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  • February 28, 2007 |

    Deals: M&A 01/03/2007

    Addleshaw Goddard has advised Barclays Private Equity on the sale of clothing retailer Phase Eight valuing the company at £51.5m. Corporate partner Simon Pilling led the team. Phase Eight has been acquired by an investor consortium composed of management, Kaupthing Principal Investments, the Tchenguiz Family Trust and retail investors Michael Rahamim, Saj Shah and Ian Findlay. Eversheds advised the investor consortium and Pinsent Masons advised management.

    1 minute read

  • February 28, 2007 |

    Dubai the way...

    Maybe it's the heat, or the shortage of places where you can get a drink of something stiff, but everyone in Dubai has gone hire-crazy of late. With firms including Herbert Smith, Lovells and Ashurst all hiring partners from City rivals, there has been more bed-hopping in Dubai of late than an episode of 'Allo 'Allo.

    1 minute read

  • February 28, 2007 |

    Letter 's' goes missing in Nabarros re-brand

    Nabarro Nathanson has re-branded as 'Nabarro', following an image re-vamp. The firm announced today (28 February) that it is now trading as Nabarro following a re-branding exercise that has resulted in a new logo based on repetition of the letter 'N' and an improved website, which can be found at nabarro.com.

    1 minute read

  • February 21, 2007 |

    War for talent pushes retention rates past 90%

    The UK's top firms are keeping a tight grip on their trainees, with most City firms set to retain more than 90% of their intake during the next month as the battle for talent rages on. Major UK firms including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters, Slaughter and May, Herbert Smith, Lovells and Ashurst are taking on at least 90% of their trainees in the coming intake in March.

    1 minute read

  • February 21, 2007 |

    Commentary: Losing AIM - three years of market boom has come to an end

    Barely into 2007 and already it seems a long time since the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) was somewhere everyone wanted to be. Yet only a few months back, London's junior market was booming, driven by high investor confidence and the queue of foreign companies waiting to list. As such, a sector once derided by bluechip advisers was being actively courted by the likes of Norton Rose and Ashurst, not to mention US players such as O'Melveny & Myers and Hunton & Williams.

    1 minute read

  • February 15, 2007 | International Edition

    City trio wrap up Smurfit Kappa IPO

    Lovells, Clifford Chance (CC) and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have landed lead roles on the initial public offering (IPO) of packaging company Smurfit Kappa, in a transaction that values the company at €5.5bn (£3.7bn). The cardboard box manufacturer - which is part-owned by buy-out houses CVC Capital Partners and Cinven - announced its intention to raise €1.3bn (£870m) on the Irish and London stock exchanges yesterday (14 February).

    1 minute read

  • February 15, 2007 |

    City trio wrap up Smurfit Kappa IPO

    Lovells, Clifford Chance (CC) and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have landed lead roles on the initial public offering (IPO) of packaging company Smurfit Kappa, in a transaction that values the company at €5.5bn (£3.7bn). The cardboard box manufacturer - which is part-owned by buy-out houses CVC Capital Partners and Cinven - announced its intention to raise €1.3bn (£870m) on the Irish and London stock exchanges yesterday (14 February).

    1 minute read

  • February 14, 2007 |

    Lovells LLP switch poses French partner dilemma

    Lovells is pressing ahead with its limited liability partnership (LLP) conversion even though the move means its French partners could become employees of the firm. The top 10 City firm is voting on the change and intends to convert on 1 May, although it is still waiting for confirmation from the French tax authorities on the tax treatment of UK LLPs.

    1 minute read

  • February 14, 2007 |

    Top students unconvinced by firm-tailored education

    Firm-specific Legal Practice Courses (LPCs) are proving a turn-off for one in five students at leading universities, according to a survey of more than 2,000 students. The survey, which was conducted by Legal Week's research arm, Legal Week Intelligence, found 23% of the respondents said they would be less likely to apply for a training contract at a firm-specific course compared with 21% who said they would be more likely to apply.

    1 minute read

  • February 14, 2007 |

    Slaughters lands double Grosvenor deal

    Slaughter and May has advised property developers Grosvenor on two transactions in the space of a week. Slaughters real estate partner Dermot Rice took the lead advising Grosvenor on an agreement with John Lewis to become the main department store in a 1.6 million sq ft project in Preston.

    1 minute read