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  • November 5, 2008 |

    Macfarlanes takes lead on CompAir sale

    Pinsent Masons and Macfarlanes have bagged lead roles on CompAir's £197.5m sale to industrial manufacturer Gardner Denver. The deal saw Macfarlanes instructed for regular client Alchemy Partners, as the majority shareholder in air and gas compressor business (CompAir). The City firm fielded a team led by corporate partner Ian Martin, and including partners Paul Davies, Marc Israel and Elizabeth Sherwood.Meanwhile, Pinsents was brought in to advise CompAir's management with a team led by technology head Andrew Hornigold, assisted by corporate associate James Willmott.

    1 minute read

  • November 5, 2008 |

    Why Heller died

    When Heller Ehrman partners gathered at Santa Barbara, California's Bacara Resort & Spa in March 2007, there was already reason to be concerned about the firm's future. Several practice areas were slow. The firm's national and global ambitions were in disarray. And partners were increasingly skeptical about management's ability to address the problems. But that weekend they were determined to laugh at this worrisome predicament. The final night of the retreat featured a $300,000 (£186,000) skit. Performers from the Los Angeles Opera, accompanied by a professional orchestra, portrayed chairman Matthew Larrabee (pictured) and other firm leaders frantically searching for a merger partner. "Some people were laughing, but I thought it was surreal," says one former partner.

    1 minute read

  • November 3, 2008 |

    Bakers in top-level management revamp

    Baker & McKenzie has revamped its executive committee, electing Dallas-based corporate partner Alan Harvey and Tokyo managing partner Jeremy Pitts to the board. Harvey and Pitts replace partners David Hackett in Chicago and David Jacobs in Sydney respectively on the firmwide committee, after the pair come to the end of their three-year terms.The news comes as Bakers also announces two new regional management positions, with San Francisco and Palo Alto managing partner Peter Engstrom appointed as the firm's managing partner for North America.

    1 minute read

  • October 31, 2008 |

    Bakers set for Abu Dhabi office launch

    Baker & McKenzie is set to open its third office in the Gulf with the launch of an Abu Dhabi arm later this year. The new office will mark the firm's 69th base worldwide, and will specialise in banking and finance, corporate and M&A, private equity, securities, capital markets, projects arbitration and real estate.Former Prague managing partner Boris Dackiw will head up the office, leading a team of 50 lawyers. He will also become managing partner of the Gulf region.

    1 minute read

  • October 30, 2008 |

    Top firms line up for 2008 British Legal Awards

    Ashurst, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters have been named among the nominees for a number of top accolades at the 2008 British Legal Awards. The trio have been shortlisted for the coveted law firm of the year award alongside Baker & McKenzie, Eversheds and Latham & Watkins.Linklaters has been shortlisted for three further awards, including cross-border M&A team of the year, while Freshfields is among the nominees for M&A team of the year. Allen & Overy also secured nominations in both of these categories.

    1 minute read

  • October 30, 2008 |

    Simmons appoints former Herbert Smith employee as new HR director

    Simmons & Simmons has appointed John Lucy as its new director of human resources (HR) to replace former HR director Anita Tovell, who retired this July. Lucy, who was previously head of HR at Herbert Smith, took up the position earlier this month (6 October) after 10 years at the firm. He left the firm in March for a six-month sabbatical, during which time he trained as a mediator and did some consultancy work.During his time at the City firm Lucy was responsible for the global HR function, as well as overseeing the graduate recruitment function alongside the graduate recruitment partner.Lucy said: "How you manage intellectual capital is absolutely vital. Simmons convinced me that their vision was the same as mine as to how HR can add value to the practice, increasing its profile and profitability and making it a great place to work."Following Lucy's departure, Herbert Smith subsequently appointed Chris Lynch as its new global head of HR in May this year. Lynch joined the firm from Baker & McKenzie, where she was a director in the HR team. She joined Bakers in 2004 from Allen & Overy, where she was head of HR for the corporate department. Lucy added: "Herbert Smith went through a phenomenal change, which I got to be a part of, growing its commitment to individual development. I worked very much on a one-on-one basis for personal development, something that previously did not exist. That was probably the most satisfactory part of working with the firm."

    1 minute read

  • October 29, 2008 |

    Scandinavia: A piece of the action

    Change is in the air in Scandinavia. The region's legal centre, Stockholm, has long been dominated by a combination of the major Swedish players and a number of international outfits. However, ambitious Finnish firms are increasingly looking to muscle in on the action. At the same time, there are signs that the Norwegian and Danish legal markets - long considered rather local-minded - may be beginning to open up.

    1 minute read

  • October 29, 2008 |

    Bakers' doyenne

    Several years ago, I attended an event in Paris at which Christine Lagarde, the then chairman of Baker & McKenzie, was also present. At one point a…

    1 minute read

  • October 29, 2008 |

    Addleshaws partner joins Proskauer's City office

    Proskauer Rose has made its first partner-level hire in London since January with the arrival of Michael Crosby from Addleshaw Goddard. Crosby will head up the firm's corporate finance group in the City. He advisers lenders and borrowers on all aspects of acquisition financings, debt restructurings, recapitalisations and leveraged buyouts.Proskauer's London managing partner Matthew Hudson said: "Michael's background and practice will allow us to fully expand our finance platform into the UK and capitalise on these opportunities on behalf of our clients."

    1 minute read

  • October 22, 2008 |

    Former Morgan Lewis partner sets up own firm

    Former Morgan Lewis partner Rory Graham has set up his own practice specialising in complex technology deals, product liability and dispute resolution. Graham, who has also been a partner at Baker & McKenzie and Bird & Bird, joins forces with Baker & McKenzie associate Robert Coffey to create Coffey Graham. Graham's practice focuses on technology and outsourcing while Coffey is a dispute resolution lawyer.

    1 minute read