Clifford Chance names Cohen first New York managing partner amid fresh bid to crack America with Houston office opening

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Clifford Chance names Cohen first New York managing partner amid fresh bid to crack America with Houston office opening

In the wake of Allen & Overy’s stated ambition to merge with Shearman & Sterling, announced in May, Magic Circle peers have found themselves in the unenviable position of having to demonstrate to the market that they also have a coherent US expansion strategy.

Clifford Chance (CC) did not disappoint, on 15 June naming Ness Cohen as the first ever managing partner of its New York office. Cohen, a real estate lawyer by trade, has worked at CC since 1998 and was promoted to the partnership in 2007. He has also held the positions of regional practice area leader of the Americas real estate practice and chair of the Americas personnel committee. Continue reading “Clifford Chance names Cohen first New York managing partner amid fresh bid to crack America with Houston office opening”

‘Carveouts are here to stay’: green energy deals dominate as major players see signs of a bounceback

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‘Carveouts are here to stay’: green energy deals dominate as major players see signs of a bounceback

Early 2023 has been a tough time for deals. In our 2023 Deals Yearbook, for instance, citing Dealogic, we noted a decline in both the volume and value of deals. Q1 2023 saw just 601 deals totalling $19.6bn in the UK, while globally there were 9,400 deals worth a little under $591bn. This marks the lowest UK Q1 since 2009, and the lowest global Q1 since 2012.

Recent weeks, though, have seen an uptick in multibillion-dollar activity. And, while it is certainly too early to declare that we are out of the woods, the mood among corporate lawyers has lifted: more ‘cautious optimism’ than ‘doom and gloom’. Continue reading “‘Carveouts are here to stay’: green energy deals dominate as major players see signs of a bounceback”

Sponsored briefing: How GCs can manage the opportunities and risks of the Unified Patent Court

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Sponsored briefing: How GCs can manage the opportunities and risks of the Unified Patent Court

The unprecedented global events of the past three years and growing importance of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, have highlighted the role of innovative solutions in addressing new challenges. These events, including the Covid-19 pandemic and green transition, as well as the present economic slowdown, have led businesses to evaluate risk management strategies and exploit every opportunity to maximise revenue and reduce costs.

The success of businesses in technology-rich sectors – such as life sciences and communications technologies – is often underpinned by robust intellectual property (IP) strategies. However, sound IP management strategies are not limited to one sector: they play a role in the success of all businesses. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: How GCs can manage the opportunities and risks of the Unified Patent Court”

Sponsored briefing: Recovering from a data breach and the role of legal experts

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Sponsored briefing: Recovering from a data breach and the role of legal experts

The data breach landscape is ever-changing and being aware of the latest threats is imperative for responding effectively to a data breach.

According to TransUnion’s recent researchi, IT professionals from UK organisations see phishing attempts as the most likely data breach risk in the coming years, with 47% putting it among their top threats. Hybrid and remote working – and the lower level of oversight on security that comes with it – were also named a top future risk by 36%. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Recovering from a data breach and the role of legal experts”

Sponsored briefing: Brought to you by Virtual Vaults

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Sponsored briefing: Brought to you by Virtual Vaults

In March, Virtual Vaults attended the Corporate and M&A Summit 2023. If we learnt something from this event, it is that dealmaking in today’s volatile market brings a bunch of challenges. Virtual Vaults delivers a Virtual dealmaking platform, from due diligence preparation, to Data Room, and closing archive. We are about the here and the now in dealmaking.

As Jeroen Kruithof emphasised during the Summit, Virtual Vaults strives to lead the market rather than being the market leader. Everyone is familiar with the necessity of a VDR, but developing the right features is key for an efficient Due Diligence process. VV has always focussed on developing the best process solutions. This in combination with our intuitive User Interface, has resulted in an excellent client experience thus becoming the market leader in the Benelux. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Brought to you by Virtual Vaults”

‘A black hole is not formed overnight’: Ince Group administration marks the demise of a storied shipping firm

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‘A black hole is not formed overnight’: Ince Group administration marks the demise of a storied shipping firm

For many, the collapse into administration of the Ince Group, the listed parent company of storied shipping firm Ince, was inevitable. A procession of public mishaps and falling revenue, combined with a string of high-profile partner departures, had left the future of the firm hanging in the balance for several months.

In April, following a drawn-out audit process for the financial year ended 31 March 2022, The Ince Group cited in a statement to the London Stock Exchange ‘increasing pressure on the cash flows of the business’, due to the length of the auditing process, as the push factor for entering administration. The audit is incomplete. Continue reading “‘A black hole is not formed overnight’: Ince Group administration marks the demise of a storied shipping firm”

Particularly egregious? Market reacts over Credit Suisse buyout as bondholder litigation looms large

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Particularly egregious? Market reacts over Credit Suisse buyout as bondholder litigation looms large

As the fall of Credit Suisse mobilises swathes of advisers, Legal Business asks whether the collapse will yield an influx of work for the litigation community

In March, the collapse of US-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was among the biggest tremors in the banking world since 2008. However, there are weeks in which the events of decades happen, as has been the case since SVB’s demise. Continue reading “Particularly egregious? Market reacts over Credit Suisse buyout as bondholder litigation looms large”

Life During Law: Paul Dolman

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Life During Law: Paul Dolman

I certainly didn’t have a burning desire to be a lawyer from the age of five years old. I definitely wasn’t one of those! I wanted to be an architect but you’ve got to be quite good at maths. I wasn’t.

My parents instilled in me a real work ethic from a young age and forced me to do lots of summer jobs where I learned the value of money. The worst one was probably working at Saxby’s pork pie factory. I was in charge of the jelly gun. Thousands of pork pies would come down a long conveyor belt and I had to put my gun in them and fill them with jelly. That was a challenging job to stay motivated in for sure. That probably put me off pork pies for life. Continue reading “Life During Law: Paul Dolman”