European expansion – A&O launches in Barcelona with hire of Freshfields partner

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Allen & Overy (A&O) has pointed to the growth and profitability of its Madrid office and the recovery of the Spanish economy for its decision to launch in Barcelona, with the hire of local corporate partner Antoni Valverde from rival firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, announced today (4 February).

Valverde, who made partner at Freshfields in 1997 and became co-head of the firm’s private M&A group from 2001 to 2009 and the leader of the Spanish corporate group from 2007 to 2010, focuses on private M&A and has acted for some of the key Spanish players on outbound M&A, including acting for Barcelona-based infrastructure operator Abertis on the €1.5bn acquisition of OHL Brazil in August 2012. Continue reading “European expansion – A&O launches in Barcelona with hire of Freshfields partner”

Breaking new ground – advisers hope shale revolution can restart CEE market

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While most of central and eastern Europe (CEE) predictably remains in recovery mode from the global financial crisis, the buoyant energy sector has led to a steady stream of foreign investment and some prized mandates for law firms active in the region.

Anything that can galvanize the region’s economy is to be welcomed. While the CEE’s major countries have generally avoided the kind of economic contraction seen in western Europe since the 2008 banking crisis, the rise of more potent rival emerging economies has drained away much of the foreign investment that would have once gone to the region. The mood has been further darkened by persistent concerns over cronyism and the quality of political governance in some states – a factor not helped by an increasingly difficult balancing act between the competing influences of the European Union (EU) and Russia. Continue reading “Breaking new ground – advisers hope shale revolution can restart CEE market”

The $6.4trn question – as legal advisers jostle for position, can shale gas live up to the hype?

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Jaishree Kalia assesses the big hopes and big risks facing the emerging shale gas industry

Every few years a new sector or niche comes along that promises huge opportunities for law firms that can tactically position themselves. Such hyped sectors often turn out to disappoint, but there is no doubt that the shale gas industry has become the latest – and hottest – touted market.

It’s not hard to see why interest has been piqued. In a little over a decade, shale gas has transformed the energy dynamics of the world’s largest economy, now constituting over 20% of US energy production. Having turned the US into an energy exporter, it is expected to exceed 40% of US energy output by 2035. Continue reading “The $6.4trn question – as legal advisers jostle for position, can shale gas live up to the hype?”

European expansion: Speechlys opens second Swiss base as Pinsents and OC bolster Euro offices through lateral hires

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It’s been a year of highs and lows for private client firm Speechly Bircham which, after enduring flat revenues for 2012/13 and unsuccessful merger talks with rival private client firm Withers earlier in the year, has opened an office in Geneva this week. Meanwhile, both Pinsent Masons and Osborne Clarke have made key strategic hires to European offices.

Continue reading “European expansion: Speechlys opens second Swiss base as Pinsents and OC bolster Euro offices through lateral hires”

Renaissance style – the battle to modernise Italy’s legal elite

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In 2011 Stefano Simontacchi, then head of tax at the Italian legal giant Bonelli Erede Pappalardo, made a high-stakes presentation at the firm’s general partners’ meeting. The increasingly disastrous economic climate in Italy was forcing the firm to reappraise its strategy and Simontacchi, as part of a three-partner committee, had been approved by the firm’s board to find a solution.

‘We needed strategic thinking about whether we wanted to be a very small boutique or whether we wanted to remain at the size we were,’ recalls Simontacchi. ‘In which case, how could we survive when overall spending capacity of the market is decreasing?’

Continue reading “Renaissance style – the battle to modernise Italy’s legal elite”

Another senior departure for Shearman’s Euro practice as Links rebuilds French securities team with high profile hire

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The revolving door at Shearman & Sterling’s European practice was spinning once again today (11 July) with news that capital markets partner Bertrand Sénéchal has quit the US law firm to join the Paris arm of Linklaters.

Sénéchal’s practice covers a broad range of debt and equity securities work. The high profile partner has handled the French and US aspects of several large high-yield and Yankee bond transactions, and has advised major companies like Danone and Schneider Electric, as well as prominent underwriters. Continue reading “Another senior departure for Shearman’s Euro practice as Links rebuilds French securities team with high profile hire”

Visa Europe’s GC joins A&O’s global antitrust practice

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Allen & Overy (A&O) has hired Visa Europe’s general counsel (GC), executive vice president and company secretary Vanessa Turner as a partner in its global antitrust practice.

Turner will be based in the Magic Circle firm’s Brussels office, advising European and international clients dealing with EU and other regulators on merger clearance, cartels and other antitrust and competition matters. Continue reading “Visa Europe’s GC joins A&O’s global antitrust practice”

Protect and serve – Europe moves to keep IP plugged into the digital age

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With copyright and trade mark law reform top of the agenda in Europe, Legal Business talks to IP lawyers about the implications of a groundbreaking copyright case and the EC’s proposed changes to the European trade mark system.

`It always used to be that copyright cases were literally about copying – that’s hardly an issue any more,’ reflects Taylor Wessing’s Mark Owen, who joined the firm as a partner from Harbottle & Lewis in early April. He is talking about the long-running landmark copyright case NLA v PRCA (Meltwater), which the UK Supreme Court referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on 17 April.

Continue reading “Protect and serve – Europe moves to keep IP plugged into the digital age”

Outward Bound – Portugal lawyers turn to global opportunities

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Portugal continues to navigate a deep recession, aided by its legal profession. But while the sale of state assets is providing some relief, firms are looking to their international practices to provide a bailout of their own.

The normally sedate setting of the Ritz Hotel in Lisbon became the focal point of Portugal’s malaise in April. A flash mob of angry protestors gathered outside the hotel urging the Portuguese government to `screw the troika’ in response to the severe austerity plans tabled to meet the demands of Portugal’s 2011 €78bn bailout by the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and the European Commission.

Continue reading “Outward Bound – Portugal lawyers turn to global opportunities”

Italy: Hogan Lovells trio departs to Ernst & Young while Bonelli changes management

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Hogan Lovells’ Rome office has lost partners Gianroberto de Giovanni, Massimiliano Marinozzi and Paolo Ricci to Ernst & Young.

The trio will join as partners of the Italian legal offering of the global audit firm in its Rome and Milan offices. Ricci will take over the leadership team in Italy, while de Giovanni and Marinozzi will head the corporate and dispute teams respectively. Continue reading “Italy: Hogan Lovells trio departs to Ernst & Young while Bonelli changes management”