Deal watch: Bakers and Slaughters drink in £3.1bn Horlicks acquisition as AJ Bell IPO yields dividends for Pinsents and Addleshaws

Deal watch: Bakers and Slaughters drink in £3.1bn Horlicks acquisition as AJ Bell IPO yields dividends for Pinsents and Addleshaws

As the market hunkers down for the festive season, GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) £3.1bn sale to Unilever of Horlicks has warmed the cockles of City teams from Baker McKenzie and Slaughter and May, while Pinsent Masons and Addleshaw Goddard have won key mandates on what is likely the year’s last big London listing. The GSK deal sees it sell its …

‘An international guy’: Ouwehand wins Clifford Chance race to become first non-London senior partner

‘An international guy’: Ouwehand wins Clifford Chance race to become first non-London senior partner

Clifford Chance has elected Amsterdam head Jeroen Ouwehand as its first ever senior partner based outside the City. The news comes after Ouwehand, who also leads the firm’s continental European litigation and dispute resolution practice, was hotly tipped internally as being the successor to Malcolm Sweeting.

Hello from the other side: CC private equity star Mahon to join Simpson Thacher

Hello from the other side: CC private equity star Mahon to join Simpson Thacher

In a significant blow to Clifford Chance’s M&A practice, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has enticed private equity star Amy Mahon to its London office. Mahon, who emerged as the most widely-cited female partner for private equity in Legal Business’ Alphas feature earlier this year, has been acknowledged by her peer group as ‘the most visible woman …

‘Real fire power’: Weil loses banking head to White & Case’s unrelenting hiring spree

‘Real fire power’: Weil loses banking head to White & Case’s unrelenting hiring spree

White & Case’s City hiring spree continues to go great guns with the recruitment of Weil Gotshal & Manges’ well-regarded head of banking, Mark Donald. Donald has been at Weil for six years, taking on the head of banking role vacated by Stephen Lucas when he left for Kirkland & Ellis in 2014. Before Weil, …

Stars and stripes in their eyes – assessing the US ambitions of A&O and Freshfields

Stars and stripes in their eyes – assessing the US ambitions of A&O and Freshfields

Nathalie Tidman looks at the struggle for the City elite as US players dominate home and away ‘People like me, making the switch from the Magic Circle to a US firm – a Kirkland, a Latham, a White & Case – did so because being a powerhouse in the US is critical to becoming a …

Ashurst seeks competitive edge with second new lawyer salary increase of 2018

Ashurst seeks competitive edge with second new lawyer salary increase of 2018

Ashurst has become the latest City firm to review its trainee and newly qualified (NQ) salaries for the second time this year, upping the latter’s basic pay to £82,000. The changes, which take effect on 1 November, give NQs a £6,000 salary hike from the £76,000 given during the last review in May, while a performance-related …

White & Case continues City hiring spree with Herbert Smith infra heavyweight

White & Case continues City hiring spree with Herbert Smith infra heavyweight

White & Case’s aggressive sweep on the City lateral market has continued with the hire of Herbert Smith Freehills infrastructure partner Simon Caridia. The high-profile Caridia joined Herbert Smith as a partner in May 2015 from Magic Circle firm Linklaters, where he worked for nearly ten years, latterly for two years as counsel. He started his …

Vannin Capital shelves IPO as volatile market knocks Aston Martin and Funding Circle listings

Vannin Capital shelves IPO as volatile market knocks Aston Martin and Funding Circle listings

High-profile litigation funder Vannin Capital has shelved its planned initial public offering (IPO) only one month after announcing its intention to float, blaming volatile equity markets. The move is a blow for the fast-growing litigation funder, which in September hired Allen & Overy veteran David Morley (pictured) as chair to spearhead the October listing, which …