Legal hacks frequently stand accused of making sensationalist statements once the dust has settled when it comes to lawyer conduct in emotive matters, especially where the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is involved. In our defence, we largely base initial treatment of these cases on the views of numerous market contacts at the time. The overturning of …
Another blistering week of deal announcements has seen corporate advisers tasked with a diverse selection of mandates, from the much-anticipated £3bn initial public offering of Darktrace to a $12bn disposal by Aramco and an unusual joint offer for Globalworth Real Estate Investments valued at €1.6bn. The proposed listing on the London Stock Exchange of British cybersecurity …
Kirkland & Ellis has added $680m to its top line to trounce Latham & Watkins yet again as the world’s highest-grossing law firm, as global turnover surged 16% to $4.83bn. The Chicago-bred giant had a significant uptick in private equity work to thank for its stellar 2020 results, which saw revenue surge from $4.15bn in 2019.
The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) frenzy and coronavirus have continued to drive the market in recent days, with transatlantic corporate teams steering the multibillion-dollar Cazoo and Arrival deals, while an agreement for the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines has proved a shot in the arm for Slaughter and May and Covington. The Cazoo de-SPAC heralded …
Skadden has made up its largest haul of new partners in London since 2008, a further showing of support for the City office after an uncharacteristically expansive stint in the lateral recruitment market of late. The move sees the famously conservative Wall Street giant promote three new partners as part of a 17-strong global round, …
As the City marks the one-year anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown, elite playmakers continue to do deals from their living rooms, with a sizeable National Grid acquisition and Deliveroo’s multibillion-pound initial public offering making headlines in recent days. Last week (18 March) FTSE 100 utility National Grid emerged as the winner of a competitive …
As the financial reporting season for Global 100 firms gathers pace, some less eye-catching financial results have emerged, with Dechert seeing a 6% revenue and profit reversal and Mayer Brown growing turnover only marginally to exceed $1.5bn. Mayer Brown grew global revenue a sedate 2% to $1.52bn from just shy of $1.5bn last year when the …
Latham & Watkins has brushed aside pandemic-linked uncertainty to report a 15% revenue hike to $4.33bn, while profit per equity partner has hit $4.52m. The pace-setting results announced today (16 March) mean the Los Angeles-bred giant has bolstered its financials for a fifth year running, with a 20% surge in PEP more than doubling the …
City business has had cause to take heart in recent days with a clear display of political will behind an overhaul of UK listing rules that could see London shake off its Brexit and pandemic woes and reassert itself as global financial hub. Proposals set out in the UK Listing Review, led by Lord Hill, …
Continue reading “Comment: Hope floats for City listing overhaul but American audacity is vital”
‘In the course of the last 30 years, a lot has changed in the legal world but a lot has stayed the same,’ observes Chris Saul, the former senior partner of Slaughter and May. Four months before the first-ever issue of Legal Business hit desks in January 1990, Billy Joel released the song We Didn’t …
Continue reading “300 not out…the story of Legal Business spanning three decades”
