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  • July 23, 2009 | International Edition

    Commentary: Private equity - tough for the committed, worse for the rest

    It's not easy to write about private equity right now – half of London's buyout partners seem to have headed to the beach early and, in the current market, who can blame them? With deal volumes plummeting and brand name houses including Candover, Permira and Terra Firma going through very public difficulties, there does not seem much reason to stay in the office.

    1 minute read

  • July 23, 2009 |

    Commentary: Private equity - tough for the committed, worse for the rest

    It's not easy to write about private equity right now – half of London's buyout partners seem to have headed to the beach early and, in the current market, who can blame them? With deal volumes plummeting and brand name houses including Candover, Permira and Terra Firma going through very public difficulties, there does not seem much reason to stay in the office.

    1 minute read

  • July 23, 2009 |

    Lovells relocates London partner to Singapore for private equity launch

    Lovells is moving London partner Stephanie Keen to Singapore where she will launch a local private equity practice for the firm. Keen will be responsible for setting up Lovells' Singapore private equity practice when she moves in September, with the relocation making her the firm's first private equity partner in Asia outside of China.

    1 minute read

  • July 23, 2009 |

    Morgan Lewis makes MoFo London partner hire

    Morgan Lewis & Bockius has made its first lateral partner hire in London since last October, bringing in a finance partner from Morrison & Foerster (MoFo). Chris Harrison joined the London office of Morgan Lewis on 20 July, becoming the first UK-qualified finance partner in the office.

    1 minute read

  • July 22, 2009 |

    Simpson, Cravath and Bredin Prat line up on KKR merger deal

    A trio of international firms have advised on private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co's (KKR's) merger with its European affiliate KKR Private Equity Investors (KPE), reports The Am Law Daily. The transaction has been approved by directors at KKR and KPE and will be completed on 1 October if a majority of KPE unit holders agree to the merger during voting in the third quarter. The deal could bring KKR one step closer to a public listing in New York, which it delayed last year amid turmoil in the credit markets.

    1 minute read

  • July 17, 2009 |

    Weil Gotshal, DLA and Links lead on $2bn Middle East media merger

    Weil Gotshal & Manges, DLA Piper and Linklaters have taken roles on a $2bn (£1.2bn) merger which will create the largest pay TV company in the Middle East and North Africa, reports The Am Law Daily. Weil Gotshal, which opened its first office in the Middle East this January in Dubai, advised Showtime Arabia on the deal, which sees it join forces with TV company The Orbit Group.

    1 minute read

  • July 16, 2009 |

    Freshfields quits GE panel by 'mutual agreement'

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has come off General Electric's (GE) European M&A panel, Legal Week has learnt. The magic circle firm was one of five firms appointed in 2007 to advise the energy giant on European M&A matters. However, it came off the panel late last year through mutual agreement.

    1 minute read

  • July 16, 2009 |

    Weil Gotshal and A&O advise BSkyB on £750m credit facility

    Weil Gotshal & Manges' London office has helped secure a new £750m credit arrangement for British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). The US-based law firm advised the broadcaster on the syndicated credit facility, which is available for drawing from 30 July 2010, replacing an existing £1bn facility.

    1 minute read

  • July 16, 2009 |

    Hedge fund and private equity lawyers gear up for battle over Euro regulation

    Lawyers to London's leading hedge funds and private equity houses are braced for a prolonged period of uncertainty and lobbying as the alternative investment industry wrestles with controversial European Commission (EC) reforms. With the fuss regarding the EC's draft directive on alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) showing no sign of abating since it was unveiled on 29 April, legal advisers are expecting a high-stakes battle to influence reforms seen as a politically motivated assault.

    1 minute read

  • July 16, 2009 |

    Slaughters gets top marks from associates over bonus

    Slaughter and May has emerged as the firm with the most satisfied associates when it comes to salaries and bonuses, according to Legal Week research. Slaughters associates have put the firm at the top of a table grading firms on their combined remuneration packages, marginally ahead of CMS Cameron McKenna.

    1 minute read