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  • March 23, 2011 |

    Links and Freshfields act on high-profile float alongside US duo

    Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and US firms Kirkland & Ellis and Weil Gotshal & Manges have picked up roles on the planned initial public offering (IPO) of British vacuum technology producer Edwards Group, which is expected to value the company at £1.5bn. Magic circle firm Freshfields has been instructed by Edwards Group, fielding a team led by London corporate partners Simon Witty and Natasha Good, who are working alongside US-qualified corporate partner Don Guiney.

    1 minute read

  • March 23, 2011 |

    CC plans South Korea launch as legal market opens to international firms

    Clifford Chance (CC) looks set to become the first leading City firm to open an office in South Korea, with the firm planning to launch after the country's legal market is opened up to foreign law firms this summer. The firm is one of a number of the UK top 10 looking at the region in the wake of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Europe and South Korea that was approved by the European Parliament last month (17 February).

    1 minute read

  • March 23, 2011 |

    Freshfields recruits Paul Hastings trio for Paris public law practice

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has strengthened its Paris public law practice with the hire of a trio of lawyers from Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker led by partner Pascal Cuche. The team, which is due to join Freshfields on 4 April, also includes Marc Lordonnois, who was a partner at Paul Hastings but is joining Freshfields as counsel, and senior associate Karine Debaecker. The trio joined Paul Hastings in early 2008 from Ashurst, where they were associates.

    1 minute read

  • March 23, 2011 |

    Lawyers give budget guarded welcome as Osborne moves to drive UK business

    City lawyers have given the 2011 budget a "guarded welcome" with small tax relief measures included in Chancellor George Osborne's speech today aimed at encouraging businesses to operate in the UK.

    1 minute read

  • March 21, 2011 |

    Last remaining Howrey City partner exits defunct firm's London office

    Howrey's last remaining London partner has joined US firm Fulbright & Jaworski's City office, following the firm's decision to dissolve last week (15 March). Litigator John Evans, who joined Fulbright's disputes and investigations practice in London today (21 March), has more than three decades of experience in private practice, including 17 years as a partner at Ashurst and five years as a partner in Howrey's London office.

    1 minute read

  • March 21, 2011 |

    Weil adds partner to City capital markets team with Shearman hire

    Weil Gotshal & Manges has added to its London capital markets practice with the hire of a new partner from Shearman & Sterling. Rob Ferguson, who will join Weil's partnership from his of counsel role at Shearman, has a mainly issuer-focused equity practice, and advises on a range of capital markets transactions including high yield and investment grade debt and equity offerings. His investment banking clients have included Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse, HSBC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Standard Chartered Bank.

    1 minute read

  • March 17, 2011 |

    CC and Simpson Thacher advise on €4bn post-Lehman fundraise

    Former Clifford Chance (CC) funds chief Jason Glover has completed his first deal since joining Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's City office in January, advising on a €4bn (£3.4bn) fundraising for private equity firm BC Partners. The deal, which is the biggest fundraising in Europe since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, saw Glover advise European buyout house BC Partners alongside a team from his former firm, with corporate partner Nick Benson taking the lead role at CC.

    1 minute read

  • March 16, 2011 |

    Ashurst refocuses Middle East arm around energy and infrastructure

    Ashurst is set to restructure in the Middle East, with the firm refocusing its Abu Dhabi and Dubai offices around energy and infrastructure. The restructuring will see corporate partner and Middle East chief Nick Williamson, who splits his time between the two offices, and Abu Dhabi real estate partner Matthew Hooton, returning to London after several years in the region.

    1 minute read

  • March 10, 2011 |

    Firms still confident of growth via laterals

    Senior lawyers remain convinced that hiring partners is an effective way to build their firm's business despite concerns over the difficulty of finding and integrating promising candidates. The latest Big Question survey found that 64% of respondents believed hiring partners laterally was an effective means of strategically developing a law firm, including 15% who said it was 'very effective'. A further 32% felt it was 'quite effective' while 4% said it either did not work or was counterproductive.

    1 minute read

  • March 10, 2011 |

    Kirkland partner profits break $3m mark as revenue surges by 14%

    Kirkland & Ellis has emerged as one of the strongest performers in the 2010 US reporting season, with the US top 10 law firm seeing both revenue and profits climb sharply, writes The Am Law Daily. The firm's revenues rose by 14% to $1.63bn (£1bn) in 2010, while profits per equity partner (PEP) jumped 23% to $3.08m (£1.91m). The PEP figure puts Kirkland in an elite group of US firms with PEP above $3m (£1.9m).

    1 minute read