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  • August 17, 2012 |

    K&L Gates confirms merger talks with Aussie firm Middletons

    K&L Gates has become the latest firm to look to expand into Australia, with the US firm confirming it is in merger discussions with Australia's Middletons. Tie-up discussions between the two firms began several months ago and formal proposals could go to their respective partnerships before the end of the year, the firms said in a joint statement.

    1 minute read

  • August 16, 2012 |

    Stephenson Harwood in pole position for new Welsh racetrack project

    Stephenson Harwood has won a key mandate advising on a new public private partnership behind a new £250m Welsh motor racing circuit. The racetrack, which will be located in Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent, South East Wales, is the largest capital investment programme in automotive infrastructure in the UK over the last 50 years.

    1 minute read

  • August 15, 2012 |

    Burges Salmon, Herbert Smith, Eversheds advise as Virgin loses rail bid

    Burges Salmon, Herbert Smith and Eversheds have secured leading roles on the bidding war that today resulted in Virgin Rail Group losing control of the West Coast mainline franchise to rival rail operator FirstGroup. Herbert Smith advised Virgin on its unsuccessful attempt, with energy and infrastructure partner Adrian Clough at the helm. Virgin Rail - a collaboration between Virgin Trains and Stagecoach, a longstanding Herbert Smith client - has been operating the West Coast service since 1997 and and put the cost of its bid for the contract at £14m.

    1 minute read

  • August 10, 2012 |

    Weil and Quinn lead as Barclay brothers win High Court hotel battle

    Weil Gotshal & Manges and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan have secured wins for their respective clients in a High Court action against the billionaire Barclay brothers over control of London-based hotels the Berkeley, the Connaught and Claridge's.

    1 minute read

  • August 3, 2012 |

    Freehills leads Australia rankings as total revenues for top 35 near $6bn

    Australia's 35 largest law firms took in a combined total of almost A$6bn (£3.9bn) during the 2011-12 financial year, according to a new report by Australian business title Business Review Weekly (BRW). Freehills places top of the rankings, which come after its merger with Herbert Smith was confirmed this June, creating a 2,800-lawyer firm under the name Herbert Smith Freehills that will go live as of 1 October.

    1 minute read

  • August 2, 2012 |

    Family friendly - an in-depth look at the maternity policies of top UK law firms

    Juggling motherhood and career progression has always been notoriously difficult in the legal profession, but with so many women leaving the profession, firms are being forced to face up to the issue. Kate Lofthouse investigates

    1 minute read

  • August 2, 2012 |

    You're fired - how angry clients get to the point of dumping their advisers

    GCs usually eschew the drama of dumping advisers but relationships can easily wither and die. Caroline Hill examines how the client/law firm bond can break

    1 minute read

  • August 2, 2012 |

    Virgin Media general counsel quits for 'personal reasons'

    Virgin Media general counsel Scott Dresser has resigned from the company "for personal reasons", just over 18 months after his promotion to the top legal role. The media and telecoms giant announced that Dresser's resignation would be effective immediately, and that he would return to the US in October after assisting with the handover.

    1 minute read

  • August 1, 2012 |

    CC and Linklaters head up £300m sale of Broadgate West

    Clifford Chance (CC) and Linklaters have taken the lead roles on the sale of Broadgate West in London's EC2, in deal valued at around £300m. The development, which counts Ashurst and US firm Shearman & Sterling among its tenants, has been sold to a joint venture between HSBC Alternative Investments Limited and US developer Hines. The property comprises 42,000 square metres of office space.

    1 minute read

  • July 30, 2012 |

    Lloyds set to appoint new legal chief as GC confirms retirement

    Lloyds Banking Group general counsel and company secretary Harry Baines is set to retire from the bank, almost four years after taking the top legal role in the wake of the Lloyds TSB-HBOS merger, it has emerged. Baines, the former legal head of HBOS, took up his current role in October 2008 following Lloyds TSB's £12.2bn takeover of HBOS, which formally took effect in January 2009.

    1 minute read