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‘Doubling down’: CC’s London PE head sets out strategy as buyout partners predict uptick

Clifford Chance

Spencer Baylin, Clifford Chance’s recently-appointed London private equity head, discussed his ambitions for the practice with LB as we garnered views from peers on how the market is faring.

In December, CC lifer Baylin stepped up to the role soon after the high-profile loss of Christopher Sullivan to Paul Weiss’ M&A practice amid the US elite firm’s aggressive drive to build a top-tier corporate practice. Continue reading “‘Doubling down’: CC’s London PE head sets out strategy as buyout partners predict uptick”

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‘Feels good to be bold’ – Freshfields executes on New York private capital ambitions with hire of Latham PE pair

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

In what will be viewed by rivals as a further shot across the bows, Freshfields has continued to make determined inroads with its US strategy, this time hiring private equity M&A partners Neal Reenan and Ian Bushner in New York from Latham & Watkins.

The investment is another coup for a firm that has become no stranger to putting its money where its mouth is on executing a bullish American strategy, and is especially striking, given the increased demand for quality private capital practitioners as client demand continues to escalate. Continue reading “‘Feels good to be bold’ – Freshfields executes on New York private capital ambitions with hire of Latham PE pair”

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‘Activity was phenomenal after a slow start’: Greenberg sustains global growth for tenth consecutive year

Greenberg Traurig has announced a 6% increase in revenue, reaching $2.3bn, while PEP rose 4%, climbing from $2.32m to $2.4m.

While slightly slower than last year’s 9% revenue increase, this growth still marks Greenberg’s tenth consecutive year of record revenue. Continue reading “‘Activity was phenomenal after a slow start’: Greenberg sustains global growth for tenth consecutive year”

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Revolving doors: moves in energy and infrastructure as DLA adds partners in the City

DLA Piper leads this week’s round of strategic hires with a quartet of notable additions to its London office. Steven Bryan, who left Paul Hastings in October, has joined the London corporate practice, bringing expertise in energy and infrastructure M&A along with Paul Doris from Brown Rudnick. Accompanying them, Derwin Jenkinson, who also departed Paul Hastings last year, enhances DLA’s finance projects and restructuring group.

DLA Piper also welcomed Andrew Sackney to its corporate crime and investigations team in London. Coming from Pinsent Masons, where he led the global investigations practice, Sackney brings expertise in tackling large-scale, domestic, and international investigations. Continue reading “Revolving doors: moves in energy and infrastructure as DLA adds partners in the City”

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London partners overlooked as A&O Shearman reveals post-merger leadership

Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling today announced (1 March) the names of the key leadership term that will head A&O Shearman once the $3.5bn merger completes on 1 May – with no UK-based partners making the line-up.

A&O’s current interim global managing partner and Middle East and Turkey regional managing partner Khalid Garousha has been elected senior partner of the combined firm. The managing partner role, meanwhile, has gone to current Paris managing partner Hervé Ekué.

Continue reading “London partners overlooked as A&O Shearman reveals post-merger leadership”

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GC Legal Tech Pulse 2024 – in association with Thomson Reuters

Tech and AI are at the top of everyone’s agenda right now. Legal Business and Thomson Reuters canvassed the opinions of UK GCs and heads of legal on everything from securing budget, to the tech they want and need to invest in and how to best approach CLM implementation.

Find out how your team compares in our brand new GC Legal Tech Pulse 2024 insight report. You can download the report for free here. Continue reading “GC Legal Tech Pulse 2024 – in association with Thomson Reuters”

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McDermott hires London M&A partner from Cooley as global revenue nears $2bn mark

McDermott has announced today (28 February) that Michal Berkner has joined the firm as a partner, bolstering its transactions practice in London.

She joins from Cooley, where she led the cross-border M&A practice, including negotiated and unsolicited transactions and joint ventures. Her clients include strategic and private equity buyers and sellers in public and private transactions. Continue reading “McDermott hires London M&A partner from Cooley as global revenue nears $2bn mark”

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Tech outlook in Cyprus in 2024

In recent years, Cyprus has cultivated a thriving tech eco-system, positioning itself as a strong innovator, with a commitment to driving competitiveness and strategic service delivery. The country’s ICT sector is said to have contributed €3bn+ to the Cypriot economy in 2022, constituting 13% of the country’s GDP—a substantial leap from 7% in 2019 and 8.5% in 2020. Notably, €1bn is reportedly attributed to the influx of international firms and specialised human talent to Cyprus, a trend accelerated by the conflict in Ukraine.

In 2023, we observed Cyprus make remarkable progress in the technology sector. Fuelling this growth was the emergence of tech start-ups and digital enterprises, supported by government initiatives and organisations like TechIsland, Cyprus’ largest tech association, designed to attract high-calibre tech corporations worldwide. With over 270 member companies, TechIsland aims to enhance the tech industry’s operating environment, unite diverse stakeholders, and promote sustainable growth, contributing significantly to the country’s economic prosperity through tech.
Continue reading “Tech outlook in Cyprus in 2024”

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Q&A: Kristóf Ferenczi, firm managing partner, discusses the future of Kinstellar

Can you share your journey in the legal field leading up to your current role as managing partner?

I started my legal career more than two decades ago as a trainee at the then-established Budapest office of Linklaters, and during my early years I was also seconded to the firm’s London office. My early professional years also included time at a CEE-based independent firm and DLA Piper’s Budapest office before returning to Linklaters. In 2008, as a result of Linklaters’ withdrawal from the CEE region, partners from the affected offices laid the foundation for a new firm, leading to the creation of Kinstellar in November 2008. I became a partner in 2009, and head of the firm-wide energy service line. I was appointed managing partner of the Budapest office in 2020 and became Kinstellar’s firm managing partner as of January 2024.

Continue reading “Q&A: Kristóf Ferenczi, firm managing partner, discusses the future of Kinstellar”

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Strategies for safeguarding client confidentiality and compliance

Everyone is aware that data breaches and cyber attacks are on the rise globally. It affects organisations across various industries and for legal firms especially it is imperative that security is a top priority. Lawyers need to ensure their documentation is secure to uphold the principles of client confidentiality and attorney-client privilege, this is fundamental to the legal profession. By securing documentation, legal professionals protect against unauthorised access, data breaches, and potential disclosure of confidential information to third parties. Compliance with legal and industry-specific regulations is crucial,and secure documentation ensures adherence to these standards, mitigating the risk of legal and ethical consequences. Additionally, securing documentation reflects the professional responsibility of legal practitioners to safeguard the interests of their clients and maintain the highest ethical standards in the practice of law.

Law firms can enhance their security measures by using cloud-based digital dictation solutions as well as implementing a combination of technical safeguards, best practices, and employee training. Here are key steps law firms can take to protect themselves when utilising cloud-based digital dictation.
Continue reading “Strategies for safeguarding client confidentiality and compliance”

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‘Not just merger control’: Freshfields eyes opportunities in rising tide of antitrust regulation

Off the back of Freshfields’ recent recruitment of former FTC commissioner Christine Wilson into its US antitrust practice as a senior adviser, LB looks at the growing importance of competition law, and what it means for the firm’s global strategy

Freshfields has in recent years arguably made greater strides than most peers in investing in its US business. Insiders stress that this is part of a worldwide push for ‘global elite’ status – a strategy that sees the firm aim to be, in the words of global antitrust, competition, and trade group head Alastair Chapman, ‘a US firm for US clients, a European firm for European clients, an Asian firm for Asian clients, and a global firm for all our clients’. Continue reading “‘Not just merger control’: Freshfields eyes opportunities in rising tide of antitrust regulation”

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The Client Profile: Nigel Paterson, Currys

‘I’m an extrovert and I like to get out there. An in-house role is much more team orientated than private practice,’ notes Nigel Paterson, the general counsel (GC) of British electricals retailer Currys, on his decision to go in-house some 25 years ago.

And it soon becomes apparent that, so illustrious has been his career, somehow none of the gravitas is lost through Paterson drinking from his daughter’s Little Miss Naughty mug throughout the interview with LB. Continue reading “The Client Profile: Nigel Paterson, Currys”

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Paul Weiss continues London expansion as Magic Circle responds in US

The lateral hiring market for December and January was once again dominated by Paul Weiss’ impressive recruitment efforts in the City, resulting in the Magic Circle stepping it up in the US. Meanwhile, White & Case has been on a hiring spree of late, bringing in several partners in key practice areas in numerous locations. Continue reading “Paul Weiss continues London expansion as Magic Circle responds in US”

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Euro Elite 2024: Baltics – Baltic conditions

Throughout the pan-Baltic region in 2023 there was an overriding sense of instability in the legal market. Although there have been projections of GDP growth in 2024, the legal markets across the region continue to grapple with several economic challenges, including the unpredictable cost of energy.

In Estonia, these challenges also include a rise in public debt, a rise in the country’s deficit, a swift reduction in investment, and low government debt. These factors all combined to produce a fall in trade with its main international partners. While 2024 looks brighter in terms of economic growth, this instability is a worry for firms. Investment arbitrations remain low and there has been a lack of large bankruptcies or restructuring matters in recent months. Continue reading “Euro Elite 2024: Baltics – Baltic conditions”

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Euro Elite 2024: Benelux – Moving with the times

For independent, full-service firms operating across the Benelux countries, the global uncertainty and turmoil of the last few years has served to highlight the advantages of their business model; being able to pivot between workstreams and react rapidly to changing circumstances has proven to be a concerted advantage. Antoine De Raeve, a senior banking and finance partner who moved from Baker McKenzie to AKD in May 2023, is quick to point out that his new firm is ‘naturally hedged against dips in the transactional market’. This has proven key in recent times, with deals slowing down right across the region because of the combined effects of ongoing conflicts and long-term impacts of Covid-19, despite the positive effects that Brexit appears to have had on the international stance of the Benelux countries.

In the Netherlands, there is reported reluctance at the higher end of the market to invest, with clients seemingly ‘waiting out’ the unpredictability of the current climate; Harmen Holtrop, managing partner at Loyens & Loeff, notes that ‘uncertainty in the market will have a bigger impact on the transactional practices than it may on certain others’, again highlighting the importance of wide-ranging capabilities if firms are to maintain their flow of work. Continue reading “Euro Elite 2024: Benelux – Moving with the times”

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Euro Elite 2024: CEE – Firm foundations

The CEE markets continue to suffer from conflict-driven instabilities in the region, with sanctions still impacting most industries and European companies remaining cautious with their regional activities. In the face of these ongoing difficulties, law firms benefited from an uptick in restructuring and insolvency mandates. Simultaneously, new investment incentives do exist. For example, the Three Seas Initiative, a platform that brings together 12 EU member states, is contributing to the acceleration of infrastructure investment in the region.

‘In general, the market in the CEE region was relatively robust,’ says Martin Brodey, managing partner and head of private M&A at DORDA. ‘Due to various developments, financing has often become a challenge, which is why large transactions tended to decline.’ Continue reading “Euro Elite 2024: CEE – Firm foundations”