Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has opened its eighth European office, opening a Zurich outpost which will have a focus on high-stakes disputes.
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‘A sad day’ – Slaughters’ pioneering deal veteran Frances Murphy passes away
Frances Murphy, the City’s most prominent female deal lawyer who in 2008 became the first female head of corporate at Slaughter and May, passed away last night after a long illness.
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Skin in the game – Simmons launches ‘fund’ to back fintech stars with free advice
With law firms scrambling to build links with the much-hyped fintech sector, Simmons & Simmons has put its money where its mouth is with the launch of a £100,000 ‘fund’ offering free legal advice to promising start-ups. Continue reading “Skin in the game – Simmons launches ‘fund’ to back fintech stars with free advice”
Sir Terence Etherton succeeds Lord Dyson as Master of the Rolls
Sir Terence Etherton has succeeded Lord Dyson to take over as Master of the Rolls, a position that will see him head the civil judiciary in England and Wales.
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Guest post: Why poor cross-selling sends the wrong message to clients
At the annual Legal Marketing Association conference in Austin, a vendor conducted a survey that asked attendees what their ‘highest-priority growth initiatives’ were for this year. The leading answer was ‘improve cross-selling.’ I don’t doubt the accuracy of the survey results; they are the conventional wisdom in the flesh.
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‘Last piece of the UK and Ireland jigsaw’: DAC Beachcroft forms association with Belfast’s McKinty and Wright
Top-25 firm DAC Beachcroft has signed a three year ‘best friends’ agreement with Belfast’s McKinty and Wright in a bid to expand its network.
Boyd becomes the latest Linklaters partner to jump ship to Kirkland
Rising private equity star Stuart Boyd has become the fifth Linklaters partner in the City to switch to US rival Kirkland & Ellis (K&E) in the last 18 months.
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‘Strategic guidance’: Freshfields widens leadership pool with three new sector heads
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed three new sector group leaders in London, New York and Brussels as part of a wider strategy overhaul. Continue reading “‘Strategic guidance’: Freshfields widens leadership pool with three new sector heads”
Updated: Linklaters and Olswang partners among lawyers grilled by MPs for roles in BHS sale
Linklaters and Olswang have been heavily criticised in parliament this week over alleged failures to identify that the buyer of collapsed retail giant BHS had previously been declared bankrupt.
Corporates sign up to female equality in arbitration pledge launched by Boies Schiller and Freshfields partners
Energy giants BP, ConocoPhillips and Shell are among the first corporates to sign up to a pledge for gender equality when selecting arbitrators launched by senior partners at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Boies, Schiller & Flexner.
American dream: Addleshaws eyes US play with Hunton & Williams merger talks
After failing to secure further consolidation in the UK recently, Addleshaw Goddard has turned to the US for a potential merger partner to achieve its aim of becoming a £250m-lawyer firm, and is believed to be in talks with Virginia-based Hunton & Williams.
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As total white collar prosecutions rise, SFO faces questions around governance arrangements
Total prosecutions for white collar crime were up by 1% across the last year according to figures from Ministry of Justice (MoJ), marking the first increase in five years. However, the body representing the most serious and complex investigations for such prosecutions, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), has faced criticism over both its blockbuster funding model and its governance structure.
‘A big man for a big job’: Frontrunner Jacobs elected as Linklaters new senior partner
M&A heavyweight Charlie Jacobs has defeated competition from corporate colleagues Jean-Pierre Blumberg and Aedamar Comiskey to be elected the new senior partner at Magic Circle firm Linklaters.
Revolving doors: Dentons hires in the City while Global 100 rivals focus on international appointments
Dentons and DAC Beachcroft announced lateral hires to their City offices last week, while K&L Gates and Clyde & Co have boosted their ranks overseas.
Private wealth continues to pay as Forsters announces sixth year of double-digit revenue growth
Despite predictions of tough conditions for mid-tier firms, West End firm Forsters has bucked the trend and announced its fee income grew by 11.3% in 2015/16 to £46.2m, constituting its sixth consecutive year of double-digit growth since 2011.
Continued integration: Akin Gump solidifies takeover of Bingham’s London outpost with office move
More than 18 months since combining in the City, the 21-partner team that left now defunct US law firm Bingham McCutchen for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has moved in with its colleagues as the firm puts all its London lawyers under one roof.
An appetite for renewables: Linklaters advises on £2.6bn Scottish wind farm
In the second renewables project Linklaters has finalised this month, the Magic Circle firm has advised on the construction and financing of the offshore windfarm Beatrice located in the Outer Mary Firth, worth £2.6bn.
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SullCrom, A&O and Wachtell advise on biggest M&A deal of the year to date as Bayer makes $62bn bid for Monsanto
Sullivan & Cromwell, Allen & Overy, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz all won roles, as healthcare and agriculture giant Bayer placed a bid to acquire agricultural company Monsanto for $62bn, in a deal which would create the world’s biggest agricultural supplier.
Media matters: Magic Circle firms take lead roles on £1bn Argus Media deal
Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & Overy have all won advisory roles as US company General Atlantic has taken a majority stake in Argus Media. The deal, which values Argus Media at £1bn, will see the Nasmyth family exit the business they founded in the 1970s.
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DLA Piper takes rainmaker from Linklaters alliance firm for South Africa managing partner role
DLA Piper has appointed Webber Wentzel corporate partner Johannes Gouws as South Africa managing partner.