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  • November 1, 2007 |

    Ashurst names new Spain head

    Ashurst's Spanish arm has appointed a new managing partner following the return of Steven Fox to the UK. Spanish international finance head Gonzalo Jimenez-Blanco will now head the Spanish office, in a move announced internally at the firm last week (25 October).

    1 minute read

  • October 31, 2007 |

    Brother, can you spare a tranche?

    When three private equity groups arranged to buy HD Supply early this summer, the deal looked like simply another in a long chain of blockbusters. Then sub-prime loan defaults shot up, banks tightened their lending policies, and the credit markets ran dry. With the real estate market already in a tumble, the long-term prospects of HD Supply, a division of The Home Depot that caters to building contractors, were uncertain. Like dozens of others signed before the credit market shut down, the deal was stuck in limbo. For lawyers at Debevoise & Plimpton, which represented the consortium of buyers, the work they would have done after the close - and time they would have billed - was suddenly in doubt.

    1 minute read

  • October 24, 2007 |

    Credit squeeze set to prompt private equity IPO exit flurry

    Equity capital markets (ECM) lawyers are hoping for an increase in initial public offering (IPO) activity as the effects of the credit crunch spill over into the public markets, where IPOs could be seen as an increasingly attractive exit route.

    1 minute read

  • October 24, 2007 |

    Dickinsons looks after £218m NHS project

    Newcastle's Dickinson Dees has advised on an NHS healthcare project in Manchester worth a total of £218m.

    1 minute read

  • October 24, 2007 |

    Deal Week Dispatch: 24/10/2007

    Deal Week Dispatch brings readers an early taster of news from Legal Week's unparalleled deals coverage, with Travers Smith, Linklaters and DLA Piper among the movers and shakers

    1 minute read

  • October 19, 2007 |

    Its good to talk

    "People increasingly ask employers 'what can you do for me?'" says Clare Roberts, a human resources (HR) consultant with PA Consulting. "Ten years ago, that would have been unheard of. They have a different attitude to work and employers are having to rethink their proposition to potential recruits."

    1 minute read

  • October 19, 2007 |

    Know your leader

    Leadership undoubtedly makes a difference to a law firm's performance, as well as morale among staff. Depending on their style, a managing or senior partner considers factors such as job satisfaction, commitment to the firm, levels of innovation and fee income in their leadership approach. Encouraging a supportive culture within a firm is crucial to keep retention rates down, whether that is done by the managing partner walking the floor regularly, or by holding regular firm-wide meetings for staff to air their grievances.

    1 minute read

  • October 17, 2007 |

    Steady mid-market in Q3 helps firms ride out credit squeeze

    A resilient third-quarter showing from the UK mid-market helped firms such as Clifford Chance (CC), DLA Piper, Linklaters and Eversheds ride out the current turbulence in global deal markets.

    1 minute read

  • October 11, 2007 |

    Freshfields and Sidley get closure but age timebomb ticks on

    Two recent cases on either side of the Atlantic point to one of the most crucial issues currently facing commercial law firms. Namely, how to cope with…

    1 minute read

  • October 10, 2007 |

    New funding tactics emerge in LSB push

    Investment houses have been repeatedly visiting top 50 legal practices since the beginning of the year to discuss a variety of new methods of investing in law firms.

    1 minute read