• August 14, 2009 |

    Bakers London office set for 33% profits drop-off as revenues fall

    Baker & McKenzie's City office looks set to take almost twice the hit on profits per equity partner (PEP) as the rest of the firm, with London PEP expected to have fallen by a third in 2008-09. The international firm's results show that firmwide revenues fell by 3% to $2.11bn (£1.27bn), with PEP falling by 17% to $992,000 (£598,000). However, Bakers expects London turnover to dip by 3.4% to £115.7m, with PEP set to plunge by 33.5% from £572,000 to £380,000.

    1 minute read

  • August 4, 2009 |

    Weil Gotshal and Bakers lead on €250m private equity sell-off

    Weil Gotshal & Manges and Baker & McKenzie have taken lead roles on the €250m (£212.2m) private equity disposal of two European food distribution companies. South African trading and distribution company Bidvest is to acquire the Czech Republic's Nowaco and Poland's Farutex from funds associated with JP Morgan, and managed by CCMP Capital Advisors, and from Bancroft Private Equity.

    1 minute read

  • July 23, 2009 |

    SJ Berwin boosts London finance team with hire of A&O partner

    SJ Berwin is expanding its London finance team with the hire of Allen & Overy (A&O) leveraged finance partner Ian Borman, who is set to join the top 20 City firm in September. His appointment takes the leveraged finance team to four partners and the wider finance group to 11 partners. Borman, a partner in A&O's leveraged team for five years, has worked on deals including last year's bank financing of Gas Natural's E19bn (£16.4bn) takeover bid for Union Fenosa.

    1 minute read

  • July 14, 2009 |

    Baker & McKenzie slashes UK partner promotion round

    Baker & McKenzie has promoted only one lawyer to its London partnership, compared with six in last year's promotion round.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2009 | International Edition

    International law firms: Batten down the hatches

    If ever there was a market to test the commitment of international firms to their London office, this would be it. Plummeting workloads and high operating costs have meant more so than ever the City is proving an expensive toehold.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2009 |

    International law firms: Batten down the hatches

    If ever there was a market to test the commitment of international firms to their London office, this would be it. Plummeting workloads and high operating costs have meant more so than ever the City is proving an expensive toehold.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2009 |

    GE appoints CC and Ashurst to Europe adviser roster

    General Electric (GE) has finalised its European non-M&A legal panel, with a clutch of UK firms winning roles including Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy (A&O), Ashurst and Norton Rose.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2009 |

    CC scales down CEE operations with Budapest spin-off but keeps Romania and Ukraine focus

    Clifford Chance (CC) has become the latest magic circle firm to retrench in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), with the firm opting to close in Budapest. The Hungary office will spin off from CC at the end of July to form Lakatos Koves & Partners, which will continue to work with CC in a 'best friends' relationship. The spin-off practice will see all 29 Hungary-based fee earners, as well as staff, join the new firm.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2009 | International Edition

    Foreign firms put merger hopes on hold to hunker down for recession

    The number of international law firms in London looking for a tie-up has fallen to its lowest level in five years, as firms batten down the hatches in their City outposts during the downturn. Only 21% of non-UK headquartered firms in London said they would consider a merger with a UK firm according to Legal Week's annual survey of international law firms in London. The result marks a sharp decline from last year when 45% of firms said they would consider a UK deal.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2009 |

    Foreign firms put merger hopes on hold to hunker down for recession

    The number of international law firms in London looking for a tie-up has fallen to its lowest level in five years, as firms batten down the hatches in their City outposts during the downturn. Only 21% of non-UK headquartered firms in London said they would consider a merger with a UK firm according to Legal Week's annual survey of international law firms in London. The result marks a sharp decline from last year when 45% of firms said they would consider a UK deal.

    1 minute read