Gerard Starkey

February 14, 2013 | International Edition

Midlands debt recovery firm HL Legal Solicitors has sealed a deal to take on Cobbetts' debt collection arm Incasso after reaching an agreement with the firm's administrators KPMG. The Leeds-based Incasso business, which has 52 staff and operates as a separate limited liability partnership to Cobbetts, went into administration along with Cobbetts at the end of January.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

February 14, 2013 | International Edition

Pinsent Masons has become the latest firm to target the fast-growing Turkish market, with the firm set to launch a new infrastructure-focused base in the region. The new Istanbul office will be headed up by Noyan Goksu, the former head of arbitration at Turkish firm Herguner Bilgen Ozeke.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

February 13, 2013 | International Edition

Davis Polk & Wardwell and Weil Gotshal & Manges are both advising on a $16.7bn (£10.7bn) deal that will see General Electric (GE) sell its 49% stake in US media and entertainment giant NBCUniversal (NBCU) to majority shareholder Comcast Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, US cable operator Comcast will pay NBCU $12bn (£7.7bn) in cash with $4bn (£2.6bn) in Comcast guaranteed debt and $700m (£450m) of preferred stock in acquiring full ownership of the film and television business.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

February 11, 2013 | International Edition

Osborne Clarke (OC) has strengthened its litigation and TMT practices with the hires of Tom Ellis and John Buyers from Wragge & Co and Stephenson Harwood respectively.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

February 07, 2013 | International Edition

From the moment Cobbetts last week confirmed plans to call in the administrators, it took little more than 24 hours for DWF to announce its intention to acquire the financially stricken firm in a pre-pack deal. The speed of the deal came as a surprise to many, despite the foundations set 12 months earlier by failed merger talks between the pair – a breakdown the firms attributed at the time to "continuing market uncertainty". But, with the UK economy teetering on the brink of a triple-dip recession, market conditions have hardly improved – so what has changed?

By Gerard Starkey

6 minute read

February 07, 2013 | International Edition

Former Ince & Co partner Andrew Iyer has been jailed for four years and eight months following allegations of fraud involving millions of pounds of client money. Iyer, who was sentenced today (7 February) at the Old Bailey, resigned from Ince in July 2010 following a period of suspension for "irregular financial behaviour".

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

February 07, 2013 | International Edition

Walker Morris has taken a 27-strong finance litigation team from Cobbetts, as full details of DWF's pre-pack acquisition of the financially stricken firm emerge. DWF has completed its acquisition of the bulk of Cobbetts' business following yesterday's appointment of KPMG as administrators.

By Gerard Starkey

4 minute read

February 07, 2013 | International Edition

Dundas & Wilson is set to see three more partner exits in London as the firm continues to shed partners in the City. Banking and finance partner Michael Wrigley and corporate duo Julian Mathews and Simon Sale have become the latest in a growing list of departures from the Scots firm's City office during the last 12 months.

By Gerard Starkey

2 minute read

February 06, 2013 | International Edition

DWF has sealed its acquisition of Cobbetts via a pre-pack deal, after KPMG was appointed as the stricken firm's administrators. An agreement has been reached which will see DWF take on the bulk of the business, with 419 of Cobbetts' employees and partners from its four offices in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and London understood to be transferring to DWF.

By Gerard Starkey

3 minute read

February 06, 2013 | International Edition

Eversheds has taken the lead role for HSBC on a major facilities outsourcing agreement with real estate services giant Jones Lang LaSalle. The five-year agreement has seen Jones Lang become HSBC's sole outsourcing provider of facilities management services across its 58 million sq ft real estate portfolio.

By Gerard Starkey

1 minute read