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  • July 21, 2010 |

    Nomura set to expand panel of legal advisers in first post-Lehman review

    International investment bank Nomura has launched the first review of its legal roster since its 2008 takeover of a significant part of Lehman Brothers. Nomura is looking to create a panel of advisers for its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business and has invited a number of UK law firms to pitch for the review.

    1 minute read

  • July 21, 2010 |

    Ashurst rolls out initiative to train up partners in better client management

    Ashurst has rolled out a new global key client strategy in an effort to improve the firm's relationships with its most important clients. The initiative, dubbed 'Turning Common Sense into Common Practice', aims to strengthen the firm's ties with in-house legal teams and key business decision-makers. A structured training programme for partners will feature skills-based workshops covering areas such as pitching and marketing, run in conjunction with a series of external consultants.

    1 minute read

  • July 21, 2010 |

    Employment team quits Ashurst's Milan office

    Ashurst has lost a team of employment lawyers from its Milan office, including practice head Francesco Simoneschi. Simoneschi has joined Italian firm d'Urso Gatti alongside senior associate Alessandro Crosta and associates Elisa Mapelli and Annalisa Belloni.

    1 minute read

  • July 21, 2010 |

    Tried and trusted focus reaps rewards for Travers

    Anyone who doubts the value of sticking to your gameplan would do well to look at the recent performance of Travers Smith, which as we reported this month has outpaced all comparable City practices in 2009-10 by managing to hike profits per equity partner (PEP) by 53% to £705,000. In isolation, such a rise in profits can be dismissed in a year in which many firms saw rebounding PEP numbers on the back of tough cost squeezes. However, Travers was one of the few to also manage a rise in revenues - by a healthy 11.6% - so the firm is clearly growing the business.

    1 minute read

  • July 21, 2010 |

    Financial regulation: Hunting the hunter

    The FSA is to be broken up as part of a huge shake-up of regulation by the new Government - despite strong misgivings from City professionals. Alex Aldridge charts the watchdog's rise and fall and looks at the new bodies that will replace it

    1 minute read

  • July 21, 2010 |

    Partners see no quick end to pricing pressure

    The vast majority of senior lawyers are expecting clients to maintain pressure on law firms to cut their rates over the next 12 months, according to Legal Week's latest Big Question survey. Ninety-six percent of respondents to the survey believe clients will continue to push for discounts amid uncertain market conditions. Of this majority, 37% stated that pressure would increase 'substantially', while almost half (46%) stated that it would increase to a 'considerable extent'. Only a small minority of 4% responded that rates were becoming less of an issue.

    1 minute read

  • July 16, 2010 |

    Ashurst, Sullivan and Ropes & Gray take lead roles on €1.2bn Ontex sale

    Ashurst has secured a lead role on the €1.2bn (£1.07bn) sale of manufacturing company Ontex to Goldman Sachs and TPG Capital. Ashurst advised longstanding client Candover on its sale of Ontex, a European manufacturer of hygienic disposables. The City law firm advised Candover on its original acquisition of the business in 2003.

    1 minute read

  • July 14, 2010 |

    Light at the end of the the tunnel or storm clouds ahead - senior lawyers reflect on a volatile market

    Lawyers from top 50 firms assess the market over the last 12 months and make predictions for the year ahead...

    1 minute read

  • July 7, 2010 |

    Freshfields leads on CVC's multimillion-pound investment into amusement parks operator

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has taken a lead role on CVC Capital Partners' multimillion-pound investment in Merlin Entertainments Group. The magic circle firm advised private equity house CVC on its purchase of a 28% stake in Merlin from the company's existing shareholders, which include buyout giant Blackstone, and Kirkbi, the investment arm of the Lego Group. The deal values Merlin, the world's second-largest amusement parks operator, at £2.25bn.

    1 minute read

  • July 2, 2010 |

    Dechert boosts London finance practice with Orrick partner hire

    Dechert has boosted its London finance and banking practice with the hire of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe structured finance partner Jim Waddington. Waddington, who specialises in capital markets and derivative transactions for banking clients, joined Orrick's London base in 2002 from the Paris office of New York firm Proskauer Rose.

    1 minute read