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  • March 20, 2008 |

    Advisers scramble as credit turmoil claims Carlyle fund and Bear Stearns

    Finance lawyers are scrambling to position themselves globally after renewed turmoil in credit markets led to the collapse of two hedge funds in Europe and the fire-sale of Wall Street giant Bear Stearns.First to secure lead roles were Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Linklaters as Carlyle Capital Corporation announced its liquidation after defaulting on debts of $16bn (£7.8bn).

    1 minute read

  • March 19, 2008 |

    Salans Paris snares Jeantet public law partner

    Salans has hired public law partner Marc Fornacciari from French independent firm Jeantet in a boost for its Paris office. Fornacciari, who specialises in private public partnerships (PPP), joined Jeantet in 2004 after holding a number of in-house roles, including a stint with German utilities firm RWE, which he joined in 2001.

    1 minute read

  • March 18, 2008 |

    JP Morgan sets aside $6bn to combat Bear Stearns claims as Wachtell secures trophy mandate

    JP Morgan Chase is setting aside $6bn (£2.9bn) to cover potential litigation as it agrees to buy stricken Wall Street giant Bear Stearns for just $240m (£119m). Following the announcement on 16 March that it is buying the bank for a fraction of its previous value, JP Morgan said it is estimating the cost of the transaction at around $6bn - taking into account the potential of litigation stemming from the drop in Bear Stearn's stock value and severance costs.

    1 minute read

  • March 12, 2008 |

    Visa to shell out $15m in fees on landmark IPO

    White & Case is in line for a bumper pay-day after it emerged that client Visa is to shell out $15m (£7.45m) in legal fees and expenses for its long-awaited initial public offering (IPO), writes The American Lawyer. Visa disclosed details of its legal fees in an amended registration statement filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) last week ahead of this month's IPO, which the company says could net a US record $18.8bn (£9.33bn) in stock sales.

    1 minute read

  • January 23, 2008 | International Edition

    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

  • 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