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  • December 14, 2012 |

    CC picks up role advising Autonomy founder against HP claims

    Clifford Chance is advising Autonomy founder Mike Lynch against allegations of financial impropriety and misrepresentation made by Hewlett Packard (HP), which acquired Lynch's software company last year for $11bn (£6.8bn). The magic circle firm also confirmed it is advising other former members of Autonomy's management. HP made the allegations in a press statement on 20 November, as it announced an $8.8bn (£5.5bn) write-down related to Autonomy in the fourth quarter of its 2012 fiscal year.

    1 minute read

  • December 13, 2012 |

    M&A Team of the Year: Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom

    In a turbulent market for deal advisers, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom was viewed as the clear winner for its impressive technical work on Colfax Corporation's £1.5bn takeover of Charter International. The deal was distinguished by a range of innovative features that allowed Skadden client Colfax to quickly close a leveraged cash and paper deal for the UK-listed engineering group on favourable terms.

    1 minute read

  • December 13, 2012 |

    'Like something out of a movie' – key players recount the dramatic Berezovsky-Abramovich face-off

    In 2009, a hacker known as 'Igor' managed to get hold of some highly sensitive documents that have gone on to play a crucial part in one of the most headline-grabbing disputes of recent times – Boris Berezovsky's multi-billion dollar battle with business rival and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich. Igor delivered the documents to a flat in Sloane Square belonging to Abramovich where, in his absence, a servant opened the package.

    1 minute read

  • December 13, 2012 |

    New Hong Kong laws push firms to review paternity pay policies

    Law firms in Hong Kong are facing an overhaul of their paternity leave policies following a move to force all private companies in the region to provide employees with at least three days' paid leave. The government proposals, endorsed by the Hong Kong Labour Advisory Board last month, will see men paid at least 80% of their salaries for the paternity leave period.

    1 minute read

  • December 13, 2012 |

    British Legal Awards 2012: who won what – and why...

    A full run-down of all the winners at the British Legal Awards 2012

    1 minute read

  • December 10, 2012 |

    Weil billings on MF Global administration reach £15m with £2m for Norton Rose

    Weil Gotshal & Manges has billed more than £15m for its work on the administration of MF Global in the past year, as total legal fees generated by the broker's high-profile collapse pass £18m. The second six-month progress report filed by administrator KPMG reveals that lead legal adviser Weil billed a total of £5.8m for the period from 1 May to 30 October this year.

    1 minute read

  • December 9, 2012 |

    Simmons appoints new Asia DCM head with Standard Chartered hire

    Simmons & Simmons has recruited a senior in-house lawyer from Standard Chartered Bank in Asia to head up the firm's debt capital markets (DCM) practice in the region. Jay Lee, who joins the UK law firm as a partner, was head of the DCM legal team in North East Asia at Standard Chartered, where he was based in Hong Kong, handling capital markets legal matters in China, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

    1 minute read

  • November 29, 2012 |

    The view from 9th Avenue – the emerging challenges facing New York's elite

    "Who we are hasn't changed at all in some ways over the years. At a partners' meeting recently someone showed me a letter written by Paul Cravath in 1920 and it was almost the same format that we use today," reflects Cravath Swaine & Moore incoming presiding partner Allen Parker. "Really, it was almost identical." Welcome to Manhattan, the most singular, individualistic, contradictory and competitive legal market in the world. As the rest of the global legal profession changes to reflect the impact of the post-Lehman Brothers world and the rise of finance hubs and economies in the east, it seems that many lawyers in Manhattan's hermetically sealed environment carry on as if little has changed.

    1 minute read

  • November 22, 2012 |

    Travers takes top law firm prize at British Legal Awards 2012

    Travers Smith, Norton Rose and LV= were among the prize winners at last night's (22 November) British Legal Awards, which took place at London's Old Billingsgate Market. Travers saw off competition from Berwin Leighton Paisner, Clifford Chance, Latham & Watkins, Mishcon de Reya and Olswang to scoop the coveted Law Firm of the Year award.

    1 minute read

  • November 22, 2012 |

    Milbank to take on London trainees as firm bolsters City practice

    The London arm of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy is to start taking on trainees as part of its strategy to grow its UK law practice. London managing partner Russell Jacobs said the firm is looking to take on one or two trainees in 2013, with this set to rise to four or five from 2014 once it starts targeting universities for recruitment efforts.

    1 minute read