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  • May 2, 2013 |

    Insured success - Aviva's legal team on reshaping the insurance giant's in-house function

    To say Aviva's overall head of legal Kirsty Cooper had a busy 2012 would be putting it mildly. As GC and company secretary for the insurance giant, the past year involved Cooper overseeing a restructuring of the in-house legal function, which saw headcount reduced by roughly 10% to 280.

    1 minute read

  • May 2, 2013 |

    CC and Eversheds say cheese as Dairy Crest protects pension fund with cheddar

    Clifford Chance (CC) and Eversheds have landed roles on an unusual deal that has seen Dairy Crest protect its pension fund with maturing cheese. The UK dairy company has granted a floating charge of £60m worth of cheddar cheese to the trustee of its pension fund, in what is thought to be the first deal of its kind involving cheese. Dairy Crest's cheese stock was valued at £150m at the end of March. CC is advising trustees of the fund with a team including finance partner Karen Hodson, pensions partner Clare Hoxey and associate Katie Hicks.

    1 minute read

  • May 2, 2013 | International Edition

    Caught in two minds – firms split on whether to stick or twist in tough market

    Recent weeks have presented a somewhat divided picture of the upper echelons of the legal market. On the one hand, against the backdrop of a relentlessly tough market, many of the UK's largest law firms have announced predictably reduced partner promotion rounds – with the magic circle, for example, making up nearly 20% fewer new partners this year than last. On the other, Slaughter and May this week played a strong hand in terms of salaries, with the firm's across-the-board rises for junior lawyers likely to set the bar for its City peers.

    1 minute read

  • May 2, 2013 |

    Caught in two minds – firms split on whether to stick or twist in tough market

    Recent weeks have presented a somewhat divided picture of the upper echelons of the legal market. On the one hand, against the backdrop of a relentlessly tough market, many of the UK's largest law firms have announced predictably reduced partner promotion rounds – with the magic circle, for example, making up nearly 20% fewer new partners this year than last. On the other, Slaughter and May this week played a strong hand in terms of salaries, with the firm's across-the-board rises for junior lawyers likely to set the bar for its City peers.

    1 minute read

  • May 1, 2013 |

    Japan's Nishimura and Asahi to open in Myanmar and Thailand

    Japanese law firm Nishimura and Asahi (N&A) has announced plans to open two new Asian offices in Myanmar and Thailand. The Tokyo-headquartered outfit, which is one of Japan's big four law firms, said its base in Yangon, Myanmar, the country's former capital, would open in May, whilst the Bangkok branch would launch in July.

    1 minute read

  • April 30, 2013 |

    Slaughters becomes first magic circle firm to announce 2013 pay increases

    Slaughter and May has become the first magic circle firm to announce associate salary rates for 2013, confirming small increases in pay for junior lawyers across the board. The increases, which will take effect from 1 May, see the firm raise rates for newly-qualified lawyers by 2.4% to £63,000, with lawyers with between one year and three years' post qualification experience (PQE)gaining increases of between 0.7% and 2%. Trainee salaries will also rise and, in addition, lawyers will progress through the pay bands as normal.

    1 minute read

  • April 29, 2013 |

    CC, Links unveil partner promotions with one quarter made up in London

    Clifford Chance (CC) and Linklaters have both announced their annual partner promotions, with both firms seeing one quarter of their new partners made up in London. CC has made up 20 lawyers, including five in London - finance lawyers Peter Dahlen and Oliver Hipperson, corporate specialists Tom Evans and Nick Hughes and litigator Maxine Mossman.

    1 minute read

  • April 25, 2013 |

    Firms line up as Lagardere sells $2.3bn stake in EADS

    Slaughter and May and Cravath Swaine & Moore are among several firms to have advised on Lagardere's sale of a €2.3bn (£2bn) stake in aerospace and defence giant EADS. The French media group, which has sold its remaining 7.4% share in the company to investors, was advised by Slaughters, Cravath and French outfit Bredin Prat.

    1 minute read

  • April 23, 2013 |

    A&O increases trainee pay rates for first time in three years

    Allen & Overy (A&O) has raised its trainee pay levels for 2012-13, breaking a three-year freeze on trainee wages. First-year trainees at the magic circle firm will receive £39,000, up £1,000 from £38,000, while second-year trainees will now take home £44,000, a rise of £800 from £43,200. The changes will take effect from 1 September this year.

    1 minute read

  • April 18, 2013 |

    Top announced deals for Q1 2013: global and UK

    Top announced deals for Q1 2013: global and UK – the top deals from the past three months, featuring Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hogan Lovells and Slaughter and May

    1 minute read