Friederike Heine

October 22, 2010 | International Edition

Nationwide Building Society has cut back the number of advisers on its commercial lending panel from 60 to 17, following a rigorous selection process which kicked off in August. The building society has added seven new firms to the roster, including Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, LG, Reed Smith, Shoosmiths, Taylor Wessing and TLT. Aside from the new appointments, Nationwide has retained four of the firms that were already on the panel - Burges Salmon, Nabarro, Olswang and Eversheds.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

October 21, 2010 | International Edition

HBJ Gateley Wareing has boosted its real estate practice in Manchester with the hire of a real estate partner from Addleshaw Goddard. Dean Copley, who joined the firm's 30-strong real estate team in Manchester on Monday (18 October), counts several national retailers and property developers among his clients, and focuses on the development and funding of residential, industrial, office and retail premises. HBJ Gateley senior partner Michael Ward said: "With the opening of our new office in the city at Ship Canal House, we are excited to welcome Dean to the firm."

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

October 20, 2010 | International Edition

Latham & Watkins and Davis Polk & Wardwell have taken lead roles on the €1.5bn (£1.3bn) initial public offering (IPO) of Danish jewellery maker Pandora. Davis Polk advised the jewellery company on its listing, fielding a team led by London corporate partner John Meade. Latham, meanwhile, advised the financial sponsors on the deal, which completed earlier this month on Copenhagen's NASDAQ OMX exchange.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

October 20, 2010 | International Edition

Eversheds has shaken up the management of its real estate group, appointing head of development and regeneration Stephen Sorrell to a strategic role as senior partner of the real estate practice. In his new role, Sorrell will support client development alongside head of real estate Julie Stobart, while maintaining a strategic role in major regeneration partnerships and projects.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

October 15, 2010 | International Edition

Mayer Brown has advised investment company Mill Financial on its failed eleventh-hour bid for Liverpool FC, as US sports group New England Sport Ventures (NESV) completes its £300m takeover of the Premier League club. US investor Mill, which was advised by Mayer Brown's UK corporate head Peter Dickinson and corporate partner Kate Ball-Dodd, today (15 October) held negotiations with co-owner Tom Hicks over the acquisition of his stake in the club.

By Friederike Heine

3 minute read

October 14, 2010 | International Edition

Competition lawyers are gearing up for the biggest shake-up in the UK's antitrust regime for years following confirmation today (14 October) that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Commission (CC) are set to merge. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced the move as part of the new coalition Government's move to streamline the work of public bodies - a policy dubbed 'the bonfire of the quangos'.

By Friederike Heine

4 minute read

October 13, 2010 | International Edition

Barclays Capital has kicked off a review of its legal advisers in the US, marking the first time the group has overhauled its panel since its acquisition of Lehman Brothers' US investment banking operations. The review, which is being led out of New York by Americas general counsel Michael Crowl, is believed to be part of a bid to reduce the number of external counsel after the bank's $1.75bn (£950m) acquisition of Lehman Brothers' North American investment banking and capital markets business in 2008.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

October 13, 2010 | International Edition

The Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt to allow accountants to benefit from legal professional privilege (LPP) in a high-profile ruling. The ruling handed down today (13 October) rejected the contention of insurance company Prudential that the advice of accountants in relation to tax law could be covered by LPP, which would protect it from being disclosed to third parties.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

October 13, 2010 | International Edition

White & Case has promoted 35 lawyers to its partnership around the world, including seven in London. The majority of the City appointments, which take effect on 1 January next year, come in the banking and finance department, where five associates are set to join the firm's partnership. Tom Bartlett, Kirsti Massie and Euan Pinkerton have been made up in the project finance practice, while Louise Mor and Jeremy Trinder were appointed in asset finance and banking respectively. The other London promotions were Kevin Ng in capital markets and Michael Turrini in construction.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read

October 13, 2010 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) and Mayer Brown have taken lead roles on Baja Mining's $823m (£518m) financing facility for the construction and development of its flagship Mexican mining project. Mayer Brown advised the lending group on the project financing, which is one of the largest of this nature to come to market. The completion of the deal means that full-scale construction activities on the Boleo mining project can commence imminently.

By Friederike Heine

2 minute read