Pui Guan Man

February 21, 2013 | International Edition

Linklaters and South Africa's Webber Wentzel have put together a cross-firm committee of partner representatives to oversee their alliance. The magic circle firm, whose exclusive tie-up in South Africa went live on 1 February, is represented by emerging Europe, Middle East and Africa chief Sandeep Katwala, Africa co-head Andrew Jones and capital markets partner Patrick Sheil, all of whom were involved in negotiating the alliance. The trio will sit on the committee alongside three representatives from Webber Wentzel: senior partner David Lancaster (who spearheaded discussions over the alliance opposite Linklaters), M&A co-head Christo Els and head of energy and mining projects Peter Leon.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

February 21, 2013 | International Edition

The news that Herbert Smith Freehills is set to launch in Germany later this year has been met with a mixed response from the local market, with lawyers questioning whether the firm will be able to come close to matching the strength offered through its former alliance with Gleiss Lutz. The firm last week confirmed it is opening an office in Frankfurt in the second quarter of 2013 with the hire of Ralf Thaeter, who was head of corporate and M&A at Gleiss. The office will initially focus on M&A, corporate, disputes and finance work, with a view to expanding to a full-service offering. The firm was not able to open in the country earlier than January 2013 due to the wind-down terms of its alliance with Gleiss and Benelux firm Stibbe, which broke down in December 2011.

By Pui-Guan Man

3 minute read

February 21, 2013 | International Edition

Linklaters has lost former US co-chief and litigation head Larry Byrne to Pepper Hamilton's white collar practice along with a five lawyer team. Byrne joins the firm alongside counsel Ruth Harlow, who is also joining as a partner in the New York office. Four other lawyers are also joining the US firm, including Martin S Bloor and Linda Regis-Hallinan, both of whom will be of counsel in the white collar practice.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

February 21, 2013 | International Edition

Field Fisher Waterhouse has appointed two additional members to its executive committee. Field Fisher head of life sciences and healthcare Alison Dennis and head of derivatives and structured finance Guy Usher have both been nominated to the committee by incoming managing partner Michael Chissick, who oversees the group.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

February 20, 2013 | International Edition

Slaughter and May, Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison have landed the lead roles on UK estate agency Countrywide Group's initial public offering (IPO). Countrywide, the UK's largest estate agency by revenue and deal volumes, has been listed on the London Stock Exchange by US private equity house Oaktree Capital, its majority owner.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

February 20, 2013 | International Edition

Linklaters has hired top German lawyer Wilhelm Haarmann in boost for its Frankfurt corporate practice. Haarmann joins the magic circle firm from Haarmann, his own firm he set up in 2006 after breaking away from independent outfit Haarmann Hemmelrath, where he was co-founder. His start date at Linklaters is not yet known.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

February 20, 2013 | International Edition

Ex-Field Fisher Waterhouse intellectual property and technology head Mark Abell has turned to Herbert Smith Freehills to represent him in a partnership dispute with his former firm. Abell, who has been at Field Fisher since 1984, was suspended from the partnership at the start of the month after he announced that he was resigning to join Bird & Bird.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

February 20, 2013 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has teamed up with Thomson Reuters to launch an e-learning programme focusing on competition, antitrust, anti-corruption and anti-bribery. The joint initiative has seen the magic circle firm and the information provider work together to draw up online courses for financial services firms and corporates, which can be monitored on a real-time basis by HR and compliance staff.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

February 19, 2013 | International Edition

Macfarlanes has turned to US firm Akin Gump for the hire of an investment funds partner, not long after taking on a nine-strong City hedge fund boutique. Simon Thomas, who has been part of Akin Gump's London funds team for 10 years after joining from Dechert in 2002, joins Macfarlanes after the firm took over specialist hedge fund firm D Harris Co International (DHCI) last year, adding all of its nine City employees to its private equity practice.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

February 18, 2013 | International Edition

DLA Piper global co-chairman Tony Angel is joining Prime Minister David Cameron on his high-profile business delegation to India. The former Linklaters chief has been invited by the Government to join Cameron on the three-day trade-focused visit this week - the largest single business delegation taken to any country by the UK to date.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read