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  • July 16, 2008 |

    Capital quality

    Bristol's law firms are some of the oldest - and richest - in the country, making a move to the west country a well-trodden path for City lawyers. Sophie Evans reports

    1 minute read

  • July 16, 2008 |

    Caribbean connection

    The world's fifth-largest financial centre has attracted finance and corporate lawyers to its sandy shores for years. Cayman, together with the British Virgin Islands, offers that rare combination of beachside living while working in a world-renowned legal market, says Philip Hoult

    1 minute read

  • July 14, 2008 |

    Slaughters, A&O take top roles on £1.25bn A&L bid

    Slaughter and May and Allen & Overy (A&O) have bagged top roles on the £1.25bn bid for Alliance & Leicester by Banco Santander. The Spanish banking giant announced today that it has put in an offer for British bank Alliance & Leicester, which was formerly a building society.Slaughter and May fielded a team from its London office advising Banco Santander on corporate, competition and regulatory components to the transaction.Corporate chief Frances Murphy, along with corporate partners Roland Turnill and Andrew Jolly, led a large team from the firm, with tax partner Steve Edge, financial regulatory partner Jan Putnis, competition partner Bertrand Louveaux, and pensions and employment partner Roland Doughty assisting.

    1 minute read

  • July 14, 2008 |

    BUPA cuts back legal spend in panel review

    Global healthcare giant BUPA has slashed its spend on external legal fees after inviting firms to offer more competitive rates as part of its tender process. General counsel Paul Newton began reviewing the company's M&A, litigation and procurement advisors in February. After creating a shortlist, the firms were invited to render their services at lower rates in an e-auction style process. It is understood that the review has led to a 30% reduction in the company's legal costs.Initially, each of the three areas was served by four firms, but following the review, the M&A panel has been split into two - one for large and the other for small transactions - and will be covered by five firms. The litigation and procurement panels will now host three firms each.

    1 minute read

  • July 10, 2008 | International Edition

    Magic circle trio break into profits top 10 as City firms move up Global 100

    Profits per equity partner (PEP) at top US law firms still narrowly exceed key UK rivals - despite the significant increases the magic circle have achieved in turnover and profitability in recent years. Figures compiled by Legal Week and The American Lawyer show that just three UK firms make it into the global top 10 by PEP - Slaughter and May, Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In contrast, seven US firms make the grade - headed by elite firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz.

    1 minute read

  • July 10, 2008 |

    Magic circle trio break into profits top 10 as City firms move up Global 100

    Profits per equity partner (PEP) at top US law firms still narrowly exceed key UK rivals - despite the significant increases the magic circle have achieved in turnover and profitability in recent years. Figures compiled by Legal Week and The American Lawyer show that just three UK firms make it into the global top 10 by PEP - Slaughter and May, Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In contrast, seven US firms make the grade - headed by elite firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz.

    1 minute read

  • July 10, 2008 |

    Strong Asian deal activity cited as Linklaters extends M&A league lead

    Linklaters has climbed to the top of the global and Asia-Pacific M&A rankings by value for the first half of this year, with roles on a string of high-profile deals, putting the firm comfortably ahead of its nearest rivals. Research carried out by Legal Week data partner Mergermarket shows Linklaters advised on the greatest value of global M&A deals over the six-month period ending 30 June, with the firm acting on 121 deals with a combined value of $380.8bn (£193.6bn).

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2008 |

    Jones Day signs up for tailored LPC with BPP

    Jones Day has signed an exclusive agreement with BPP law school for the Legal Practice Course (LPC). The deal will see all of the firm's UK trainees studying for the LPC with BPP from September this year, with Jones Day tailoring parts of the course to reflect its needs. BPP is already the exclusive LPC provider to the City consortium of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith, Lovells, Norton Rose and Slaughter and May.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2008 |

    In-house Lawyer: The power of straight talking

    Richard Wiseman is well on his way to becoming an institution as far as inhouse lawyers are concerned. After all, very few corporate counsel have been in the job as long as the straight-talking Royal Dutch Shell lawyer.

    1 minute read

  • July 9, 2008 |

    Commentary: H1 tables - never mind value, turn up the volume

    Barring an unlikely revival in big-ticket M&A in the second half of the year, the key deal leagues look likely to be remembered chiefly as the BHP/Rio tables, so complete is the grip of the £114bn mining merger bid on the key tables from Mergermarket.

    1 minute read