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  • October 6, 2009 |

    Global 100: Emerging markets

    From Russia's grey gloom to Brazil's red-hot ambitions, a look at the state of five emerging legal markets

    1 minute read

  • October 6, 2009 |

    Global 100: The great game

    Soon after Simon Davies took over as Linklaters' managing partner at the end of 2007, he brought together a group of the firm's partners for some scenario planning. Turbulence in the subprime mortgage sector had not yet grown into a global economic downturn, but Davies knew that the legal services market was already changing. "We had been striving to run ourselves as efficiently as possible to deliver clear value to our clients and avoid increasing rates," he says. The purpose of the gathering was to run through some 'what-ifs,' determine how the firm would be affected, and consider how it would respond. Scenario three, the worst one under consideration, was the collapse of a major investment bank.

    1 minute read

  • October 2, 2009 |

    McDermott boosts London energy with Dentons partner hire

    McDermott Will & Emery has made its third lateral hire in a month, bringing in an energy partner from Denton Wilde Sapte. David Birchall, whose work focuses on deals in the electricity, trading and carbon sectors, will become the eleventh London partner in McDermott's global energy practice. His start date is yet to be confirmed.

    1 minute read

  • October 1, 2009 |

    Stars at the Bar

    Without the well-honed PR teams of many a law firm and legally unable to promote themselves, barristers rely to a great extent on the recommendations of peers and instructing solicitors for reputation and referral. Unlike the majority of their solicitor counterparts, many commercial barristers will turn their hand to several sectors of the law. And not only do they need to be team players, working closely with law firm partners, they also need to be savvy with strong client skills.

    1 minute read

  • September 30, 2009 |

    Quartet of firms lead on second-largest IPO of the year so far

    Four international firms have landed roles on Metallurgical Corporation of China's (MCC's) initial public offering (IPO) - the second-largest listing of the year so far. The $5.2bn (£3.2bn) raised from the sale of shares on the Shanghai and Hong Kong exchanges makes MCC the second-largest IPO this year after the $7.4bn (£4.6bn) raised by China State Construction Engineering Corporation in July.

    1 minute read

  • September 29, 2009 |

    Freshfields and Bakers advise long-term clients on $7.1bn pharma buyout

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Baker & McKenzie have taken lead roles on Abbott Laboratories' $7.1bn (£4.5bn) acquisition of pharma company Solvay's drug unit, reports The Am Law Daily. Solvay turned to a team from Freshfields led by corporate partners Geert Verhoeven in Brussels and Timothy Wilkins in New York.

    1 minute read

  • September 25, 2009 |

    Slaughters and Freshfields lead on Unilever's €1.3bn Sara Lee bid

    Slaughter and May and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have won key roles on Unilever's €1.275bn (£1.17bn) bid for the personal care division of Sara Lee. The deal, expected to close next year, will see Unilever aqcuire well-known brands such as Radox and Brylcreem

    1 minute read

  • September 23, 2009 |

    UBS pushes down on rates after completion of global panel review

    Swiss banking giant UBS has overhauled its roster of preferred legal advisers, with eight firms making the grade. Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, White & Case, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters and Simmons & Simmons were reappointed, while Herbert Smith and DLA Piper are new appointments to the global panel.

    1 minute read

  • September 22, 2009 |

    Gide adds trio to Vietnam office in international reshuffle

    Gide Loyrette Nouel has moved to build up its Vietnam presence, adding three lawyers to its Ho Chi Minh City office this month. The French firm has relocated Jacques de Servigny to be the new partner-in-charge of the Vietnam practice, which also has an office in Hanoi.

    1 minute read

  • September 18, 2009 |

    Slaughters and Freshfields take roles on major Hong Kong IPOs

    Slaughter and May and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are among a number of international law firms to have picked up mandates on two major Hong Kong Stock Exchange listings which closed this week. China's largest pharmaceutical company, Sinopharm, raised HK$8.73bn (£688m), while Metallurgical Corp raised HK$18.2bn (£1.4bn) from the listings, which together dwarfed the initial public offering (IPO) activity to have taken place on the Hong Kong exchange so far this year.

    1 minute read