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  • December 1, 2009 |

    Independent Law Firms in Europe: A model of resilience

    The global recession has done little to alter the faith of Europe's independents in the strength of their law firm models. While the global UK and US-based firms have been busy with internal housekeeping and the struggle for position in their home markets, Europe's independent law firms cannot be accused of having let the opportunity pass them by.

    1 minute read

  • December 1, 2009 |

    Simmons London real estate partner makes Lewis Silkin switch

    Simmons & Simmons has lost a real estate partner in London with Rachel Francis-Lang joining City outfit Lewis Silkin last week (23 November). Francis-Lang joined Simmons from Eversheds in September last year, after eight years as a partner at the national firm. She began her career at Slaughter and May, where she trained and qualified.

    1 minute read

  • November 26, 2009 |

    Leading firms act on largest UK pre-pack deal for Wind Hellas

    A raft of UK and US firms, including White & Case, Bingham McCutchen, Allen & Overy (A&O) and Slaughter and May, are advising on the UK's largest ever pre-pack administration. Wind Hellas, one of Greece's largest mobile phone operators, filed for administration with the English High Court earlier this month, with parent company Weather Investments set to rescue the business.

    1 minute read

  • November 26, 2009 |

    Partners divided over value of lateral hires

    The City is split over whether lateral partner hires deliver real benefits to law firms, with those firms opting to bring in partners from the magic circle felt to face the greatest challenges. The results of the latest Legal Week Big Question survey show that just less than half of partners (47%) believe lateral partner recruitment has a 50/50 chance of delivering substantive commercial results, with a further 20% arguing such hires 'rarely' work out. Only 32% of respondents think lateral hiring 'often' or 'nearly always' delivers results.

    1 minute read

  • November 25, 2009 |

    Raft of UK firms advise as OFT loses out in Supreme Court overdraft charges dispute

    The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has lost its court battle to launch an investigation into the fairness of unauthorised overdraft charges. Five Justices of the Supreme Court, led by Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, ruled this morning (25 November) in favour of seven banks and one building society, ending the two-year case which was initially brought to the High Court in 2007.

    1 minute read

  • November 25, 2009 |

    Restructuring and insolvency: Year of the living dead

    As the economy began to show signs of overheating during the peak of the credit boom between 2005 and 2007, many insolvency advisers were predicting the next big thing would be a wave of increasingly complex restructurings - accompanied by a frenetic round of debt trading. Accordingly, many of the funds and investment banks active in the sector set about bolstering their restructuring teams. Andrew Wilkinson's 2007 move from the leading London restructuring team of US firm Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, which he built up during the late 1990s and early part of the decade, to head up Goldman Sachs' European restructuring advisory arm was only the most high-profile of a series of such moves.

    1 minute read

  • November 20, 2009 |

    Quartet appointed to advise on winding-down of Government stake in UK banks

    Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith and Simmons & Simmons have all landed plum roles as key advisers to the UK Government on the winding-down of its stake in banks that were recapitalised during the financial crisis. The much-discussed United Kingdom Financial Investments (UKFI) panel will predominately provide the appointed firms with capital markets work as the Government looks to reduce its interests in RBS and Lloyds.

    1 minute read

  • November 19, 2009 |

    Linklaters leads for JP Morgan on £1bn Cazenove buyout

    Linklaters has taken a lead role for JP Morgan after stepping in to advise on the bank's £1bn purchase of the remaining 50% of Cazenove. Corporate partner Stephen Blackshaw led the magic firm's team on the deal, which will see JP Morgan acquire the remaining components of Cazenove that it does not already own, with the value of the combined bank set to reach £2bn.

    1 minute read

  • November 13, 2009 |

    Norton Rose checks in for Iberia role on British Airways merger deal

    Norton Rose has secured a high-profile mandate advising Spanish airline Iberia on its planned merger with British Airways. The top 10 City firm has been brought in alongside Spanish firm Garrigues to advise on all UK aspects of the proposed union, with London corporate partner Nick Adams at the helm.

    1 minute read

  • November 12, 2009 |

    City trio get the client vote but GCs want more ground on billing

    Lovells, SJ Berwin and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have received strong client endorsement in a Legal Week research project ranking law firms according to feedback from the UK's largest companies. The trio were among the most highly-rated practices within a league of the UK's 20 largest law firms in Legal Week Intelligence's sixth annual Client Satisfaction Report.

    1 minute read