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  • February 4, 2009 |

    Back in the game

    On 23 July the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation's general counsel, Robert Bostrom, rang Randall Guynn, head of the financial institutions group at Davis Polk & Wardwell. Davis Polk was not one of Freddie Mac's outside law firms - Covington & Burling did its regulatory and disclosure work, and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft did its routine corporate work. But Bostrom needed an equity products specialist. Regulators, concerned about the lender's massive exposure to the US mortgage market, had demanded that it shore up its core capital. But with Freddie Mac shares trading at gutter levels, issuing billions of dollars in new equity could backfire.

    1 minute read

  • January 19, 2009 |

    Will crime pay for US firms in Europe?

    Readers of this site have become accustomed to stories of major US law firms striving to get their bankruptcy practices in order. One recent example: last…

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  • January 6, 2009 |

    CC hires new partner from US governmental body

    Clifford Chance (CC) has bolstered its US antitrust offering with the high-profile hire of former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) general counsel, William Blumenthal. Blumenthal joins as a partner in the firm's corporate and litigation groups in New York, and will act as chairman of the antitrust group.At the FTC, Blumenthal represented the governmental body in front of federal and state courts, in addition to advising on proposed legislation, supervising reports to the US President and advising on policy.

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  • January 5, 2009 |

    Barlows set for Brazil with Sao Paulo launch

    Barlow Lyde & Gilbert has initiated plans to launch its first office outside of the UK and Asia, with the firm intending to open in Sao Paulo later this year. The City firm will relocate London-based aviation and insurance litigation partner Jeremy Shebson to Brazil once the office launch is approved by the Brazilian authorities.Aerospace associate director Fernando Albino will join Shebson once the office opens.

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  • December 22, 2008 |

    A&O, Links and Sullivan close £6bn rights issue

    Allen & Overy (A&O), Linklaters and US firm Sullivan & Cromwell have closed a €6.3bn (£6.01bn) rights issue for recently merged brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev. A&O advised the underwriters, which included BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners, fielding a team led by London-based corporate partners Christopher Bernard and Richard Browne. The team also included corporate partner Dirk Meeus, who advised from the firm's Brussels office.Linklaters and Sullivan & Cromwell advised Anheuser-Busch InBev, with London capital markets partner Ben Dulieu heading the Linklaters team and general practice partner David Rockwell, who works out of the firm's London and Frankfurt offices, leading the Sullivan.

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  • December 22, 2008 |

    Sullivan & Cromwell

    Sullivan's hire of TIm Emmerson in 2006 secured the New York giant's long-awaited City corporate debut.

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  • December 19, 2008 |

    2008: A year in review

    Legalweek.com covered all of the big stories of 2008. Here's a selection of some of the website's most-read stories of the year.

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  • December 16, 2008 |

    CC unveils new head of Washington DC office

    Clifford Chance has named litigator David DiBari as its new Washington DC managing partner. DiBari will take charge of the 11-partner and 50 fee earner office, working closely with regional managing partner Craig Medwick.He replaces former head Leiv Blad, who left the firm in November with two other lawyers for Bingham McCutchen. Since Blad's departure, Medwick has managed both the Washington and New York offices.

    1 minute read

  • December 14, 2008 |

    Restructuring round-up: the happy holidays edition

    Looking for some seasonal cheer? One might be hard-pressed to find it in this economy, unless of course you're a bankruptcy lawyer. The long-awaited 'tidal…

    1 minute read

  • December 11, 2008 | International Edition

    Leading legal figures review effectiveness of Law Society

    A group of high-profile legal figures including Linklaters senior partner David Cheyne and Simmons & Simmons managing partner Mark Dawkins have questioned the effectiveness of the Law Society as a single regulator. The issue is one of a number raised in the first - and only - report from the Government's high-level Professional Services Global Competitiveness Group, which is expected to be released later this month.The group, which also includes Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom European managing partner Bruce Buck and Clifford Chance senior partner Stuart Popham, as well as senior members of the accounting profession, was appointed in September to champion the professional services sector and come up with recommendations to ensure that the UK is not at a competitive disadvantage to other countries.

    1 minute read