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  • February 18, 2010 |

    A&O partner joins Mayer Brown for global derivatives launch

    Allen & Overy (A&O) New York capital markets partner Josh Cohn has joined Mayer Brown to help launch a global derivatives and structured products practice for the firm. Top-rated derivatives partner Cohn joined Mayer Brown yesterday (17 February) as co-head of the new global practice alongside London-based partner Ed Parker. Cohn will also head the US side of the derivatives practice, replacing Joel Telpner, who left to join US rival Jones Day at the end of last year. The firm has a further six associates specialising in the field in New York.

    1 minute read

  • February 16, 2010 |

    White & Case and Linklaters lead on first CIS bond offering of 2010

    White & Case and Linklaters have lined up on the first Eurobond offering in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) this year. White & Case was instructed by long-term oil client TNK-BP on its $1bn (£6.4m) issuance, providing English, US and Russian law advice. The offering was spilt into two $500m (£320m) issues, with the first a tranche of 6.25% notes due in 2015 and the second a tranche of 7.25% notes due in 2020. The proceeds of the offering will go towards funding investment programmes aimed at building up oil and gas production and reserves.

    1 minute read

  • February 12, 2010 |

    Orrick names new City head as Bartlam steps down

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe's London head Martin Bartlam has stepped down after five years in the role.The firm has appointed real estate partner Anne O'Neill as his replacement with immediate effect.

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2010 |

    A&O set to launch in Australia with partner hires: comment and reaction

    Allen & Overy (A&O) is set to enter Australia after hiring 17 new partners to open new offices in Sydney and Perth. Fourteen of the partners join from Australian firm Clayton Utz, which announced today (8 February) that the partners had tendered their resignation with the intention of joining the magic circle firm.

    1 minute read

  • February 5, 2010 |

    Ashurst powers up energy practice with hire of Centrica Energy GC

    Ashurst has secured a boost for its energy team with the hire of Centrica Energy & Europe general counsel Peter Roberts. Roberts will join the City firm's global energy team, which is headed up by Geoffrey Picton-Turbervill.

    1 minute read

  • February 1, 2010 |

    DLA Piper to defend disability discrimination claim

    DLA Piper is to contest a disability discrimination claim in the Employment Appeal Tribunal today (1 February).The top 10 UK law firm is appearing before the tribunal in a two-day hearing for allegedly withdrawing a job offer after the claimant disclosed a previous history of mental health conditions during the recruitment process.

    1 minute read

  • January 27, 2010 |

    Kirkland advises Japan Airlines on bankruptcy proceedings

    Kirkland & Ellis has landed a global mandate advising Japan Airlines (JAL) on its bankruptcy proceedings. The firm is fielding a team from Chicago, London and Hong Kong to advise the airline on one of the country's largest corporate failures.

    1 minute read

  • January 27, 2010 |

    Banking and finance: The credit crunch after-party

    In 2002, a German bank in the backwater of Kiel, on the shores of the Baltic Sea, sought to boost its returns by investing in a synthetic credit default obligation (CDO) issued by Swiss banking giant UBS. The investment was a disaster: a near-total loss of $500m (£306m). When the German investor, now called HSH Nordbank, sued in February 2008, it became the first non-US party to bring a significant credit default case and made UBS the first non-US bank on the receiving end of one. This case between two European financial institutions is at the forefront of financial crisis claims on two continents - but mostly, ironically, in the US.

    1 minute read

  • January 27, 2010 |

    Banking and finance: Starting forward again

    Despite predictions that the green shoots of recovery from the liquidity crisis are growing, most financial institutions remain under pressure to increase capital reserves and clean up their balance sheets. The limited availability of financing is affecting all corporate borrowers, irrespective of their ability to comply with the terms of existing financial arrangements. While over-leveraged borrowers continue to negotiate waivers and covenant suspensions, healthier borrowers are facing the growing fear that lenders will be unable to refinance existing facilities on maturity.

    1 minute read

  • January 19, 2010 |

    Freshfields and DLA lead on Sullivan and Gold's takeover of West Ham

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, DLA Piper, and Jones Day have scored lead roles on the takeover of West Ham United FC. David Gold and David Sullivan, the former owners of Birmingham City FC, have bought a 50% stake in the Premier League club - valuing it at £105m - from asset management company CB Holding, whose major shareholder is Icelandic bank Straumur.

    1 minute read