Friederike Heine

December 12, 2011 | International Edition

Eversheds is set to pilot a new integrated training programme which will combine the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and the training contract. The new scheme, dubbed the 'Combined Study Training Contract', has been developed in collaboration with BPP Law School and the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and will be available in London, Leeds and Birmingham.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

December 09, 2011 | International Edition

Former Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan London partner Marc Becker could be set for a return to the firm after a US judge dismissed a motion filed by Bank of America (BoA) to disqualify the firm from a multibillion-dollar litigation case. The US firm is now set to ask BoA to consent to Becker's return, after he was asked to leave in October as a result of a conflict issue relating to a minor role he took on Quinn Emanuel's work for AIG in a $10bn (£6.3bn) securities litigation case against BoA.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

December 08, 2011 | International Edition

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has become the latest organisation planning to become a licensing authority for alternative business structures (ABSs). The ICAEW is talking to the Legal Services Board (LSB) about its application, which is likely to be submitted in early 2012.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

December 07, 2011 | International Edition

Nationwide Building Society has merged its compliance and legal functions in the wake of a strategic review carried out in collaboration with professional services giant KPMG. The review, which is expected to improve efficiency and cut costs, kicked off earlier this year, with the 28-person compliance function now within the remit of divisional director general counsel Liz Kelly.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

December 07, 2011 | International Edition

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Travers Smith 
have taken lead roles on Doughty Hanson's £250m acquisition of oil and gas logistics company Asco. Skadden advised the UK private equity house on the transaction, which will see the group take a majority stake in Asco. The US law firm fielded a London-based team led by corporate partner Allan Murray-Jones.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

December 07, 2011 | International Edition

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is facing a potential negligence claim worth more than £68m from the Department for Transport (DfT) for advice it gave the organisation in 2006 in relation to a rail franchise agreement with Stagecoach South Western Trains (SSWT)...

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

December 07, 2011 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has advised on two Turkish bond deals with a combined value of nearly £1bn. The office picked up an issuer-side mandate for TurkEximBank on the sale of $500m (£323m) of notes due in 2016. The firm fielded a London-based team under corporate partner David Dunnigan and US securities partner Chris Walton, with Mete Yegin – a partner at CC's Turkish associate law firm Yegin Legal Consultancy – leading the team in Turkey.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

December 07, 2011 | International Edition

Linklaters is set to carry out the second restructuring of its partnership in three years, with some within the firm predicting up to 35 departures from the equity globally over the coming year. The magic circle law firm announced the restructuring to London partners last Friday (2 December), stating that it will consist of a combination of exits and de-equitisations.

By Friederike Heine

4 minute read

December 06, 2011 | International Edition

Former Hogan Lovells litigation partner Christopher Grierson has been charged by the City of London Police with four counts of false accounting after allegedly defrauding the firm of £1m in false expenses claims. Grierson, who was dismissed from his former firm in May, was charged yesterday (5 December). He is now due to appear before the City of London Magistrates Court on 9 January 2012.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

December 05, 2011 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) has become the latest law firm to announce a launch in Istanbul, with London banking partner Charles Lindsay set to relocate to Turkey to head up the new office. The office will focus on providing English law advice on project finance, capital markets, general lending and M&A, with A&O stating that its motivation for the move was to capitalise on the Turkish Government's privatisation programme and its demand for new infrastructure.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read