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  • February 14, 2013 |

    And now for the hard part – after five mergers, can Norton Rose's CEO tackle his biggest challenge yet?

    When Norton Rose's merger with US firm Fulbright & Jaworski goes live on 1 June, it will have completed its fifth tie-up in just three-and-a-half years. Given that even one merger is beyond the ability of many of the UK's leading players, the achievement cannot be underestimated. The unions mean that in just 42 months, Norton Rose will have transformed itself from an also-ran UK law firm with a smattering of international offices and turnover of £314m into a global giant operating in 55 locations around the world with revenues approaching £1.3bn.

    1 minute read

  • February 14, 2013 |

    Norton Rose, CC and Ashurst among firms on £550m Crest Nicholson IPO

    Norton Rose, Clifford Chance (CC) and Ashurst have landed key roles on the first major domestic initial public offering (IPO) of 2013, as UK housebuilder Crest Nicholson returns to the stock market. The IPO values Crest at around £553m, with the offer comprising a primary tranche raising £59m for the company and a secondary offering raising £169m through the sale by shareholders including Deutsche Bank and investment manager Varde.

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2013 |

    Rules of the game - the lawyers making their mark in the sports sector

    For decades, sport has continued to confound the laws of economic gravity that seem to so often drag other industries back down to earth. Year after year, broadcasting rights escalate – as do sponsorship deals – and ticket prices jauntily rise upwards while the financial fortunes of the millions of fans and spectators that turn out in sunshine and rain have generally stagnated or slumped during the recession. In short, sport is big business, and lawyers agree that it is a profitable segment of the legal services market to be involved in.

    1 minute read

  • February 8, 2013 |

    Fifteen Hong Kong lawyers win higher rights to appear in court

    Fifteen lawyers have been granted approval to appear in Hong Kong courts with exemption from litigation training, as the region moves to broaden the scope of work law firms are permitted to handle. Some of Hong Kong's top dispute resolution partners - including top-ranked Skadden disputes partner Paul Mitchard QC and Ashurst senior associate and former barrister Sanjay Sakhrani - are among the line-up receiving Higher Rights of Audience (HRA).

    1 minute read

  • February 7, 2013 |

    MoFo and Sidley act for Chinese developer on HK$4.35bn share placing

    Morrison & Foerster and Sidley Austin have advised Chinese property developer Evergrande Real Estate on a HK$4.35bn (£368m) share placing. The placement saw the company sell one billion Evergrande shares – equivalent to around 6.7% of the company – at HK$4.35 each in a bid to raise funds. Sidley served as US and Hong Kong counsel to Evergrande, fielding a team led by the firm's head of corporate finance Huanting Timothy Li and corporate partner Constance Choy.

    1 minute read

  • February 7, 2013 |

    Clydes set for Indonesia association as global players eye emerging market

    Clyde & Co is looking to launch an association with an Indonesian law firm, as opportunities in the Southeast Asian country continue to attract the attention of international players. The UK outfit is currently in the process of finalising an agreement with a local firm it has worked with for some time in Indonesia, and is hoping to announce a partnership in March. The firm's Indonesia practice head Michael Horn would be expected to oversee the venture, and would take space in the local firm's Indonesian offices along with two other colleagues.

    1 minute read

  • February 7, 2013 |

    Ashurst and Taylor Wessing lead as Cattles sues PwC over audits

    Ashurst and Taylor Wessing are advising on a high-profile legal battle which sees PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) face a billion-pound negligence claim from Cattles. Troubled Yorkshire financial services group Cattles has accused its former auditor of negligent audits in 2006 and 2007, resulting in liabilities of £1.6bn.

    1 minute read

  • February 4, 2013 |

    Travers sees H1 revenues rise 1.5% to £40.5m

    Travers Smith saw revenues climb by 1.5% during the first half of the 2012-13 financial year, with turnover hitting £40.5m. The growth in fee income in the six month period leading to the end of December took turnover up from an equivalent figure of £39.9m for the same period in 2011.

    1 minute read

  • February 1, 2013 |

    LG in the picture on sale of Jessops brand to Dragons' Den star Jones

    Lawrence Graham (LG) has taken a lead role on the sale of the Jessops brand to a number of buyers including Dragons' Den star Peter Jones. The sale comes after the camera retailer went into administration last month, with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) appointed as administrator.

    1 minute read

  • January 31, 2013 |

    Down but not out – global firms still eye Japan success despite a tidal wave of economic strife

    When the Japanese Government allowed foreign law firms to open offices in the country in 1987 to provide international advice, UK and US advisers started piling onto the bustling streets of Tokyo, then lured by the presence of the world's biggest banks and insurance companies as well as its booming technology and automobile industries.

    1 minute read