Happy New Year and welcome to the first Friday Edit of 2015, our weekly review of the top stories to emerge from Law Land over the past five days. Click here for full access to Legal Business or email [email protected] for more information. Corporate subscribers can also access our premium reporting firm-wide online and via our iPad edition as well as print copies.
Continue reading “The Friday Edit: New year, new partners and a new world order in finance”
Real estate heavyweights Macfarlanes and Clifford Chance (CC) have landed leading roles on one of the New Year’s first major real estate deals, after Legal & General Property acquired Bishopsgate Long Term Property Fund Unit Trust and its 24-strong portfolio of commercial properties for £370m.
US online legal solution site LegalZoom has become the first American business to receive an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) licence as it looks to build its operations in the UK.
Continue reading “Targeting the UK: LegalZoom becomes first US business to gain ABS”
The Magic Circle lost ground in the global M&A rankings as Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters, Allen & Overy (A&O) and Clifford Chance (CC) all lost places to US rivals, with London-headquartered firms badly impacted by a jittery European deals market that saw a large number of deals collapse.
Constituting the first technology IPO of the year, Travers Smith and Herbert Smith Freehills have both landed key roles advising Britain’s largest online rail booking company thetrainline.com as it prepares to float on the London Stock Exchange later this year.
Pittsburgh-headquartered Reed Smith has made its London office the centre of its promotions round by making up seven London lawyers to partner, four more than any other office.
US firm Latham & Watkins has announced internally that it will open a business services office in Manchester during the first half of 2015.
Stephenson Harwood has named restructuring and insolvency partner Sue Moore (pictured) as the new head of its global finance practice group as current head Mark Russell steps down after 18 years.
Royal Dutch Shell, advised by Hogan Lovells, will pay £55m to 15,600 Nigerian fishermen after a three-year legal battle over two oil spills.
Squire Patton Boggs has hired Simmons & Simmons‘ acquisition finance partner John Hayward as it sets out to expand its roster of banking and private equity clients. Meanwhile, Simmons made a New Year promotion to its partnership.
US firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has enhanced its private equity practice in London with the hire of partner Daniel Oates from O’Melveny & Myers.
Continue reading “Targeting London: Fried Frank hires O’Melveny & Myers private equity partner”
Allen & Overy (A&O) is the latest Magic Circle firm to release its LLP accounts for the 2013/14 financial year, posting a 7% profit-before-tax increase from £497m to £532m, while average profits per full partner were up 6.7% to £1.12m.
Continue reading “Accounts revealed: Allen & Overy profits jump £35m as it cuts staff costs”
Alexis Mourre, a founding partner of French disputes boutique Castaldi Mourre & Partners, is set to replace John Beechey as president of the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Court of Arbitration.
Former Kirkland & Ellis London head Jim Learner is returning as a partner in Kirkland’s corporate practice to the City office he helped launch 20 years ago.
Continue reading “Moving back: Jim Learner re-joins Kirkland & Ellis in the City”
Taylor Wessing has kick started the new year with two key recruits, hiring Eversheds‘ general counsel (GC) Angela Robertson as director of risk and GC, and Kevin Harris as its new IT director.
Continue reading “‘A fresh perspective’: Taylor Wessing hires Eversheds GC and new IT director”
Mayer Brown, Macfarlanes and Gateley are all acting on the administration of parcel delivery company City Link following its collapse on Christmas Eve.
Continue reading “Dealwatch: Mayer Brown, Macfarlanes and Gateley act on City Link administration”
Antony Dutton, a leading disputes partner who had been at Dechert since January 2012, died suddenly in early January.
Continue reading “‘We are deeply saddened’: Dechert disputes star Antony Dutton dies”
From the Kirkland & Ellis site, under the topic Laterals Overview (I quote in full, emphasis supplied): ‘At Kirkland, the quality and experience of our lawyers are among our greatest strengths. We are committed to making a substantial investment in our lateral hires by fostering an environment in which they are seamlessly integrated into our Firm culture.’
File this in ‘Dep’t of Understatement.’
Continue reading “Guest post: Checkbook recruiting – will Kirkland’s strategy pay off?”
Kennedys has entered into a co-operation agreement with Chinese law firm AnJie as it further boosts its presence in Asia.
Continue reading “‘Closer ties’: Kennedys enters formal agreement with Chinese firm”
Accounts filed at Companies House have revealed Berwin Leighton Paisner made a strong financial recovery in 2013/14, with profit after tax rising 26% to £66.3m for the financial year, up from £52.4m in 2012/13, as the firm captured a greater volume of work and trimmed the size of its workforce.
