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  • August 27, 2009 |

    Shearman's Brussels managing partner departs to join US rival

    Shearman & Sterling is set to lose its only two Brussels-based partners to US rival Arnold & Porter. Shearman's local office head Annette Schild is joining Arnold & Porter in the Belgian capital, along with fellow partner Silvio Cappellari and counsel Stephanie Birmanns. All three lawyers focus on competition and antitrust and have advised high-profile clients including Arriva, BASF, Siemens and Novartis.

    1 minute read

  • August 25, 2009 |

    Former Hogan UK corporate chief takes non-exec role at tech company

    Hogan & Hartson's former UK corporate head Jonathan Coppin has emerged as a non-executive director at Yorkshire technology company Metalysis. Coppin spent more than 20 years as a City lawyer, including stints as a partner with Norton Rose and Shearman & Sterling, before announcing his intention to leave Hogan and the law in November 2007.

    1 minute read

  • August 25, 2009 |

    Weil Gotshal strengthens London base with hire of A&O tax partner

    Weil Gotshal & Manges has made its first lateral partner hire in the City this year, with the New York firm set to bring in Allen & Overy (A&O) tax partner Brenda Coleman. Coleman is expected to join Weil's London office on 21 September on a part-time basis after 11 years as a partner with the magic circle firm. Prior to her time with A&O she was a partner with Herbert Smith, having trained with Slaughter and May.

    1 minute read

  • August 24, 2009 |

    SEC blames law firms for BoA's failure to disclose Merrill bonuses

    Based on the briefs they submitted on Monday (24 August), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bank of America (BoA) heard two different orders from Manhattan federal district court Judge Rakoff on 10 August, when he told both sides to supply additional details on the preparation of BoA's proxy and disclosure materials for its September 2008 merger with Merrill Lynch. The SEC's 38-page brief included some of those specifics. Bank of America's 30-page filing focused instead on arguing BoA's innocence.

    1 minute read

  • August 21, 2009 |

    Arsenal complete signing of ex-MTV GC as first-ever in-house lawyer

    Arsenal Football Club has appointed a former MTV general counsel as its first-ever in-house lawyer. Former MTV Networks Europe lawyer Svenja Geissmar will begin her new role as general counsel at the Premier League club on 21 September.

    1 minute read

  • July 30, 2009 |

    Covering all the bases

    "I have not followed every opportunity that came along in my career," says Thomas Werlen, general counsel of Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis. "But in hindsight I was right not to, and I have also been right about the opportunities I have pursued." Werlen is referring, in the first instance, to the offers he passed up in the 1990s as a junior lawyer with New York leader Cravath Swaine & Moore to move into investment banking ("short term, it would have been great money; long term, it would have hindered my development as a lawyer") and, more recently, to his decision to leave Allen & Overy's (A&O's) London office three years ago to take up his current position.

    1 minute read

  • July 30, 2009 |

    Trio of firms hit rich seam on $488m bid for goldmining company

    A raft of firms including Norton Rose, Shearman & Sterling and Ashurst have lined up to advise on AngloGold Ashanti and Randgold Resources' joint $488m (£295m) bid for Moto Goldmines. The counterbid, which sees the two mining companies trying to beat Canada's Red Back Mining $466.8m ($282m) bid for Moto, would give AngloGold a 50% indirect interest in the company if Randgold's bid goes ahead.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2009 | International Edition

    International law firms: Batten down the hatches

    If ever there was a market to test the commitment of international firms to their London office, this would be it. Plummeting workloads and high operating costs have meant more so than ever the City is proving an expensive toehold.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2009 |

    International law firms: Batten down the hatches

    If ever there was a market to test the commitment of international firms to their London office, this would be it. Plummeting workloads and high operating costs have meant more so than ever the City is proving an expensive toehold.

    1 minute read

  • July 7, 2009 |

    Weil Gotshal cuts starting salaries in City arm

    Weil Gotshal & Manges has dropped the starting salary of newly-qualified lawyers in its London arm by 5.5% to £85,000. The move sees the firm become the latest practice to halt associate lockstep in response to the current recession, with incoming City lawyers this year earning £85,0000, against a previous rate of £90,000.

    1 minute read