Friederike Heine

February 15, 2011 | International Edition

Ashurst has spun off its London regulatory practice from its financial institutions group (FIG) as the firm bids to increase the profile and remit of the team. The regulatory team will now operate as one of eight sub-groups within the London corporate practice, instead of as a smaller team within the FIG sub-group.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 15, 2011 | International Edition

K&L Gates has strengthened its commercial disputes practice in its City office with the hire of LG litigation partner Thomas Ross, who will join the firm later this month. Ross, who specialises in banking litigation work, represents clients across a variety of complex commercial disputes including banking, financial services, fund and asset management and pensions matters.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 15, 2011 | International Edition

Hogan Lovells' London office has won News Corporation as a client as a result of the firm's transatlantic merger, which went live in May 2010. The media conglomerate, which owns The Sun, The Times and News of the World, has had a longstanding relationship with legacy Hogan & Hartson in the US; however, the firm has extended this relationship to Hogan Lovells in Europe since the merger.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 15, 2011 | International Edition

Clyde & Co has strengthened its corporate insurance practice in Shanghai with the hire of Insurance Australia group general counsel Michael Cripps. Cripps, who will join Clydes' Shanghai office at the end of February as a partner, has been brought in with a remit to develop and grow Clydes' corporate insurance practice in China. He becomes the third corporate insurance partner in Shanghai and the eighteenth in the practice globally.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 14, 2011 | International Edition

The Legal Services Board (LSB) has released proposals that could see law firms and barristers' chambers in the UK forced to publish data about the diversity of their workforce. The proposals, which have been backed by charities including Mencap, Sense and the Sutton Trust, come as part of the LSB's increased focus on diversity in the legal sector and opening up the profession to prospective lawyers from non-traditional backgrounds.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 11, 2011 | International Edition

DLA Piper has strengthened its intellectual property and technology (IPT) practice with the hire of Mike Conradi from technology boutique Kemp Little. Conradi, who was a partner in the commercial technology team at Kemp Little, joins DLA Piper as a non-contentious telecoms partner in London.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 10, 2011 | International Edition

Linklaters and Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz have taken lead roles on the proposed merger between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext in a deal that looks set to create world's largest stock exchange by revenue and profits. Linklaters is advising longstanding client Deutsche Boerse on the proposed all-stock tie-up, which would see the merged business jointly based in New York and Frankfurt.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 08, 2011 | International Edition

Linklaters has taken the lead role on ArcelorMittal's €3.4bn (£2.9bn) demerger of its stainless and speciality steels businesses, which was approved by the company's shareholders last month (25 January). Linklaters advised longstanding client ArcelorMittal on the capital raising, which saw the businesses spun off into a new company called Aperam. As a result of the move, approximately 78 million new shares in the company have been allocated to existing shareholders.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 08, 2011 | International Edition

The London office of Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker has picked up a role advising opposite Slaughter and May on Jacobs Engineering Group's $900m (£556m) acquisition of Oslo-listed Aker Solutions' construction business. London corporate partner Ronan O'Sullivan led a global team from Paul Hastings advising Jacobs Engineering on the deal, which closed last week (31 January). The City team included litigation partner Michelle Duncan and tax partner Arun Birla. In addition, Los Angeles partners Robert Miller (corporate) and Alexander Lee (tax), New York employment partner Erika Collins, Shanghai managing partner David Wang and China employment head Lesli Ligorner also advised.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

February 08, 2011 | International Edition

Weil Gotshal & Manges has won buyout houses Unitas and Towerbrook Capital as new clients for the firm's City office. The client wins came as a result of competitive tender processes, with private equity partner Marco Compagnoni leading the team advising on both subsequent transactions. Compagnoni advised Asian buyout house Unitas alongside London finance chief Jacky Kelly on its €525m (£441m) acquisition of hydraulics manufacturer Hyva from UK private equity firm 3i, a deal which was announced before Christmas.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read