Friederike Heine

September 23, 2011 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has added a partner to its City funds capability with the hire of international counsel Gerard Saviola from the London office of US firm Debevoise & Plimpton. Saviola, who will join CC as a partner in the firm's private funds group, is US-qualified and advises mainly leveraged buyout funds, emerging markets funds and mezzanine funds, as well as a broad range of institutional investors in international investment funds and private equity acquisitions.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

September 21, 2011 | International Edition

PRIME, the ground-breaking social mobility initiative launched by 23 major law firms earlier this month, looks set to be expanded to include the London offices of several leading US firms, with White & Case and Shearman & Sterling among those lining up to get involved.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

September 21, 2011 | International Edition

Novartis is set to review its advisers in the US and Europe following the completion of its $40bn (£25bn) takeover of Alcon earlier this year. The review will be led by incoming general counsel Felix Ehrat, who is joining the pharma giant next month from Swiss law firm Baer & Karrer, where he was senior partner. Outgoing GC Thomas Werlen said there would be a particular emphasis on integrating Alcon's preferred law firms in the intellectual property (IP) space to service its patent portfolio.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

September 21, 2011 | International Edition

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Clifford Chance (CC) have taken lead roles on French media conglomerate Vivendi's £83m acquisition of See Tickets, Britain's second-largest ticketing agency. Gibson Dunn acted for the acquirers on the deal, which comes just nine months after Vivendi took over leading French online ticket retailer Digitick. The US law firm fielded London and Paris-based teams led by corporate partners James Barabas and Ariel Harroch respectively. The sellers – Netherlands-based private equity firm Parcom Capital – instructed magic circle firm CC on the transaction, which ends months of speculation about the future of See Tickets following the sale of its German division to European market leader CTS Eventim last year.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

September 21, 2011 | International Edition

Weil Gotshal & Manges is set to be invited to tender for the Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS') legal panel next year after completing its first-ever mandate for the bank. The US law firm's London office advised the bank on the $300m (£191m) sale of its shares in luggage manufacturer Samsonite, which floated in Hong Kong in June. Weil Gotshal fielded a team led by London corporate partner Mark Soundy on the transaction, which marks the US firm's first piece of work for the bank.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

September 21, 2011 | International Edition

White & Case has appointed a new executive committee following its re-election of firmwide chair Hugh Verrier. Verrier will begin his second term as firm chair when his current four-year term elapses in March 2012. Brussels executive partner Jacquelyn MacLennan, Americas banking chief David Koschik and London managing partner Oliver Brettle (pictured) will join him at the helm of the firm, with all three also retaining their client-facing responsibilities.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

September 20, 2011 | International Edition

Olswang has become the first firm to sign up for a pilot scheme to accept trainee solicitors from Acculaw, a newly-launched body that will take on and second trainee solicitors to law firms. The company, which received approval this month from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), will offer training contracts to law graduates, who will then be seconded to City law firms and in-house legal departments in order to complete their training, with Acculaw ensuring that all regulatory requirements are met.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

September 20, 2011 | International Edition

Mayer Brown litigation partner Clare Canning is leaving the firm to become global general counsel at Ernst & Young. The appointment, which takes effect on 10 October, comes as current global GC Trevor Faure - who joined the accountancy giant in 2009 from manufacturing group Tyco, where he was EMEA GC - has been handed the role of global leader, legal services sector.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

September 20, 2011 | International Edition

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is set to lose its London restructuring team to US rival Dewey & LeBoeuf. The two-partner team is led by Orrick's European co-head of restructuring and insolvency, Mark Fennessy, who is joining Dewey's seven-partner London business solutions and governance practice alongside fellow restructuring partner Hazel Miller.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

September 19, 2011 | International Edition

Kingsley Napley is advising the UBS trader accused of costing the bank $2.3bn (£1.5bn) in losses through unauthorised trades, with Herbert Smith picking up a lead role advising the Swiss bank. Criminal litigation partner Louise Hodges is advising Kweku Adoboli, who was last week (16 September) charged with one count of fraud by abuse of position and two counts of false accounting.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read