• April 18, 2007 |

    Extradition: Paying the price

    On 23 January, 2007, the Divisional Court confirmed in Norris v US that a UK national should be extradited for price-fixing and obstructing the course of justice pursuant to the controversial US/UK Treaty of Extradition 2003 and the Extradition Act 2003.

    1 minute read

  • April 17, 2007 |

    Cads nabs antitrust head from Fried Frank

    New York leader Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has named a new head of its global antitrust practice after the hire of a senior partner from local rival Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson. Charles Rule, who headed up Fried Frank's competition practice, joins Cadwalader in Washington DC as the new chair of its antitrust group. Rule moves after six years with Fried Frank. Prior to joining the firm he was head of competition at Washington firm Covington & Burling.

    1 minute read

  • March 28, 2007 |

    US giants dominate M&A rankings as European market falls from 2006 high

    A raft of US firms have topped the global M&A tables for the first quarter of 2007. New York firms Sullivan & Cromwell and Davis Polk & Wardwell led the field of advisers by total value of transactions over the three-month period, while Latham & Watkins and Jones Day finished top of the volume rankings.

    1 minute read

  • March 26, 2007 |

    Manhattan elite dominate Q1 deal rankings

    Elite New York firms Sullivan & Cromwell and Davis Polk & Wardwell have stormed to the top of preliminary global M&A tables for the first quarter of 2007. Sullivan topped the table, acting on 33 deals worth a combined $162.9bn (£83bn), while Manhattan rival Davis Polk acted on 28 deals worth $149.4bn (£76.2bn), according to figures from Mergermarket.

    1 minute read

  • March 23, 2007 |

    NY leaders bag landmark Blackstone IPO

    New York leaders Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom have bagged the lead roles on Blackstone's high-profile $4bn (£2.03bn) initial public offering (IPO) - a float that values the group at $40bn (£20.3bn).It was announced yesterday (22 March) that Simpson Thacher is advising regular client Blackstone, with New York corporate partner Joshua Bonnie leading the team.

    1 minute read

  • March 22, 2007 |

    M&A boom sees Wall St elite set $3m PEP benchmark

    Average partner profits of $3m (£1.5m) have become the benchmark for top US firms, Legal Week can reveal, after a record year for M&A helped a handful of New York firms maintain their lead in the profession's global profits race. Manhattan M&A powerhouse Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz is top of the list with 2006 profits per equity partner (PEP) just below $4m (£2m), while Cravath Swaine & Moore's PEP rose 13% to hit $3m (£1.5m).Sullivan & Cromwell achieved a PEP figure of $2.8m (£1.4m), level with Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft. Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, America's largest law firm, broke the $2m (£1m) PEP barrier after a 16% rise.

    1 minute read

  • March 21, 2007 |

    CC in driving seat on Aston Martin buy-out

    Clifford Chance (CC) and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom have secured roles on the £479m acquisition of iconic sports car company, Aston Martin from Ford.

    1 minute read

  • March 14, 2007 |

    Milbank, Willkie and Skadden win big on multibillion-dollar casino buy-out

    New York trio Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom have all bagged lucrative roles on the latest multibillion-dollar gaming industry deal. Milbank and Willkie advised Fertitta Colony Partners (FCP) as it forked out $8.8bn (£4.6bn) to purchase Station Casinos, which instructed Skadden.

    1 minute read

  • March 7, 2007 |

    Impatient clients aggravate long hours work toll, partners warn

    Impatient clients are subjecting their advisers to unnecessary levels of stress and most are totally unconcerned about the number of hours they work, new research suggests. The latest Legal Week/EJ Legal Big Question survey, which comes as the debate regarding quality of life at top City firms intensifies, found that 56% of respondents felt under undue pressure from clients either 'all the time' or 'often'.

    1 minute read

  • March 7, 2007 |

    Carbon-fire of the vanities

    The Diary got a rare glimpse the other day of why some firms are suddenly so willing to go carbon neutral. As you can guess, it's not all about saving the whales, pandas or even preserving the snow in Aspen for those skiing trips so beloved of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.

    1 minute read