattel's $680m (£425m) bid for HIT Entertainment, the production company behind children's TV shows such as Thomas and Friends and Bob the Builder, reports The Am Law Daily. HIT, which is currently owned a consortium of investors led by private equity firm Apax Partners, has turned to Weil for advice on the bid. London-based Apax, which bought HIT in May 2005 for $890m (£556m), has reportedly been seeking as much as $1bn (£624m) for HIT.

    1 minute read

  • October 20, 2011 |

    McDermott boosts Germany with double partner hire as London IP head leaves

    McDermott Will & Emery has bolstered its German arm with the addition of two new partners across its Munich and Duesseldorf offices. Michael Ruoff, who specialises in renewable energy projects and related transactions, has joined the firm's Munich office as a partner and head of the German energy practice.

    1 minute read

  • October 19, 2011 |

    Weil, Simpson, W&C head up buyout of 
loan manager

    A trio of US firms have taken lead roles on GSO Capital Partners' acquisition of loan manager Harbourmaster Capital in a deal which will boost GSO's European loan holdings to €11.5bn (£10bn). GSO, the credit investment arm of Blackstone Group, was advised by US law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's London office, which fielded a team led by relationship partner Mike Wolfson alongside tax counsel Meredith Jones. Weil Gotshal & Manges, meanwhile, advised the shareholders of Dublin-based Harbourmaster with a team led by London managing partner Mike Francies and finance head Jacky Kelly.

    1 minute read

  • October 19, 2011 |

    What I wish I knew when I left uni - the profession's finest offer some life advice

    They say hindsight is 20/20 – London's senior lawyers offer their very best advice to Legal Week readers...

    1 minute read

  • October 18, 2011 |

    Weil Gotshal and Wachtell among US firms on $38bn pipeline takeover

    Weil Gotshal & Manges and Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz are among a line-up of firms to have taken roles on US energy company Kinder Morgan's multibillion-dollar acquisition of El Paso Corporation, reports The Am Law Daily. Oil and gas pipeline company Kinder announced on Sunday (16 October) that it will pay $21.1bn (£13.4bn) to acquire its rival with an eye toward amassing the largest natural gas pipeline network in the US.

    1 minute read