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  • September 6, 2012 |

    Graduate intake at top UK law firms falls 11% over post-crunch years

    Graduate recruitment across the bulk of the UK top 20 looks set to shrink by more than 10% between 2008-09 and 2013-14 as firms continue to scale back trainee numbers in response to the dampened economic climate.

    1 minute read

  • September 6, 2012 |

    Firms failing on billing practices as 72% of partners note room for improvement

    Large commercial law firms need to improve both the way they price work and bill clients, according to new research.

    1 minute read

  • September 3, 2012 |

    Slaughters assists Arsenal on busy summer of transfer window deals

    Slaughter and May has advised Arsenal Football Club on a number of multimillion-pound player transfers during this summer's transfer window, which closed for business at the end of last week. The window, which closed at 11pm on Friday (31 August), saw the amount of money spent by Premier League clubs reach £490m, with Arsenal directly involved in around £73m of that total.

    1 minute read

  • August 23, 2012 |

    DLA Piper and Slaughters get jammy on £200m Premier Foods sell-off

    DLA Piper and Slaughter and May have taken lead roles on a £200m deal that has seen US-based food company Hain Celestial Group acquire Premier Foods' sweet spreads and jellies business. Hain has been looking to expand to the UK, with the deal handing it a clutch of well-known brands including Hartley's, Sun-Pat and Robertson's - the producer of Golden Shred marmalade.

    1 minute read

  • August 21, 2012 |

    A&O and Nabarro confirm retention rates for September NQ intakes

    Allen & Overy has announced a 79% retention rate for its September 2012 batch of qualifiers. The magic circle firm is keeping on 46 out of a total of 58 of its newly-qualified lawyers (NQs) - a boost on last year when it kept on 39 out of 53 NQs, marking a retention rate of 74% for its September 2011 intake. However, it is down on its 89% March 2012 retention result.

    1 minute read

  • August 20, 2012 |

    Slaughters lines up with Danish firms to advise on latest ISS bid

    Slaughter and May has lined up alongside a raft of Danish firms on a €500m (£390m) deal that saw Lego billionaire Kirk Kristiansen team up with a pension fund to secure a stake in Danish facilities giant ISS. Slaughters took a role advising ISS and majority shareholders GS Capital Partners and EQT Partners as Canadian pension fund Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) and Kirkbi Invest - a holding company that invests on behalf of the family behind Lego - took a 26% stake in the company.

    1 minute read

  • August 15, 2012 |

    Slaughters, Sullivan guide Standard Chartered to £217m US settlement

    Slaughter and May corporate partner Nigel Boardman and dispute resolution partner Richard Swallow helped Standard Chartered yesterday (14 August) reach a $340m (£217m) settlement with the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) over allegations that it breached US sanctions and hid transactions with Iran. The magic circle firm provided UK advice to the bank, alongside Wall Street leader Sullivan & Cromwell, where corporate and financing partner Rodgin Cohen and dispute resolution partner Samuel Seymour provided US advice. Both firms were instructed after the alleged illegal activity took place.

    1 minute read

  • August 13, 2012 |

    A&O's Morley to chair new board for PRIME diversity initiative

    Allen & Overy (A&O)senior partner David Morley has been appointed to chair a new board set up to oversee social mobility initiative PRIME as the scheme nears its one-year anniversary. A raft of senior names from the UK's largest law firms have been appointed to the new six-person board, with Addleshaw Goddard senior partner Monica Burch, CMS Cameron McKenna senior partner Dick Tyler, DLA Piper board member Janet Legrand and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer corporate finance head Barry O'Brien all on the line-up alongside Morley. The final board member is educational charity The Sutton Trust's director of programmes and partnerships James Turner.

    1 minute read

  • August 7, 2012 |

    Slaughters, Sullivan advise Standard Chartered on latest banking scandal

    Slaughter and May has secured a mandate advising Standard Chartered in relation to claims by the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) that the bank was involved in a $250bn (£160bn) money laundering scheme with the Iranian government. The magic circle firm is advising over allegations published by the DFS yesterday (6 August), which claim the bank violated US sanctions for almost 10 years, alleging it "schemed with the Government of Iran and hid from regulators roughly 60,000 secret transactions, involving at least $250bn (£160bn)."

    1 minute read

  • August 7, 2012 |

    Shoosmiths converts to LLP and revamps brand

    Shoosmiths has converted to a limited liability partnership (LLP) making it one of the last firms in the UK top 50 to make the change. The national firm became an LLP last week (6 August), coinciding with the end of a 12-month review of the firm's brand and position in the market, which culminated in a brand and website re-launch.

    1 minute read