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  • March 1, 2012 | International Edition

    The long, long haul - can the magic circle break America?

    As attention turns to emerging economies, London's top firms continue to press on in the US. Georgina Stanley asks whether a breakthrough is finally in sight

    1 minute read

  • October 4, 2011 |

    Norton Rose seals South America entrance with new Canada tie-up

    Norton Rose has confirmed that it is to add a second Canadian firm to its international network, with Calgary-based Macleod Dixon to merge with the firm on 1 January 2012. The move, news of which first emerged in the Canadian press yesterday (3 October), will gift the group an additional 250 fee earners, adding to its Swiss Verein-structured international network which already comprises 2,500 fee earners.

    1 minute read

  • September 14, 2011 |

    Norton Rose on agenda as US leader Fulbright reviews global strategy

    Fulbright & Jaworski has kicked off a review of its international strategy that could see the top 50 US firm pursuing a much-touted merger with Norton Rose. The Texan firm's global chairman Steven Pfeiffer launched the review two months ago, with a prospective UK merger forming a central plank of the consultation. A merger with Norton Rose is not thought to be the only option under consideration; however, the firm is the preferred target for a number of partners within Fulbright, which has not yet engaged Norton Rose in any discussions.

    1 minute read

  • August 8, 2011 | International Edition

    Weil names City partner as firmwide international arbitration head

    Weil Gotshal & Manges has named London disputes partner Juliet Blanch as firmwide head of international arbitration. Blanch, who joined Weil last year from the City office of McDermott Will & Emery, has replaced Guillermo Aguilar-Alvarez, who left Weil at the end of 2010 to join King & Spalding in New York.

    1 minute read

  • July 13, 2011 | International Edition

    Partner exits – if you've got to go, don't go quite yet

    On the face of it there are very few parallels between Clifford Chance (CC) and SNR Denton right now, with CC's average profits per equity partner standing around the £1m mark, while those at legacy Dentons lag behind its City peers at just £232,000. But in one respect the pair are taking a very similar approach, with both firms currently planning to hold some of their exiting partners to all, or most, of their notice periods.

    1 minute read

  • July 6, 2011 | International Edition

    Advisers: retail restructurings a sign of what's to come

    Habitat, Thorntons, Jane Norman, AllSaints… in recent weeks restructuring activity has been all about the high street and, with the possible exception of DLA Piper, which has worked on a string of high-profile mandates for struggling stores, there seem to have been very few winners. The last few weeks alone have seen DLA and Maclay Murray & Spens appointed on the pre-pack and sale of struggling fashion chain Jane Norman; Linklaters and Salans brought in on the administration of Habitat and sale of its UK brand to Home Retail Group; and Shoosmiths mandated to advise chocolate maker Thorntons on a strategic review set to result in up to 180 shops closing across the UK.

    1 minute read

  • June 15, 2011 | International Edition

    Going organic: finding the balance between organic growth and lateral hiring in London

    Foreign firms in London still struggle to find that elusive balance between 
organic growth and lateral hiring. Charlotte Edmond charts the latest trends

    1 minute read

  • April 20, 2011 | International Edition

    Addleshaws, A&O lead on Yorkshire Building Society merger deal

    Addleshaw Goddard and Allen & Overy (A&O) have picked up lead advisory roles on Yorkshire Building Society's merger with Norwich and Peterborough (N&P) Building Society, creating a combined company with three million members and 224 branches. A&O is advising longstanding client Yorkshire, which is the UK's second largest building society with assets exceeding £30bn. The magic circle firm's team is being led by corporate partner Richard Slynn, assisted by associates Ilan Kotkis and Susannah Gwyn-Thomas.

    1 minute read

  • April 14, 2011 | International Edition

    Asset finance - increasingly not for every banking team

    Recent weeks have seen no less than five asset finance partner moves announced, with Berwin Leighton Paisner, Ince & Co, Mayer Brown, and, most notably, Hogan Lovells all moving to strengthen their City practices. While the timing of the appointments is more down to coincidence than any single driver in the market, the moves illustrate the differing approaches to asset finance across large law firms.

    1 minute read

  • March 15, 2011 |

    Then we take Manhattan - can Norton Rose really take on the world?

    Not too long ago, Norton Rose looked like an also-ran. The London firm, known for its financial institutions practice, stumbled badly after its offices were bombed - twice - by IRA terrorists in the early 1990s. It jumped belatedly on the global bandwagon, establishing a network of European offices that did not turn a profit for half a decade. By the early 2000s, key partners were running for the exits. The magic circle, formerly Norton Rose's closest rivals, had pulled far ahead.

    1 minute read