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Dealwatch: Global 100 advisers take centre stage on BlackRock-GIP $12.5bn mega deal

Briefcase

Skadden, Fried Frank, Kirkland and Debevoise have all taken lead advisory roles as BlackRock announced on Friday (12 January) that it will buy Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for an eye-watering $12.5bn. The transaction will give BlackRock a total of $150bn in infrastructure assets, rocketing it to the top tier of infra funds.

The transaction sees BlackRock acquire 100% of GIP’s business and assets, which include Gatwick, London City, and Edinburgh airports as well as the Port of Melbourne and a raft of LNG assets around the world. The total deal value includes $3bn in cash and 12 million in BlackRock shares, with around 30% of the total consideration deferred, expected to be issued in approximately five years ‘subject to the satisfaction of certain post-closing events’. Continue reading “Dealwatch: Global 100 advisers take centre stage on BlackRock-GIP $12.5bn mega deal”

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‘A timely reminder’: SDT issues joint highest-ever fine in anti-money laundering crackdown

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal has fined Clyde & Co £500,000 and former partner Edward Mills-Webb £11,900 following a slew of anti-money laundering breaches.

At a hearing that took place last week (9-11 January), the SDT considered a statement of facts and admissions agreed by the parties, ultimately finding all allegations to be proved. The SDT ordered Clyde & Co to pay a £500,000 fine, as well as contributing to the SRA’s £128,197.48 costs. Meanwhile, Mills-Webb was ordered to pay a £11,900 fine and contribute towards the SRA’s £54,941.77 costs. Continue reading “‘A timely reminder’: SDT issues joint highest-ever fine in anti-money laundering crackdown”

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Reasons to be cheerful: the hustle is back for 2024

Whether it is the prospect of another few weeks still left of winter, many law firm leaders seem to have started the year under an uncharacteristic cloud of despondency.

Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to work out the other reasons why even the peppiest of senior partners might appear noticeably dispirited. The US contingent at least will be frantically number-crunching ahead of financial results coming out and, after the year that most transactional practices have had, the task will be about as enviable as filling out your tax returns. That said, early indications of double-digit growth from Milbank and Hogan Lovells may well prove those fears unfounded. Continue reading “Reasons to be cheerful: the hustle is back for 2024”

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Revolving doors: Linklaters makes bold US play as new year recruitment picks up

Defying its US strategy critics, Linklaters’ New York office began the week with the hire of a six-lawyer M&A team from Shearman & Sterling. Led by Legal 500 Hall of Famer for $1bn-plus M&A deals, George Casey, the team also includes partners Heiko Schiwek and Gregory Gewirtz.

Casey, who had been global managing partner at Shearman from 2018, joins Linklaters as its global co-chair of corporate. Key mandates for Casey include Celanese’s $11bn all-cash acquisition of most of DuPont’s mobility and materials business in 2022, and DuPont and Dow Chemical’s $130bn merger in 2015. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Linklaters makes bold US play as new year recruitment picks up”

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Sponsored briefing: Mitigating the risks of the current economic climate

Oktay Şener, managing partner of Aksan Law Firm, examines how his team has reacted to the changing Turkish legal market

How are the recent economic problems, including the currency crash and inflation, affecting your firm?

Experiencing difficulties is quite normal in the current economic climate and unfortunately, we also witness the reflections of this issue among our clients. However, our country’s economic history and past have accustomed us to such ups and downs. At Aksan, in line with the precautions we have taken after Covid, we have been discussing, contemplating and implementing measures related to this situation for a while now.
Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Mitigating the risks of the current economic climate”

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Sponsored briefing: The licensing process in the Turkish electricity generation market

Dr Ata Torun of Hansu Attorney Partnership provides an overview of the procedure for gaining a licence to generate electricity in Türkiye

General overview of the Turkish electricity market

The energy sector in Türkiye continues to develop in accordance with decarbonisation objectives driven by national and international dynamics. In this context, the number of generation facilities based on renewable energy sources has increased significantly in recent years. Most recently, Türkiye’s National Energy Plan announced in 2023 aims to increase clean energy and energy efficiency within the scope of sustainability. In addition to the integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity system, investments in the energy sector have gained significant momentum with recent regulations on the storage of generated electricity. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: The licensing process in the Turkish electricity generation market”

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Sponsored briefing: Looking to the future

Mehmet Selim Yavuz and Murat Uyanık of Yavuz Uyanık Attorney Partnership discuss how the legal market has been affected by the country’s economic climate and their expectations for areas of growth

Given Türkiye’s current economic problems including the devaluation of the currency and high inflation, how has this been affecting your firm throughout 2023 and into 2024?

Our attorney partnership has managed to grow in a delicate manner during 2023 which could be defined as one of the most economically devastating years. The exchange rate and inflation crises caused by the interest cuts of the Central Bank of Türkiye had significantly damaged Turkish Lira which deeply affected the purchasing power of our employees. We unfortunately needed to revise our rates and we adjusted our ongoing arrangements with our clients. New business opportunities have also emerged as economic problems have affected contractual relationships, which later turned into legal proceedings. Therefore, it could be stated that even with macroeconomic conditions we managed to grow our business. Unfortunately, the year 2023 did not start very well for the Turkish people and economy. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Looking to the future”

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Sponsored briefing: The fate of employment contracts in M&A transactions under Turkish law

M. Efser Karayel-Keßler of Matur & Ökten & Karayel Keßler explores the legislation affecting employment relationships when a company’s legal structure changes and where this means employees face unequal treatment

Changes to the legal structure of companies regularly have an impact on employment relationships. These usually lead to changes in employment conditions, dismissals or early retirements , or cause a change in the identity or form of the employer. This particularly applies to asset deals, mergers, demergers and company-type changes. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: The fate of employment contracts in M&A transactions under Turkish law”

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Sponsored briefing: Legal nature of representations and warranties in share transfer agreements

Evrim Uygur Yamaner and İrem Özbay of Gled Partners consider seller liability in providing representations and warranties when transferring shares

In merger and acquisition (M&A) share transfer agreements, it is common to include statements and representations assuring that there are no encumbrances on the shares and that the company was properly established, legally compliant and possesses required permits and licences.
Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Legal nature of representations and warranties in share transfer agreements”

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Sponsored briefing: The increasing number of enforcement and bankruptcy cases in Türkiye in recent years

Using statistical data, Egemenoğlu Hukuk Bürosu reflects upon bankruptcy in Türkiye, and looks to the effective measures available for present businesses

In recent years, the liquidity shortage in the markets, the unexpectedly high increase in raw material costs, the sudden fluctuations in exchange rates and the problems arising from the deterioration of the supply and demand balance have caused serious economic difficulties for citizens and companies in our country. As a result of this situation, many companies are struggling under the financial burden of debt. As a result of deteriorating cash flows and financial structures, companies are experiencing difficulty in paying their debts, and are subsequently encountering enforcement proceedings, and even the risk of bankruptcy. Recent negative progress in the economy has also led to an increase in the number of execution and bankruptcy files. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: The increasing number of enforcement and bankruptcy cases in Türkiye in recent years”

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Sponsored briefing: Artificial intelligence generated content and copyright, creativity and authorship issues

Gökçe Ergün, Çağla Yargıç and Yaren Türe of Kılınç Law & Consulting report on how Turkish law views AI-generated content in the context of authorship and copyright

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools that, in simple terms, bring algorithm-based machine learning to mind, have started generating unpredictable outputs, especially with the advancement of cutting-edge systems like generative AI contributing to technological advancement. AI can generate content across a wide spectrum, ranging from texts to images, music to videos. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Artificial intelligence generated content and copyright, creativity and authorship issues”

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Sponsored briefing: Criminal liability of company directors

Mustafa Tırtır and Muharrem Kazak of Mustafa Tırtır Law Firm set out recent Supreme Court case law on liability for crimes committed during company activity

In the event of a criminal offence during the activities of a company, legal entities are not subject to criminal sanctions. Natural persons authorised to represent and bind the company are held criminally liable.
Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Criminal liability of company directors”

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The road to recovery – how Türkiye’s law firms are pulling through

Following the devastating earthquakes that rocked Türkiye and Syria in February 2023, rescue, recovery and rehabilitation remain some of the dominant topics of conversation among the Turkish legal community.

The tragedy resulted in the deaths of more than 55,000 people across the two countries, with more than 17 million estimated to have been affected in some way. Inevitably this has meant that a large swathe of the legal fraternity has been directly impacted on a personal level, with many family and friends affected, but law firms have more than risen to the challenge and made themselves available to aid in the recovery. Continue reading “The road to recovery – how Türkiye’s law firms are pulling through”

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Sponsored briefing: Binding corporate rules for transfer of personal data abroad

Eren Can Ersoy of Kılınç Law & Consulting looks at the regulations associated with data protection

The irrepressible rapid development of technology and digitalisation around the world necessitates the processing and transfer of personal data. This evolution has a direct impact not just on individuals but also on the business world. The processing and transfer of personal data abroad necessitates the effective protection of data. Personal data processing and transfers overseas demand robust data protection. The transmission of personal data abroad is regulated by Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (the Law), and the primary rule for data transfer abroad is to get the data subjects’ explicit consent. With the existence of one of the data processing conditions specified in the Law, and the recipient being located in one of the countries on the list of safe countries to be published by the Personal Data Protection Authority (the Authority), the data controllers in Türkiye and abroad can undertake adequate protection in writing and the Personal Data Protection Board (the Board) can gain permission as an exception to the rule of obtaining explicit consent.
Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Binding corporate rules for transfer of personal data abroad”

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Sponsored briefing: Ink to code: analysing electronic signature legitimacy in the EU and Turkish legislation

Turhan Mergen, Lalin Elkatip and Zehra Kıryolcu of Diri Sevi Mergen report on electronic signature legislation in Türkiye and its connections with the EU

Economic globalisation has fostered an interdependence among national economies worldwide. This phenomenon, brought about by the swift cross-border movement of goods, services, technology and capital, has developed and increased international trade. In relation to this economic surge, the pace of life across various aspects, encompassing communication, logistics and access to information, has accelerated. This accelerated pace, both a catalyst and a consequence of economic globalisation, has increased the demand for rapid processes in both daily and corporate life. Consequently, the adoption of digital methods has surged, a transition further accelerated by the urgency imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Ink to code: analysing electronic signature legitimacy in the EU and Turkish legislation”

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Infrastructure profile: Sara Pickersgill – ‘Pick something you love doing and do it only for as long as you love it’

Kirkland & Ellis’ Sara Pickersgill on switching track from opera singer to infrastructure lawyer and why The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe offers salient lessons for a career in the City

Why did you want to be a lawyer and why infrastructure in particular? Has it delivered what you expected?

Continue reading “Infrastructure profile: Sara Pickersgill – ‘Pick something you love doing and do it only for as long as you love it’”

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Norton Rose Fulbright loses another litigation partner as departures continue to mount

In another blow for Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF), commercial litigation partner Radford Goodman has left for Mishcon de Reya. Goodman joined Mishcon’s insolvency team on Tuesday (9 January) as a partner.

NRF has experienced a string of partner departures throughout 2023, particularly across its litigation practices, and in the wake of the resignation of its global chief executive Gerry Pecht in September 2023. Continue reading “Norton Rose Fulbright loses another litigation partner as departures continue to mount”

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‘Stunning achievement’: revenue and profit surge at Quinn’s London office

Richard East

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan posted an impressive set of 2023 financial results for its London office today (10 January), with revenue up 47% to £196.6m and profit up a staggering 60% to £153.6m, with a profit margin of 78%.

London senior partner Richard East (pictured), who founded the office in 2008, said: ‘We are extremely pleased with our 2023 results. It is a stunning achievement for a “disputes only” practice to approach £200m in revenue, especially taking into account the number of partners we have in London. This year’s results were boosted by a material one-off success fee, but even without this fee the office has very significantly improved revenue and profit as against 2022.’ Continue reading “‘Stunning achievement’: revenue and profit surge at Quinn’s London office”