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  • January 27, 2010 |

    Banking and finance: The credit crunch after-party

    In 2002, a German bank in the backwater of Kiel, on the shores of the Baltic Sea, sought to boost its returns by investing in a synthetic credit default obligation (CDO) issued by Swiss banking giant UBS. The investment was a disaster: a near-total loss of $500m (£306m). When the German investor, now called HSH Nordbank, sued in February 2008, it became the first non-US party to bring a significant credit default case and made UBS the first non-US bank on the receiving end of one. This case between two European financial institutions is at the forefront of financial crisis claims on two continents - but mostly, ironically, in the US.

    1 minute read

  • January 25, 2010 |

    SFO recruits former Morgan Lewis City chief

    The former London managing partner of Morgan Lewis, Bob Goldspink, has been appointed as a non-executive director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The high-profile litigator retired from Morgan Lewis at the end of September after 12 years at the US firm. He had been managing partner of the firm's City office since 2004.

    1 minute read

  • January 22, 2010 |

    CC and Latham check in for roles on Singapore airline IPO

    Clifford Chance (CC) and Latham & Watkins have taken lead roles as Tiger Airways becomes the first Asian airline to complete an initial public offering (IPO) for five years. The IPO, reportedly the first listing of a low-cost air carrier on the Singapore Exchange, raised a total of S$248m (£109m), with the deal widely viewed as a boost for market confidence.

    1 minute read

  • January 19, 2010 |

    Lovells and CC advise on £1bn senior debt restructuring deal

    Lovells and Clifford Chance (CC) have advised on the £1bn restructuring of catering group Select Service Partners (SSP). SSP, which operates catering and retail units primarily in airports and railway stations in more than 25 countries, was acquired by buyout house EQT in 2006 for an undisclosed sum and subsequently refinanced in 2007 in a deal worth around £1.2bn.

    1 minute read

  • January 19, 2010 |

    Former DLA partner joins Dorsey's City arm

    Dorsey & Whitney has boosted its London corporate capabilities with the hire of former DLA Piper partner Kate Francis. Francis, who resigned from DLA last August, becomes the tenth corporate partner in Dorsey's London office. She joined the partnership at DLA in 2005 and her practice focuses on capital markets and M&A.

    1 minute read

  • January 19, 2010 |

    Clifford Chance signs up Milbank partner in US litigation boost

    Clifford Chance (CC) has bolstered its litigation and dispute resolution offering in Washington DC with the hire of William Wallace from Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy. Wallace joins CC after nine years as a partner with Milbank and will head up the magic circle firm's US corporate and financial services litigation group.

    1 minute read

  • January 18, 2010 |

    Apple's corporate legal chief quits company

    Apple's top corporate lawyer, Charles Charnas, has left the company, reports The Recorder. The exit of Charnas follows the departure of Apple's top lawyer Daniel Cooperman, who was replaced in September by Intel general counsel Bruce Sewell after after just two years in the role.

    1 minute read

  • January 14, 2010 |

    Linklaters appoints new Asia managing partner

    Linklaters has appointed emerging markets head Stuart Salt as its new Asia managing partner. Salt will replace Zili Shao in the role as of 1 February. Shao was appointed Asia managing partner in May 2009 but announced in November that he is set to leave the firm at the end of January to become chairman and CEO of JP Morgan's China business.

    1 minute read

  • January 13, 2010 |

    Dealmaker: Calvin Walker

    Bakers' new projects partner explains the merits of speaking Russian and tips his hat to his namesake...

    1 minute read

  • January 13, 2010 |

    Simmons rated as UK's most gay-friendly firm

    Four law firms have been included in this year's Workplace Equality Index compiled by gay rights charity Stonewall. The index, which ranks the top 100 gay-friendly employers in the UK, included Simmons & Simmons as the highest-ranked law firm in 15th place, up from 31st place last year.

    1 minute read