• June 11, 2013 |

    Shearman offers jobs to 11 of 13 autumn qualifiers in London

    Shearman & Sterling's London office has offered 11 jobs to 13 trainees qualifying at the US firm this September. Although the number of acceptances has not yet been confirmed, the 85% offer rate is broadly in line with the previous year, when the firm offered seven of its eight-strong intake (87.5%) a role at the firm.

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  • May 30, 2013 |

    Paul Hastings among firms to score key roles as Manchester City makes US play

    Paul Hastings is among a line-up of US firms to have taken roles on a $100m (£66m) joint venture between Manchester City Football Club and the New York Yankees to create New York City Football Club (NYCFC). Major League Soccer (MLS), the top US football division, has announced that NYCFC will become the 20th club to join the league, and is expected to begin playing in 2015. Manchester City will be the majority owner of the new club, with the Yankees – one of the US's best-known baseball teams – as junior partner. The two clubs already have a commercial relationship.

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  • May 24, 2013 |

    Eight US firms close China's largest-ever leveraged buyout

    Seven US firms have come out on top this week after completing China's biggest ever management buyout - the $3.7bn (£2.2bn) take private of Chinese advertising display company Focus Media Holding. The deal, which finally closed last night, received shareholder approval in April for a buyer consortium to acquire the remaining shares in the Nasdaq-listed company for $27.50 per American Depositary Share.

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  • May 23, 2013 |

    Middle East legal community out in force to celebrate region's recovery at CCME Awards

    The Middle East legal community came out in force in Dubai last week to celebrate the achievements of lawyers, law firms and in-house legal teams at the Corporate Counsel Middle East (CCME) Awards. On 16 May, 300 lawyers attended the event at the Westin Mina Seyahi hotel, collectively reinforcing the impression that the legal sector is growing in self-confidence in line with the region's steady recovery from the financial crisis of 2009.

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  • May 17, 2013 |

    A&O, Al Tamimi, Emirates among winners at Middle East legal awards

    Al Tamimi & Company and The Emirates Group were among the big winners at the Corporate Counsel Middle East (CCME) Awards last night (16 May). The awards saw Emirates secure the Large Team Legal Department of the Year...

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  • May 16, 2013 |

    Host of US and UK firms advise as Thomas Cook sets out £1.6bn refinancing

    Slaughter and May, Linklaters and Allen & Overy (A&O) are among a host of firms to have landed roles on travel agent Thomas Cook's £1.6bn capital refinancing plan. The refinancing, which includes a £425m share placing and rights issue, £441m of new bonds issues and £691m of new lending facilities, is intended to reduce the travel company's £800m debt pile while strengthening its capital base.

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  • May 16, 2013 |

    Herbert Smith makes second German hire with Norton Rose partner

    Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has made its second partner hire in Germany, with the Anglo-Australian firm hiring Norton Rose's Frankfurt corporate partner Nico Abel for its recently-opened practice. Abel, who mainly advises strategic investors and private equity sponsors on multi-jurisdictional work, including joint ventures, carve-outs and distressed M&A, was a corporate team leader in Norton Rose's Frankfurt office.

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  • May 15, 2013 |

    Shearman to boost City ranks with Weil partner duo

    Shearman & Sterling is to bolster its London practice with the hire of a three-lawyer team from Weil Gotshal & Manges' in the City, including private equity partner Mark Soundy and tax partner Sarah Priestly. The trio, who are set to join in the coming weeks, is completed by associate Simon Burrows.

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  • May 15, 2013 |

    Raft of US firms score roles on AsiaInfo-Linkage take private

    A raft of US law firms have acted on the take private of AsiaInfo-Linkage, the latest Chinese company to de-list from a US bourse through a management buyout. The Chinese telecom software provider this week said it had accepted an offer to be acquired by a private investor consortium led by CITIC Capital Partners and AsiaInfo-Linkage co-founder Edward Tian, which values the company at $890m and would see it removed from Nasdaq.

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  • May 14, 2013 |

    Green Investment Bank names Pinsents partner as GC

    The UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) has hired Pinsent Masons energy finance partner Euan McVicar as its first formal general counsel. Edinburgh-based McVicar, who will join the Government-backed bank in late summer, specialises in the financing and development of energy projects at Pinsents, as well as related M&A activity.

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