Revolving doors: Global 100 bolster ranks in Europe, Asia and the Middle East

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Revolving doors: Global 100 bolster ranks in Europe, Asia and the Middle East

Despite losing yet another partner in London this week to Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis has continued to build its London bench with its hire of Macfarlanes tax partner Ceinwen Rees. The firm brought tax partner James Morgan over from Linklaters earlier this month after losing Timothy Lowe and Cian O’Connor to Paul Weiss in …

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Allen & Overy suffers ‘data incident’ as ransomware group LockBit claims responsibility

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Allen & Overy suffers ‘data incident’ as ransomware group LockBit claims responsibility

Allen & Overy has confirmed that it has suffered a ‘data incident’. Posts from X user and self-described ‘threat intelligence platform for cybersecurity’ @FalconFeedsio on Wednesday 8 November suggested that cybercriminal group LockBit had targeted the firm, with a threat to release ‘all available data’ by 28 November. ‘We have experienced a data incident impacting …

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Dealwatch: €5bn Vodafone deal shows ‘the debt is there, if you can find the right transaction’

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Dealwatch: €5bn Vodafone deal shows ‘the debt is there, if you can find the right transaction’

The biggest European transaction of recent weeks came when Vodafone announced the sale of its Spanish business to TMT investor Zegona Communications for €5bn. Slaughter and May advised Vodafone with a London-based team led by corporate partners Victoria MacDuff and James Cook and including IP and IT partner Duncan Blaikie, finance partner Charlie McGarel-Groves, tax …

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International round-up: Global 100 firms expand in the Middle East and Asia

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International round-up: Global 100 firms expand in the Middle East and Asia

Ahead of our annual Global 100 report in our November/December issue, firms have made concerted efforts to consolidate and expand in the Middle East and Asia in recent months. Bird & Bird has announced a new office in Shenzhen, to be led by the firm’s Greater China intellectual property practice co-head Hank Leung, a Legal …

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LB100 – Overview: Here comes the rain again

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LB100 – Overview: Here comes the rain again

Last year’s LB100 report saw firm leaders bullish, overwhelmingly characterising a boom market, even as macroeconomic indicators had started to flash warning signs. This year, it seems, some of the confidence of stellar recent years has finally started to dwindle. Revenue has continued to grow, though at a slightly slower rate: with turnover up on …

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LB100 – firm profile – Womble Bond Dickinson: Joining the dots

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LB100 – firm profile – Womble Bond Dickinson: Joining the dots

With mergers and performance across the pond enduringly hot topics in this year’s LB100 report, LB checked in with Womble Bond Dickinson to see how the firm has performed since it became a transatlantic law firm, and how its strategy looks after its tie-up talks with BDB Pitmans fell through ‘They were the right discussions …

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Partners vote yes on A&O Shearman – now they have to make it work

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Partners vote yes on A&O Shearman – now they have to make it work

‘You’ve now got one more 64,000lb gorilla,’ said one former UK firm leader, in response to the news that the merger of Allen & Overy (A&O) and Shearman & Sterling will proceed. On 13 October, the firms announced the end of partnership voting on the combination, with more than 99% of votes cast at each …

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Revolving doors: Two out, two in at Kirkland, as A&O sees first exit following merger approval

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Revolving doors: Two out, two in at Kirkland, as A&O sees first exit following merger approval

London fraud specialist Andy McGregor has become the first partner to leave Allen & Overy since partners voted in favour of its merger with Shearman & Sterling last week. A Legal 500 leading individual for civil fraud in London, McGregor is particularly experienced in banking litigation. He moves to disputes boutique Enyo Law after eighteen …

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Weil set for new London leadership as longstanding office head Mike Francies prepares to step down

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Weil set for new London leadership as longstanding office head Mike Francies prepares to step down

Longstanding Weil Gotshal & Manges London managing partner Mike Francies is set to step down after more than 20 years in the role. Francies, who joined Weil from Clifford Chance in 1998 and started leading the office two years later, will retire at the end of 2024. Public M&A partner David Avery-Gee and private equity …

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