Lord Justice Leveson has called for reforms to streamline the justice system in England and Wales for greater efficiency.
Continue reading “‘Designed in the 19th century’: Leveson calls for court system reforms”
A €7.4bn enterprise value: Ropes & Gray and Lathams advise on Altice purchase
US firms Ropes & Gray and Latham & Watkins won roles advising on telecommunications group Altice’s purchase of Portuguese telecoms rival Oi’s assets worth €7.4bn on a cash and debt-free free basis.
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Dealwatch: Linklaters, Davis Polk, and De Brauw act on Vision Express owner’s €1bn IPO
US heavyweight Davis Polk & Wardwell, Dutch firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek and Magic Circle firm Linklaters have all scored roles advising on the €1bn Dutch IPO of Grand Vision, the world’s biggest opticians and owner of Vision Express.
Trainee retention: White & Case keeps on 100% of Spring 2015 trainees as OC retains 89%
White & Case and Osborne Clarke (OC) are the latest firms to reveal trainee retention rates this month, keeping on 100% and 89% respectively.
A public inquiry: Fieldfisher’s Smith serves as lead counsel as Litvinenko inquiry starts
A public inquiry into the London death of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko has opened at the High Court this morning (27 January), with Fieldfisher partner Martin Smith serving as lead solicitor.
Revolving doors: Clydes, Quinn Emanuel and Gibson Dunn make key hires
Last week saw Clyde & Co expand its transportation finance practice in the City, while Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan expands its litigation offering in Houston, and peer group firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher expanded its M&A offering in Singapore.
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Early stages: Clifford Chance kicks off lockstep review
Clifford Chance has started a review of its remuneration system at management level, a move which could see the firm deploy a more flexible lockstep to retain star partners.
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Feuding brothers: Leading Indian firm Amarchand splits after failing to settle ownership battle
India’s largest law firm Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co has agreed to split the 600-lawyer firm after months of legal wrangling over unequal equity shares.
A €3.5bn arbitration: Shearman, Bakers and White & Case land roles on Finnish nuclear dispute
Finnish power producer TVO and construction consortium Areva-Siemens have gone to London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC) in a bid to settle the ongoing €3.5bn Finnish nuclear arbitration over construction delays to the 1.6gw Olkiluoto 3 nuclear plant.
What’s in a name? Companies House found liable in £8.8m negligence spelling mistake case
Companies House has today (26 January) lost a major argument at the High Court after a Cardiff businessman argued a blunder over a single letter on a document caused his 124-year old business Taylor and Sons’ to go into administration.
‘A statement of intent’: Can Layton’s strategy reinvigorate Clifford Chance?
Nearly three decades have passed since the game changing union of Coward Chance and Clifford Turner – a watershed moment in the evolution of global law famously executed by figureheads, Sir Max Williams and Geoffrey Howe. This week the firm’s managing partner Matthew Layton unveiled a strategy which will attempt to revive that audacious vision of brilliantly commercial partners and perhaps, a renewed breeding ground for imaginative thinkers.
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Targeting the UK: Slater & Gordon in talks with Quindell over division purchase
Alternative Business Structure (ABS) Quindell has entered negotiations to sell one of its operating divisions to Australian law firm Slater & Gordon.
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Mounting departures: Barclays’ global head of financial crime steps down
Days after Barclays global general counsel (GC) of corporate and investment banking Judith Shepherd announced that she will be stepping down in the first half of this year, Barclays global head of the financial crime legal team Jonathan Peddie has quit the banking giant after nine years.
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Team check-up: Co-op group reorganises legal team and starts panel assessment
The Co-operative Group‘s general counsel Alistair Asher and head of legal Jim Tully are to lead an assessment into the British consumer group’s panel firms as the group’s legal team undergoes a reorganisation.
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6,600 lawyers: Dentons set to combine with China’s largest law firm Dacheng
Dentons is set to create the biggest law firm in the world by lawyer headcount through a combination with leading Chinese firm Dacheng, a move that will establish a 6,600-lawyer giant operating under a Swiss verein structure.
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Clashing titans: Taylor Wessing acts as MetLife sues A&O client JP Morgan for $107m
Two giants of the US financial services market, insurer Metlife and investment bank JP Morgan, have begun a legal battle in the UK High Court over a $107m sum the insurance firm says it is owed after ‘breaches of contract’.
Dealwatch: Simpson Thacher leads for KKR as thetrainline.com opts for sale over IPO
Private equity powerhouse KKR has purchased travel ticket seller thetrainline.com, with its go-to law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett advising on a deal that diverted the company from carrying out its announced IPO on the London Stock Exchange.
‘We have something to prove’: Raynor takes the top role at Shakespeares as Wilson departs
Chief client officer Andy Raynor will take the chief executive role at Midlands-based Shakespeares, as current incumbent Paul Wilson departs after almost nine years at the helm.
Q&A: Heineken UK’s Graeme Colquhoun and DLA Piper’s John McKinlay talk sole adviser mandates
Having appointed DLA Piper as principal legal adviser this month (January) in a bid to cut down on external spend, Heineken UK’s head of legal Graeme Colquhoun (pictured) and DLA Piper IP/IT partner John McKinlay talk to Sarah Downey to discuss the perks of having a one-stop-shop and its possible extension.