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  • March 1, 2011 |

    Flying high - the rise and rise of Europe's high-yield bond market

    Last year was very busy for issuers and underwriters of high-yield debt securities and the lawyers who act for them. After closing down in August of 2007, the high-yield market in Europe re-opened in the latter half of 2009 and became increasingly busy in the following months. In 2010, global new issuances of high-yield debt securities reached an all-time high of approximately $317bn (£196bn), up from $189bn (£117bn) in 2009. In Europe alone, new issuances amounted to $66.1bn (£40.8bn), up from $44.1bn (£27bn) in 2009. In January 2011, $35.1bn (£21.6bn) of high-yield debt securities were issued globally, of which $9.4bn (£5.8bn) was issued in Europe. If this trend continues, 2011 will be an even bigger year for high-yield than 2010.

    1 minute read

  • February 24, 2011 |

    Shearman signs up five Howrey antitrust partners in Brussels

    Shearman & Sterling has hired a five-partner antitrust team from Howrey's Brussels arm in a major boost for the firm's competition practice, reports The Am Law Daily. The group includes the firm's former global antitrust co-chair, Trevor Soames, who will be joined by partners Goetz Drauz, Geert Goeteyn, Stephen Mavroghenis and Miguel Rato. The five partners will start at Shearman's Brussels office at different points over the next two weeks, with a team of associates expected to follow.

    1 minute read

  • February 15, 2011 |

    'Trainees spend all their time photocopying' and other misconceptions about US firms

    Perception: You need an American accent and a US law background to fit in. Reality: How untrue- just as an example Shearman & Sterling's London office has around 75% English law practitioners. You are more likely to hear an English, continental European or Antipodean accent here. Lawyers work with clients from around the world (not just the US) on cross border deals and matters with colleagues from continental Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America as well as the US. Away from our US offices, some lawyers are US qualified but most are locally qualified.

    1 minute read

  • February 11, 2011 |

    A&O recruits Freehills banking partner for Sydney office

    Allen & Overy (A&O) is set to strengthen its Australian banking practice with the hire of a partner from Freehills. Adam Stapledon is set to join the magic circle firm's Sydney office in April, after four years as a partner with Freehills in Australia. He previously worked as a lawyer with Shearman & Sterling in London.

    1 minute read

  • February 7, 2011 |

    K&L Gates seals hire of US firm's London head for City office

    K&L Gates has boosted its London financial services practice with the hire of the London managing partner of US firm Katten Muchin Rosenman. Martin Cornish, who joined the firm today (7 February), advises hedge funds, commodities and derivatives brokers and dealers and banks on a variety of matters involving funds, financial services regulation and derivatives. Before joining Katten in 2001, Cornish held several in-house roles including a stint at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Before this period, he was a partner at UK firm Simmons & Simmons.

    1 minute read

  • February 2, 2011 |

    Shearman makes up seven to partnership outside of the UK

    Shearman & Sterling has made up seven lawyers to its partnership, equalling the number the firm promoted last year. The new partners are spread scross the firm's Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, New York and Washington DC offices. In the US, Paula Howell Anderson and David Connolly have been made up in the firm's New York litigation and M&A practices respectively, while Christopher Ryan has joined the partnership in Washington in the international arbitration group.

    1 minute read

  • January 19, 2011 |

    K&L Gates adds two partners to London base

    K&L Gates has strengthened its project finance and regulatory practices with the hire of two partners in its London office. Project finance partner Matthew Kidwell joins K&L Gates from fellow US law firm Shearman & Sterling, where he was a partner in the energy team. He advises international oil and gas companies on all aspects of the energy chain including oil and gas exploration, production, refining, pipelines and transportation, regulation and power generation and transmission.

    1 minute read

  • November 24, 2010 |

    Slaughters, Simmons and Bird & Bird top-rated by clients in new research

    Slaughter and May, Simmons & Simmons and Bird & Bird have emerged as the City's top-performing law firms based on client feedback, as part of a major research project from Legal Week. The trio were the top-rated international firms according to Legal Week Intelligence's seventh annual Client Satisfaction Report, which is based on responses from 1,265 senior in-house lawyers and finance directors. The flagship project from Legal Week's independent research arm is its most comprehensive client survey to date and includes rankings of 71 UK and US firms based on responses from 903 companies operating in the UK. The report covers 71% of the FTSE 100.

    1 minute read

  • November 22, 2010 |

    Davis Polk hires second magic circle Beijing chief for Hong Kong office

    Davis Polk & Wardwell has recruited Linklaters' Beijing head for its burgeoning Hong Kong law practice, marking the US firm's second recent senior magic circle hire, reports The Am Law Daily. The New York-based firm has announced that Paul Chow is set join its Hong Kong office next May, following the hire of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's Beijing chief Antony Dapiran. Chow is expected to continue to work on client matters until his departure. Davis Polk has generally been regarded as conservative when it comes to recruiting lateral partners, but the US firm has moved aggressively to assemble a Hong Kong law group in recent months.

    1 minute read

  • November 19, 2010 |

    Nixon Peabody enters HK with local alliance

    Top 100 US firm Nixon Peabody has established an office in Hong Kong through an alliance with local practice Cheng Wong Lam & Partners, reports The Am Law Daily. The affiliation will be known as Nixon Peabody in association with Cheng Wong Lam & Partners, the firms announced this week.

    1 minute read