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  • January 23, 2008 |

    Slaughters reviews governance as Saul prepares to take control

    For a firm that sets great stall in maintaining the status quo, it is interesting to note that Slaughter and May has a body called the constitutional working party (CWP). The little-known group has been in action again recently, reviewing Slaughters' governance to coincide with this month's election of new senior partner Chris Saul. The process is the first review of its management since outgoing senior partner Tim Clark took up the role seven years ago. By the yardstick of most corporatised global law firms, the results of the review may seem minor but, by Slaughters' standards, the process has been substantial, examining its core leadership, practice management and the working of its 'best friends' alliance of international firms.

    1 minute read

  • December 12, 2007 |

    Benelux: Prized assets

    The takeover of ABN Amro dominated the headlines and the deal tables this year, raising questions about the future of lead adviser roles for Dutch law firms; while in neighbouring Belgium, firms are grappling with partner weighting structures in a small market. James Illman reports

    1 minute read

  • December 5, 2007 |

    White collar, black arts

    In his summer of discontent, there were few days of undiluted glory for attorney general Alberto Gonzales and 17 July was no exception. Just six weeks before he resigned, Gonzales stood before hundreds of federal prosecutors and investigators in the US Department of Justice's Great Hall to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the department's Corporate Fraud Task Force and declare victory over white-collar corruption.

    1 minute read

  • November 29, 2007 |

    Deal feast

    The Netherlands' M&A market has been booming in recent months, but one deal in particular has captivated the corporate market: the fight for banking giant ABN Amro.

    1 minute read

  • November 29, 2007 |

    A year in Paris

    Plus ca change; plus c'est la meme chose. An old adage maybe, but an apt summary by one managing partner of the past year for France's independent law firms.

    1 minute read

  • October 17, 2007 |

    Freshfields, Linklaters lead trophy Spain IPO

    Magic circle duo Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Link-laters have nudged aside local opposition to secure lead roles on one of the largest-ever initial public offerings (IPOs) in Spain - the E4bn (£2.8bn) float of Spanish bank La Caixa's investment arm.

    1 minute read

  • October 10, 2007 |

    Where Angel didn't fear to tread

    For a generation, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom stood alone globally among law firms in combining mammoth size with regal wealth. Well, move over, Joe Flom. With revenue of £1.121bn and profits per equity partner of £1.294m, Linklaters has surpassed Skadden on both measures. As managing partner Tony Angel's nine-year tenure draws to a close, Linklaters is both big and rich.

    1 minute read

  • October 3, 2007 |

    Reuters strives to maintain proud history in face of Thomson union

    Reuters has built a strong reputation as a go-to employer for ambitious corporate counsel. Michelle Madsen investigates whether the respected news provider can maintain its focus in the wake of its recent merger with Thomson

    1 minute read

  • September 26, 2007 |

    Norton Rose bags SocGen private bank role

    Norton Rose has advised SG Hambros - part of Societe Generale's (SocGen's) private banking unit - on its eye-catching acquisition of ABN Amro's E1bn (£699m) London-based private banking business.

    1 minute read

  • September 22, 2007 |

    - The post-Lehman landscape: a Legal Week Wiki special

    The dramatic collapse of investment banking giant Lehman Brothers rocked financial markets around the world, as the credit crunch claimed its most high-profile victim to date. The days that followed saw a flurry of action as the financial world scrambled to make sense of events. Here's how Legal Week reported the post-Lehman fallout.

    1 minute read