Continue reading “Banking and Finance Yearbook 2023: On the money”
Banking and Finance Yearbook 2023: On the money
Slaughters’ outgoing senior partner Cooke to follow fellow grandees in post-retirement pivot
Slaughter and May’s eminent senior partner Steve Cooke has become the latest law firm leader to embrace a change of direction post-retirement with the news that he is to join PR agency Brunswick Group.
Cooke (pictured) will finish his term as Slaughters’ senior partner on 30 April 2024 after which he will join Brunswick as a partner, tasked with advising clients on matters including M&A, crisis, disputes and litigation.
‘A springboard for greater success’: Johnston elected as next Addleshaw managing partner
Addleshaw Goddard has announced that Andrew Johnston has been successful in securing the position of the firm’s managing partner through an uncontested election, serving a four-year term to start on 1 May 2024.
Having joined the firm in 2013 to oversee the firm’s M&A practice in the Middle East, Johnston (pictured) previously worked at Clifford Chance. He became a board member in 2014 and assumed the role of head of Middle East and Asia in 2019, during which time he led the firm’s Middle Eastern business to record financial performances. Continue reading “‘A springboard for greater success’: Johnston elected as next Addleshaw managing partner”
Greenberg expands finance team in the City with Weil hire
Greenberg Traurig announced today (27 November) that Luke Lado has joined the firm as a shareholder, bolstering its banking and finance practice in London.
He joins from Weil, where he spent two years as counsel, following five years at Latham & Watkins as a senior associate. His legal career began at Clifford Chance, where he started as a trainee and spent six years. Lado has also completed secondments to Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse. Continue reading “Greenberg expands finance team in the City with Weil hire”
The Legal 500 View – The word from Manhattan
Conversations with private equity and corporate partners in New York before March 2020 used to be predictable.
‘Busy?’
‘Oh yeah.’
‘Are you expecting to be less busy?’
‘Oh, no.’
‘Can anything stop you?’
‘I suppose the economy could collapse again.’ Continue reading “The Legal 500 View – The word from Manhattan”
Revolving doors: Global 100 bolster ranks in Europe, Asia and the Middle East
Despite losing yet another partner in London this week to Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis has continued to build its London bench with its hire of Macfarlanes tax partner Ceinwen Rees.
The firm brought tax partner James Morgan over from Linklaters earlier this month after losing Timothy Lowe and Cian O’Connor to Paul Weiss in September. Rees’ experience advising investment fund managers on structuring issues plays well to Kirkland’s core private equity focus, and alongside Morgan her hire helps bring the US giant’s London office back to strength. Both Rees and Morgan are Legal 500 leading individuals in corporate tax. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Global 100 bolster ranks in Europe, Asia and the Middle East”
‘The transition is over’: BCLP names Jinal Shah as new UK managing partner
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) announced this week that Jinal Shah will become the firm’s UK managing partner from 1 January 2024.
He is taking over from Segun Osuntokun, who served in this role since 2018, with Osuntokun now appointed as BCLP’s first global senior partner, also effective from 1 January. Continue reading “‘The transition is over’: BCLP names Jinal Shah as new UK managing partner”
Look to the future now
David Halliwell, Pinsent Masons Vario: The world is now seen through a ‘VUCA’ lens – it’s Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Are the risks that businesses are facing much more uncertain? What does that mean for how you are working in your roles? Continue reading “Look to the future now”
Claim culture – how can GCs stay one step ahead of group litigation risks?
In uncertain times, in-house counsel face mounting pressure to take a proactive approach to contentious issues. And with group actions on the rise, GCs are increasingly aware they must be prepared for such claims, as well as their associated costs. Continue reading “Claim culture – how can GCs stay one step ahead of group litigation risks?”
Battle of the brands: safeguarding your IP in the social media and post-Brexit era
The task of safeguarding and enforcing intellectual property rights was always challenging but the irrepressible rise of social media over the last decade and political shifts like Brexit have added significant new layers of complication. Continue reading “Battle of the brands: safeguarding your IP in the social media and post-Brexit era”
Don’t fear the robots
Nathalie Tidman, The In-House Lawyer and Legal Business: Welcome everyone. We have a fantastic panel of extremely talented and insightful people here this evening.
As a starter for ten, what do you see as the real opportunities and benefits for in-house lawyers using generative AI in your day-to-day dealings? Continue reading “Don’t fear the robots”
‘You need to understand the user journey so you can understand the risks’ – what in-house lawyers need to know about fintechs
The rapid progression of fintech from a fairly niche play to the mainstream means that companies across all sectors are increasingly having to incorporate a fintech offering into their business models. Continue reading “‘You need to understand the user journey so you can understand the risks’ – what in-house lawyers need to know about fintechs”
The onslaught continues: Paul Weiss raids Kirkland again to hire City IP partner
Just when the market thought Paul Weiss had eased up on its hiring spree in the run-up to Christmas, the firm has hired John Patten, a partner in the London technology and intellectual property (IP) transactions practice of Kirkland & Ellis.
The move sees the Wall Street giant continue to pursue with gusto the build-out of the English law practice that has gathered momentum in short order, much to the chagrin of the management of Kirkland and Linklaters, among others. Continue reading “The onslaught continues: Paul Weiss raids Kirkland again to hire City IP partner”
Revolving Doors: Disputes hiring picks up pace as Global 100 players make key appointments
Allen & Overy has hired cyber security incident response partners, Ffion Flockhart, and Charlie Weston-Simons, with Flockhart taking on the role of global head of cybersecurity. The pair previously worked together at Norton Rose Fulbright, where Flockhart was global co-head of information governance, privacy, and cyber security. The team will assist clients with cyber incidents and managing data risks from prevention to response.
Meanwhile, Latham & Watkins has appointed Pamela Reddy as a partner in its white-collar defence and investigations practice in London. Reddy also moves from Norton Rose Fulbright. She advises on domestic and cross-border fraud, market abuse, bribery and corruption, and money laundering investigations, as well as public inquiries, internal investigations, workplace culture reviews and allegations following the #MeToo movement. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Disputes hiring picks up pace as Global 100 players make key appointments”
Government to address PACCAR ruling with amendment to Digital Markets Bill – but litigation funders argue it isn’t enough
An amendment filed to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill last week will allow the use of damages-based agreements (DBAs) for opt-out collective proceedings heard in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, but only for litigation funders. The proposed amendment responds to the Supreme Court’s decision in PACCAR in July this year, which ruled that litigation funding agreements that allowed funders to recover a percentage of damages were prohibited.
The judgment left funders racing to renegotiate existing agreements in order to be able to enforce them, despite remaining adamant that they were optimistic about the industry as a whole. If this amendment is successful, renegotiation will be unnecessary, as litigation funding agreements (LFAs) based on percentages will remain viable. Continue reading “Government to address PACCAR ruling with amendment to Digital Markets Bill – but litigation funders argue it isn’t enough”
SFO opens criminal investigation into Axiom Ince
A criminal investigation has been launched into Axiom Ince, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced today (14 November). Seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the investigation and searches have been carried out across nine sites.
More than 80 SFO investigators, alongside Metropolitan Police officers, went to locations across the southeast of England early this morning to search for potential evidence and bring in individuals for questioning. Continue reading “SFO opens criminal investigation into Axiom Ince”
V&E hires energy and infra partner de Cintré from Milbank in the City
Vinson & Elkins has hired Milbank’s Kilian de Cintré as a partner into its corporate and finance practice in London, the firm announced today (13 November).
The move builds on the hire last month of energy and infrastructure finance partner Chris Taufatofua, also from Milbank, to its corporate and finance practice in London. Continue reading “V&E hires energy and infra partner de Cintré from Milbank in the City”
Revolving doors: Magic Circle firms lose partners in New York and London as US firms strengthen London teams
Last week was a busy one for lateral hires, with a mix of City, regional and international firms announcing their newly acquired partners.
In New York, Allen & Overy lost partner Greg Lavigne to Sidley, who joined its energy, transportation and infrastructure group. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Magic Circle firms lose partners in New York and London as US firms strengthen London teams”
International round-up: Global 100 firms expand in the Middle East and Asia
Ahead of our annual Global 100 report in our November/December issue, firms have made concerted efforts to consolidate and expand in the Middle East and Asia in recent months.
Bird & Bird has announced a new office in Shenzhen, to be led by the firm’s Greater China intellectual property practice co-head Hank Leung, a Legal 500 leading individual for IP in Hong Kong. The new office will work closely with lawyers from the firm’s international network, including its offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Continue reading “International round-up: Global 100 firms expand in the Middle East and Asia”
Dealwatch: €5bn Vodafone deal shows ‘the debt is there, if you can find the right transaction’
The biggest European transaction of recent weeks came when Vodafone announced the sale of its Spanish business to TMT investor Zegona Communications for €5bn.
Slaughter and May advised Vodafone with a London-based team led by corporate partners Victoria MacDuff and James Cook and including IP and IT partner Duncan Blaikie, finance partner Charlie McGarel-Groves, tax partner Mike Lane, employment partner Philippa O’Malley, and competition partner Claire Jeffs, who splits her time between London and Brussels. Continue reading “Dealwatch: €5bn Vodafone deal shows ‘the debt is there, if you can find the right transaction’”