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  • August 13, 2013 |

    Skadden and Canada's Torys advise as BlackBerry considers sale

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Canadian firm Torys are advising smartphone maker BlackBerry as it kicks off a strategic review that could result in the sale of the company. The Canadian telecoms giant has announced that it is forming a committee to consider options for a new business model, with options in the table including a sale, as well as joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances.

    1 minute read

  • August 6, 2013 |

    US duo take headline roles on sale of Washington Post to Amazon chief

    Cleary Gottlieb Stein & Hamilton and Cravath Swaine & Moore have taken the key roles on Amazon.com founder Jeffrey Bezos' $250m (£163m) acquisition of prestigious US newspaper The Washington Post. The takeover will see the billionaire buy the paper and several other publishing businesses in a personal capacity, as opposed to a deal led by e-commerce giant Amazon.

    1 minute read

  • August 4, 2013 |

    The Transfer Window: recent moves including Shearman, CMS and A&O

    Shearman & Sterling has appointed Arnold & Porter white collar partner Claudius Sokenu to its litigation group, in a boost to the firm's anticorruption and securities enforcement practices. Sokenu, who will split his time between London, New York and Washington DC, is a former senior counsel in the Securities Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Enforcement. In private practice, he has represented clients in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations, and compliance matters before the SEC, the US Department of Justice and the UK Serious Fraud Office.

    1 minute read

  • August 2, 2013 |

    Sidley continues to ramp up Singapore with fourth partner hire since local licence win

    Sidley Austin has hired its fourth partner in Singapore since receiving a local licence in the city-state in February, giving it a total partner headcount of eight. The US firm this week recruited project finance partner Nicholas Grambas from Gilbert + Tobin (G+T)in Melbourne, in a bid to ramp up its infrastructure-focused team.

    1 minute read

  • July 31, 2013 |

    A&O, Linklaters and DLA among firms facing legal action over Dewey hires

    A raft of firms including Allen & Overy (A&O), Linklaters and DLA Piper are facing legal action from Dewey & LeBoeuf's estate over client matters they took on when recruiting former partners of the collapsed US law firm. US firm Diamond McCarthy, which is acting for Dewey's estate, last Friday (26 July) asked the judge overseeing the bankruptcy to grant permission to issue subpoenas to 36 law firms and one accountancy firm which are now home to ex-Dewey partners.

    1 minute read

  • July 26, 2013 |

    Elite US quartet advises on Activision's $8.2bn Vivendi buyout

    Gibson Dunn, Skadden, Wachtell and Sullivan & Cromwell are leading on an $8.2bn (£5.3bn) share buyout of Vivendi's controlling stake in video games giant Activision Blizzard. The games maker, which counts World of Warcraft and Call of Duty (pictured) among its highest selling titles, is purchasing $5.8bn (£3.8bn) worth of shares from Vivendi, while a separate investor group led by CEO Bobby Kotick is buying about $2.3bn (£1.5bn) of shares.

    1 minute read

  • July 23, 2013 |

    A&O, CMS, McDermott lead on €5bn Telefonica Germany mobile purchase

    Allen & Overy (A&O), CMS Hasche Sigle and McDermott Will & Emery have scored the leading roles on KPN's proposed €5bn (£4.3bn) sale of a German mobile unit to O2 owner Telefonica. Telefonica's German listed subsidiary Telefonica Deutschland Holding is set to take over E-Plus, the German business of Dutch telecoms company KPN, in a transaction that is expected to close by mid 2014. KPN would also receive a 17.6% stake in the subsidiary in the deal.

    1 minute read

  • July 17, 2013 |

    Vinson Shanghai energy partner joins Sidley after office closure announcement

    Sidley Austin has ramped up its Singapore energy practice with the hire of M&A partner Tju Liang from Vinson & Elkins in Shanghai. The hire comes just days after Vinson announced plans to close the Shanghai base later this year.

    1 minute read

  • July 15, 2013 |

    Vinson hires top Dentons arbitration partner for London office

    Dentons arbitration partner George Burn, the former head of Salans' UK international arbitration practice, has joined Vinson & Elkins in a key hire for the US firm's London base. Burn, who advises on disputes relating to the energy, construction, transport and financial sectors, is an experienced counsel and arbitrator who joined Salans in 2007 from Denton Wilde Sapte - both of which subsequently formed part of the global merger which this year created Dentons.

    1 minute read

  • July 12, 2013 |

    Vinson & Elkins to shut Shanghai office

    Vinson & Elkins (V&E) is to shut its Shanghai office later this year in a move to consolidate its China offering. The Texas firm is yet to announce a date on which the base will close, but said it wants to turn its attention to offices in Hong Kong and Beijing as the main hotspots for energy dealflow.

    1 minute read