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  • March 11, 2013 |

    Ashurst appoints new Asia head as Green takes Australia integration role

    Former Ashurst senior partner Geoffrey Green is set to retire from the firm after 34 years, following the completion of its merger with Blake Dawson, now known as Ashurst Australia. Green is stepping down as head of Asia and returning to London, where he will continue to support incoming Asia head Matthew Bubb, who takes over the role from 1 May.

    1 minute read

  • March 7, 2013 |

    BLP holds fire on annual bonus payouts for top equity partners

    Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has delayed its annual bonus payments to senior equity partners because of unsettled market conditions. Senior equity partners, who see 25% of their pay linked to performance, receive around three bonus instalments between November and June each year. But with less than two months to go until year-end, none of these payments have yet been made.

    1 minute read

  • March 7, 2013 |

    Slaughters and Ashurst lead on Esure's London float

    Slaughter and May and Ashurst have won lead roles on the planned London listing of Esure, the insurer behind brands such as Sheilas' Wheels. The UK insurance company, which also owns half of price comparison website gocompare.com, hopes to raise £50m through an offer of ordinary shares to repay outstanding debt.

    1 minute read

  • March 5, 2013 |

    Winston & Strawn to launch fourth Western Europe base in Brussels

    Winston & Strawn is launching an office in Brussels, the firm's fourth base in Western Europe, in a boost for its EU competition practice. The office, which the firm hopes to be operational by June, will initially be headed by London antitrust and competition partner Peter Crowther, with support from associate Lucie Fish.

    1 minute read

  • February 28, 2013 |

    Beijing-bound firms face culture challenge as global elite flock to Chinese capital

    Home to cash-rich state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and a huge urban population, Beijing – like Singapore, Hong Kong and, more latterly, Korea – has long been a focus for international law firms. This year in particular looks set to see a raft of firms open up in the Chinese capital, with Berwin Leighton Paisner last month announcing plans to launch there in May, while a string of other firms – including Ashurst, Kirkland & Ellis, Eversheds, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Clyde & Co – also expect to receive their licences to practise in the coming months. Those that already have offices on the ground have also been busy ramping up their offerings. DLA Piper announced in January that it had hired a five-strong King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) team for Beijing, including projects partner Carolyn Dong. Norton Rose has brought in three new Beijing partners since March 2012: banking partner Li Jinnan from KWM, corporate partner Jing Wang from Allen & Overy and corporate partner Barbara Li from Baker & McKenzie.

    1 minute read

  • February 28, 2013 |

    SJB postpones partners' quarterly profit payments to boost cash flow

    SJ Berwin has held back quarterly profit distributions due to be paid to partners in February to improve cash flow at the firm. The City firm, which made the previous payment in November in full, confirmed that it had opted to postpone paying partners their most recent profit distribution on the back of a large January tax bill and increased investment internationally. Monthly drawings have been paid as normal.

    1 minute read

  • February 25, 2013 |

    Links leads on largest Japanese outbound deal of the year to date

    Linklaters and Dutch firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek have taken roles on Japanese financial services group Orix's €1.935bn (£1.69bn) acquisition of asset manager Robeco Group from Rabobank, the largest Japanese outbound deal of the year so far. Under the terms of the deal, Orix is acquiring 90.01% of the shares of Robeco, with the Dutch bank retaining a 9.99% equity stake as part of a strategic alliance between the two groups. Rabobank will continue to work with Orix in expanding Robeco's business platform.

    1 minute read

  • February 21, 2013 |

    Hong Kong lawyers in demand as global firms fight for Chinese speakers

    International law firms in Hong Kong are ramping up their recruitment of Mandarin speakers in a bid to boost relationships with mainland China clients, creating fierce job competition for foreign lawyers in the region. A Legal Week survey of international firms operating in Hong Kong found every firm responding to the survey bar one had increased the number of Mandarin-speaking lawyers in their Hong Kong offices since 2011. The increase took the average percentage of Mandarin speakers employed by the 16 responding law firms to 60% of their total Hong Kong lawyer count.

    1 minute read

  • February 20, 2013 |

    Slaughters, Paul Weiss and Sullivan advise on Countrywide IPO

    Slaughter and May, Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison have landed the lead roles on UK estate agency Countrywide Group's initial public offering (IPO). Countrywide, the UK's largest estate agency by revenue and deal volumes, has been listed on the London Stock Exchange by US private equity house Oaktree Capital, its majority owner.

    1 minute read

  • February 19, 2013 |

    Links among just four firms to win Singapore licences after 23 apply

    Linklaters, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Jones Day and Sidley Austin have been awarded Qualifying Foreign Law Practice (QFLP) licences in Singapore as the Asian city state takes further steps to liberalise its legal market. The four international firms were among a list of 23 which applied for QFLPs in the period between 1 July to 31 August last year, with other hopefuls including UK outfits Berwin Leighton Paisner, DLA Piper, Ashurst, Olswang, Watson Farley & Williams and Stephenson Harwood, alongside American counterparts K&L Gates and Shearman & Sterling.

    1 minute read