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  • February 19, 2013 |

    Macfarlanes continues hedge fund push with Akin Gump partner hire

    Macfarlanes has turned to US firm Akin Gump for the hire of an investment funds partner, not long after taking on a nine-strong City hedge fund boutique. Simon Thomas, who has been part of Akin Gump's London funds team for 10 years after joining from Dechert in 2002, joins Macfarlanes after the firm took over specialist hedge fund firm D Harris Co International (DHCI) last year, adding all of its nine City employees to its private equity practice.

    1 minute read

  • February 15, 2013 |

    Latham and Weil among US firms checking in for $11bn US airline mega-merger

    Latham & Watkins and Weil Gotshal & Manges are among a long list of US firms advising on the $11bn (£7.1bn) merger of US Airways and American Airlines parent company AMR, a deal set to create the world's largest airline. The boards of both companies have approved the merger with the majority share of the new company set to be owned by American Airlines' bankruptcy creditors with a 72% shareholding.

    1 minute read

  • February 14, 2013 |

    And now for the hard part – after five mergers, can Norton Rose's CEO tackle his biggest challenge yet?

    When Norton Rose's merger with US firm Fulbright & Jaworski goes live on 1 June, it will have completed its fifth tie-up in just three-and-a-half years. Given that even one merger is beyond the ability of many of the UK's leading players, the achievement cannot be underestimated. The unions mean that in just 42 months, Norton Rose will have transformed itself from an also-ran UK law firm with a smattering of international offices and turnover of £314m into a global giant operating in 55 locations around the world with revenues approaching £1.3bn.

    1 minute read

  • February 12, 2013 |

    CC, DLA and Skadden take roles on biggest IPO since Facebook

    Clifford Chance (CC), Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and DLA Piper are among a number of law firms to have advised on the initial public offering (IPO) of Pfizer's former animal health business Zoetis, in the largest IPO by a US company since Facebook. The listing, which went ahead on the New York Stock Exchange at the start of February, is said to have raised $2.2bn (£1.4bn), valuing the company at around $13bn (£8.3bn). Pfizer will retain an 80% ownership of Zoetis.

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2013 |

    CC elects US restructuring chief as new Americas head

    Clifford Chance (CC) has elected head of US finance and restructuring Evan Cohen as its new US managing partner.

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2013 |

    Fifteen Hong Kong lawyers win higher rights to appear in court

    Fifteen lawyers have been granted approval to appear in Hong Kong courts with exemption from litigation training, as the region moves to broaden the scope of work law firms are permitted to handle. Some of Hong Kong's top dispute resolution partners - including top-ranked Skadden disputes partner Paul Mitchard QC and Ashurst senior associate and former barrister Sanjay Sakhrani - are among the line-up receiving Higher Rights of Audience (HRA).

    1 minute read

  • February 7, 2013 |

    Dealmaker: Michael Hatchard

    The Skadden Arps Slate Meagher and Flom partner on sarongs, cheddar and standard underwriting and offer documentation

    1 minute read

  • February 7, 2013 |

    London partner recruitment by US law firms hits record levels

    The collapse of Dewey & LeBoeuf helped drive partner hiring by US law firms in London to record levels in 2012, with senior lateral recruitment in the City climbing by almost 40% during the last calendar year. Legal Week's annual survey of London partner recruitment trends at some of the leading US law firms found there were 141 lateral partner hires made by the City arms of 47 US law firms last year, compared with 103 across the same firms in 2011.

    1 minute read

  • January 24, 2013 |

    Skadden and Sullivan win key roles on €1bn IPO of real estate group LEG

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Sullivan & Cromwell have landed roles on German real estate group LEG's initial public offering (IPO), expected to raise up to €1bn (£838m). The listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is due to take place in early February, and is expected to value the Duesseldorf-based housing company at more than €2bn (£1.7bn), according to market analysts.

    1 minute read

  • January 24, 2013 |

    US law firms to grow Hong Kong litigation teams as solicitors get advocacy rights

    Given the US cultural affinity for resolving matters inside a court room, it was perhaps only a matter of time. But finally, America's leading law firms appear to be taking litigation work in Asia seriously. Latham & Watkins, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and O'Melveny & Myers are among several US outfits with plans to strengthen their local disputes teams, while Davis Polk & Wardwell recently entered the litigation arena with the hire of two well-regarded litigators from Clifford Chance (CC). Firms that are considering starting up local disputes practices include Kirkland & Ellis and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, both of which have strong litigation franchises globally.

    1 minute read