Deal Watch: CC and DLA Piper step up on £300m Dr Martens buyout

Posted on |
Corporate Clifford ChanceDLA Piper

It has become a cliché among deal professionals to say that – even in these risk-averse times – there is still the confidence and financing to make acquisitions with a solid story. Securing one such deal are DLA Piper and Clifford Chance (CC), who have taken lead roles advising on the £300m sale of Dr Martens – the iconic footwear brand – by the shareholders of parent group and licensee of the brand R Griggs Group. The company was sold to an investment vehicle backed by London-based private equity house Permira.

DLA fielded a Birmingham-based team for R Griggs, the majority of which is owned by the Griggs family who have run the brand for more than 50 years. DLA’s team was led by partner Noel Haywood and included senior associate Ceri Williams-Jones and associates Simon Wright and Rosie Hendon.

Guest post: Chasing PLCs in corporate crackdown – it’s still all about the money

Posted on |
Corporate

In response to criticism that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) does not go after a sufficient number of corporates, SFO director David Green QC made clear recently that there is no ‘fear’ within the SFO to do so in appropriate cases.

The announcement last week (which we reported here) that the SFO has charged Smith and Ouzman Limited over alleged bribery and corruption underscores the point.

With no time off for good behaviour Baker’s outgoing City head joins global giant’s exec body

Posted on |
Leadership Baker McKenzie

Where do veteran law firm leaders go after a stint at the top? Another stint near the top in the case of Gary Senior, the veteran former London managing of Baker & McKenzie, who recently handed over to Paul Rawlinson.

The 4,000-lawyer firm announced today (28 October) that Senior had been elected to serve on Baker’s global executive committee, taking the place of fellow London-based partner Beatriz Araujo, whose term on the body has ended.

As foreign advisers size up Africa, CC linked to alliance bid in South Africa

Posted on |
Middle East and Africa Clifford Chance

South Africa has faced more than its fair share of economic and social challenges in recent years, but with foreign investors and international law firms attempting to tap into the wider region, the queue of firms looking to enter the country is lengthening.

Recent years have seen DLA Piper and Baker & McKenzie enter the market, while Norton Rose and Linklaters have tied up with top tier local advisers. Now the word in Joburg is that Clifford Chance (CC) is aiming to strike a similar deal to the alliance between Webber Wentzel and Linklaters, which went live on 1 February.

Those US mergers keep coming – Orrick closes in on deal with Pillsbury to forge top 10 giant

Posted on |
Legal mergers Orrick, Herrington & SutcliffePillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

One of the most prolific merger suitors of recent years – Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe – is at it again with the top 30 US practice close to securing a merger with the 600-lawyer practice Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.

The discussions, which were confirmed on Friday (25 October), could see Orrick sign a letter of intent as early as this week to recommend a combination with Pillsbury to its partners. A deal would create a 1,800-lawyer practice with revenues of around $1.4bn, putting it in the top 15 law firms in the world by fee income.

OC rocks up in BoHo New York to chase the creative dollar

Posted on |
US Osborne Clarke

New York’s impenetrable legal community is well used to seeing – and rebuffing – the advances of UK law firms but Osborne Clarke (OC) is attempting a more tactical sashay into downtown Manhattan to cultivate its core TMT client base.

The 500-lawyer UK law firm is today (28 October) officially launching a branch in New York in the city’s creative and digital district of Soho. The unusual venture is the top 30 UK law firm’s second branch in the US following the launch of an outpost in Palo Alto in 2001, which was set up to build links with technology and venture capital clients.

The Bar: Bloch QC exits Wilberforce for Blackstone as Lord Hope joins Brick Court

Posted on |
The Bar Blackstone ChambersWilberforce Chambers

Just weeks after Wilberforce Chambers’ longstanding chief executive and senior clerk Declan Redmond announced he is leaving for Keating Chambers, Wilberforce QC Michael Bloch has announced he is to depart for rival Blackstone Chambers.

A rated commercial and intellectual property specialist, Bloch QC’s recent caseload includes Nestles’ successful High Court battle with Cadbury earlier this month, after Cadbury tried to trademark the iconic purple colour of its Dairy Milk bars. Other significant cases include the British Sky Broadcasting Group v Microsoft over the latter’s use of the word ‘SkyDrive’ as the name for its cloud storage service.

International in-house moves – Total SA, Global Eagle and Environ bring in new GCs

Posted on |
In-house

A clutch of international general counsel moves this week has seen Total bring in oilfield services heavyweight Maarten Scholten as its head of legal while across the Atlantic Jay Itzkowitz has been hired as senior vice president and general counsel (GC) of NASDAQ-listed in-flight entertainment provider Global Eagle and international environmental consultancy Environ has appointed its first-ever general counsel.

At French oil giant Total SA – one of the six ‘supermajor’ oil companies in the world – incumbent senior vice-president and GC Peter Herbel will hand over the reins to Scholten on 1 January after nine years in the role.

Major milestone for CC global MP elections as Layton, Wehrli and Carnegie go forward

Posted on |
Leadership Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance (CC) has reached the first major milestone in its global managing partner elections, with the nominations stage now closed and global head of corporate Matthew Layton, Paris managing partner Yves Wehrli and real estate finance partner Andrew Carnegie confirmed as the three candidates going forward.

Hustings will begin shortly and the first round of voting will occur in early to mid-November. Partners will expect to receive the candidates’ manifestos in the next few days.

Law Society reaches out to City firms with hire of A&O’s Denyer

Posted on |
Strategic recruitment Allen & Overy

The Law Society has not always seen eye-to-eye with its City firm contingent but the hire of Allen & Overy’s (A&O) global markets partner Stephen Denyer, who is leaving the Magic Circle firm to join the representative body as City and international head, may go some way towards building a bridge between the two camps.

Despite moving across from private practice Denyer, who is charged with developing relationships with larger firms, already has form in this kind of role.