Global 100 2020 – contents
The Global 100 – The stories of the year
Global 100 European M&A focus: Riding a black swan
‘What has happened to us?’ An M&A veteran shakes his head incredulously, having uttered the now ubiquitous phrase: ‘stay safe’ to conclude a Zoom call with Legal Business.
This time last year, rainmakers could hardly have imagined being forced into a neverending merry-go-round of video conferencing, let alone ending each conversation with something reminiscent of a BBC Crimewatch catchphrase. Continue reading “Global 100 European M&A focus: Riding a black swan”
Life During Law: Samantha Mobley
My family story is not one of generations of lawyers. My great grandfather was a coal miner in Wales.
I went to school in South Africa and grew up in the apartheid era. My parents moved there when I was a small child and I had always wanted to move back to the UK. I applied to read law at Bristol University and I’ve never regretted it. I worked at the Albion pub in Clifton to pay some of my way through university. Continue reading “Life During Law: Samantha Mobley”
The Global 100 – Core Stats
Top 10 firms by revenue change
Top ten firms by PEP change
Global 100 averages
Revenue and PEP growth across the Global 100
The Last Word: Immovable objects
‘There is no question that tech is the reason we’ve been so successful. Without it, the results could have been catastrophic.’
Melissa Butler, White & Case
Global 100 leaders give their prognosis as they roll up their sleeves to face the challenges of a tough year ahead
The Legal 500 View: The gender agenda: the rankings and firms making progress on diversity
Legal 500 editors Georgina Stanley and Ben Wheway take an in-depth look at gender diversity in the latest Legal 500 London rankings
‘Institutional male dominance is hard to shift – it isn’t enough to want to change; sometimes these things are structural,’ says Travers Smith disputes partner Caroline Edwards (pictured) of the difficulties women lawyers can face trying to build their profile in the legal market and the directories that reflect it, including The Legal 500. Continue reading “The Legal 500 View: The gender agenda: the rankings and firms making progress on diversity”
Sponsored practice area spotlight: Insolvency and restructuring: Combining unique skills to achieve a successful outcome
Insolvency and restructuring proceedings are intricate and complex. Practitioners must be able to combine legal knowledge, in particular in the areas of litigation, finance and transactions, with strategic, tactical and managerial skills to deliver positive results.
Prager Dreifuss has extensive experience and a longstanding tradition in insolvency and restructuring matters. In the wake of the financial crisis, we combined our finance and bankruptcy knowledge which enabled us to assist in complex project financing, also lately in a major multinational commodity project. Our attorneys regularly represent creditors, some of which are banks, hedge funds or other financial institutions, in large national and international insolvency and restructuring proceedings, whether in registering or purchasing claims or in enforcing disputed claims vis-à-vis bankruptcy administrators and before courts. Assisting clients in the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in Switzerland and abroad is a key feature of our daily practice. Frequently and increasingly, we are retained by creditors in enforcing claims (awards, bonds) against sovereigns. Continue reading “Sponsored practice area spotlight: Insolvency and restructuring: Combining unique skills to achieve a successful outcome”
Sponsored briefing: The pandemic and Portuguese capital markets
In 2019, our article in Legal Business ended as follows: ‘Therefore, with the benefits of a renewed legal and regulatory framework and of an environment where low interest rates facilitate access to funding, 2020 is likely to follow in line with the current year, promising continued intense activity and diversity’. In January 2020, VdA organised an international conference on sustainable finance, where we discussed the growing relevance of ESG factors with key players.
However, unpredictably, by March 2020 it was clear that our prediction of ‘continued intense activity and diversity’ was beginning to make little or no sense, as the Covid-19 pandemic reached Portugal (and the world). By the end of March, an unprecedented legal moratoria regime was enacted and subsequently extended until the end of September 2021. Very dark clouds were on the horizon for those looking for funding or refinancing, and on top of the legal moratoria regime, force majeure and material adverse change clauses became hot topics of discussion. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: The pandemic and Portuguese capital markets”
Access your print copy online – LB299
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Limited version
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LB299 – issue menu
Revolving doors: European and London laterals head up hiring push before Christmas
In a final lateral recruitment drive before Christmas, a number of international firms have unveiled notable partner hires.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has announced the appointment of Jason Marty as its new chief operating officer. Marty, currently global COO at Baker McKenzie, will officially start his new position on 1 March. He will be based in Chicago and play a key role in execution of BCLP’s new business transformation initiative, dubbed Project Advance. Continue reading “Revolving doors: European and London laterals head up hiring push before Christmas”
Dealwatch: $39bn AstraZeneca deal caps off pharma boom year as advisers secure roles on G4S bidding war
News over the weekend of AstraZeneca’s $39bn deal to acquire Alexion Pharmaceuticals has capped off the 2020 pharma boom in style with what has been touted as the largest acquisition of a US target company and the largest acquisition financing of the year.
Elsewhere, advisers benefited from another big-ticket transaction as the bidding war for security services company G4S ramped up with a bid from Allied Universal, and an equity valuation of £3.8bn. Continue reading “Dealwatch: $39bn AstraZeneca deal caps off pharma boom year as advisers secure roles on G4S bidding war”
Revolving doors: rush of international hires between Global 100 players dominates laterals market
In a week of significant lateral movement between large Global 100 firms, White & Case has expanded its global M&A practice with the addition of Linklaters partner Marc Petitier in Paris.
Petitier is a renowned corporate lawyer with 20 years’ experience at Linklaters who has led on many of the most significant corporate transactions originating from France, advising clients on public and private M&A deals, sales and joint ventures, and corporate governance. He has experience across a number of different sectors, including technology, financial institutions, energy and infrastructure, and on Africa-related deals. Continue reading “Revolving doors: rush of international hires between Global 100 players dominates laterals market”
£14bn Mastercard group action claim to proceed following historic Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court has today (11 December) dismissed Mastercard’s efforts to thwart former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks’ £14bn group action claim against it in what is a landmark decision for the future of collective actions against companies in the UK courts.
The decision from the Supreme Court upholds a previous ruling from the Court of Appeal and sets aside the original judgment of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) which would have stymied the group action claim. Continue reading “£14bn Mastercard group action claim to proceed following historic Supreme Court ruling”
‘Things are looking pretty good’: DWF continues recovery with strong half-year results after tumultuous 2019/20
DWF has continued its recovery in 2020/21, according to the firm’s half-year results, following a torrid year that saw debts rise and underlying profit plunge.
The results announced today (10 December) reveal net revenue standing at £167.6m for the H1 period ending 31 October, an impressive increase of 15% on the £145.2m the firm posted for the same period last year. The firm’s organic revenue growth, meanwhile, stood at 3% while gross profit recorded a double-digit hike, rising almost 14% to £83.1m. Continue reading “‘Things are looking pretty good’: DWF continues recovery with strong half-year results after tumultuous 2019/20”
Dealwatch: Advisers wrapped up in flurry of deals in final push before Christmas
In the conspicuous absence of the traditional round of festive parties, advisers have instead busied themselves with getting a host of deals across the line ahead of the Christmas break.
As the pandemic continues to rage on, Coronavirus-driven transactions show no sign of abating, with a €1.8bn financing package for tourism company TUI and the $1bn merger of hospitality companies Ennismore and Accor characterising the current deal market. Continue reading “Dealwatch: Advisers wrapped up in flurry of deals in final push before Christmas”
Guest comment: A call to arms for the Bionic Lawyer
‘I am you. I am your colleagues. I am what your customers have always dreamed of. I am The Bionic Lawyer…’
And so began an open letter to the legal industry from the Bionic Lawyer Project. That letter, published on 24 September, marked the end of the beginning of our project, as a year of energised collaboration paved the way for releasing 16 ‘levers’. Those 16 levers set, we believe, the design principles for the future legal industry. Continue reading “Guest comment: A call to arms for the Bionic Lawyer”
Revolving doors: week of international hires in Asia and Europe as A&O tempts litigator back home from Shearman
In another busy week of lateral recruitment, Allen & Overy has considerably bolstered its disputes offering in London, luring back former associate Susanna Charlwood from Shearman & Sterling, where she had been a partner for five years.
Karen Seward, Allen & Overy’s global head of litigation, commented: ‘We are thrilled to welcome Susanna back to A&O. Her broad experience across commercial and corporate disputes makes her a valuable addition to the litigation practice and bolsters our bench strength at a time when our corporate clients are operating in a trading environment fraught with uncertainty. Continue reading “Revolving doors: week of international hires in Asia and Europe as A&O tempts litigator back home from Shearman”
‘Drive long-lasting change’: Professionals urged to take part in survey on law and mental health
Professionals across the UK legal industry are being encouraged to participate in new research to assess the impact of workplace culture and practices on employees’ wellbeing, as issues around mental health continue to rise up the Big Law agenda.
The study is being spearheaded by legal mental health charity LawCare, which is currently running an anonymous online questionnaire across the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, and Isle of Man until 31 December. The results – which will be announced next year – will form the basis of an academic paper and be used to help LawCare improve the levels of support available to employees in the legal industry employees. Continue reading “‘Drive long-lasting change’: Professionals urged to take part in survey on law and mental health”