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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 |

    Dechert leads on $190m rights sale of experimental pain drug

    Dechert's London office has won a role advising new client PanGenetics on its $190m (£114m) sale of global rights for an experimental drug to US pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories. The US firm has been drafted in to advise antibody engineering company PanGenetics on the sale of a drug used for chronic pain called PG110. The sale will see Abbott acquire the rights to the drug for an upfront payment of $170m (£102m), with additional milestone payments taking the figure to $190m (£114m). The deal equates to selling off part of the company that will house the drug for Abbott.

    1 minute read

  • November 19, 2009 |

    Winston & Strawn opens new offices in Beijing and Shanghai with Bakers partner hire

    Winston & Strawn has boosted its Asia presence with two new offices in Beijing and Shanghai, reports The Am Law Daily. The firm has recruited Xiangyang Ge from Baker & McKenzie to lead the Shanghai base. Ge, who was head of Bakers' China regulatory team, focuses on foreign investment work as well as cross-border M&A.

    1 minute read

  • November 17, 2009 |

    Trio of firms gear up with roles on takeover of Brawn F1 team

    Shearman & Sterling, Lovells and Taylor Wessing have advised on Mercedes-Benz's takeover of the Brawn GP Formula One team. The three firms took roles on the deal that will see the team rebranded as Mercedes Grand Prix from next season, with founder Ross Brawn remaining as team principal.

    1 minute read

  • November 4, 2009 |

    Former DLA Piper partner faces forgery trial in Singapore

    A former DLA Piper partner who left in 2006 to open a Singapore office for US firm Duane Morris is standing trial for forgery, writes The American Lawyer. Rudy Lim, 37, has been charged with falsely inflating his pay at DLA to obtain a better salary at Duane Morris.

    1 minute read

  • October 22, 2009 |

    Bakers elects duo to London management committee

    Baker & McKenzie has reshuffled its London management committee, with litigation partner Tom Cassels replacing Beatriz Araujo on the top-level board. Cassels, who has handed over his role as corporate responsibility partner to competition partner Ross Denton, will join the board for an initial two-year period.

    1 minute read

  • October 21, 2009 |

    Simmons advises hedge fund RAB on Lehman bankruptcy dispute

    Simmons & Simmons has advised hedge fund RAB Market Cycles Fund on the latest dispute in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy saga. Simmons acted for RAB in relation to the status of post-administration cash derived from securities received by the failed bank after it went into administration. As a result of the ruling handed down today (21 October), City hedge funds could now see the money returned to the beneficiaries rather than falling into the general estate. RAB successfully argued that the post-administration cash held by Lehman as custodian was held on trust, and therefore under Financial Services Authority regulations should not fall into Lehman's general estate.

    1 minute read

  • October 20, 2009 |

    Norton Rose and Deacons advise BP on carbon deal

    Norton Rose and Deacons Australia have come together to advise oil giant British Petroleum (BP) on their first public deal since finalising their merger. The firms are advising BP on a carbon offset deal that will see 10 million eucalyptus trees, worth A$2.5m (£1.4m), planted across Australia within the next 15 years.

    1 minute read

  • October 20, 2009 |

    Freshfields reshuffles corporate: can the winning streak continue?

    Good bench, strength in depth, sensible management and flair - you would be forgiven for thinking Deal Week has lapsed into football punditry. But even if it can't match the glamour of the Premier League there's one team that currently gets City lawyers reaching for the sporting superlatives: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's on-form corporate practice.

    1 minute read