Pui Guan Man

November 22, 2012 | International Edition

Bird & Bird is set to merge with Danish firm Bender von Haller Dragsted (BvHD), handing the firm its third Nordic foothold. The UK firm signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the 16-lawyer boutique at the start of 2012 in a bid to expand its offering in the north European IT and media sectors.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

November 21, 2012 | International Edition

Offshore firm Conyers Dill & Pearman has appointed Narinder Hargun and David Lamb as its new co-chairs. Both Hargun and Lamb, whose roles took effect on Friday (16 November), succeed long-serving chairman John Collis at the Bermuda-based firm.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

November 21, 2012 | International Edition

Weil Gotshal & Manges has made up three London lawyers as part of a 12-strong global partner promotions round. The promotions in London, which are effective from January 2013, have seen the firm make up Simon Lyell and Samantha McGonigle in its private equity practice and Rupert Wall in structured finance.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

November 21, 2012 | International Edition

SJ Berwin, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Ashurst are among a line-up of firms advising on Terra Firma's £3.2bn takeover of Annington Homes from Japanese investment bank Nomura. Annington, which owns the Ministry of Defence's married quarters estate, comprises around 40,000 properties. The deal value of £3.2bn includes £1bn of new equity from a Terra Firma specialist fund and new debt financing and £2.2bn assumed debt.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

November 19, 2012 | International Edition

Jones Day has boosted its recently launched Duesseldorf base with the hire of a team from Luther, while SJ Berwin has also bulked up in Germany with a double partner hire from White & Case. Luther banking partner Claudia Leyendecker is joining Jones Day's Duesseldorf base - which opened in February this year - alongside three lawyers. She has been an equity partner at Luther since 2008.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

November 16, 2012 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) has expanded its presence in Istanbul with an exclusive association with new Turkish firm Gedik & Eraksoy. The association, which goes live today (16 November), will give the magic circle firm's clients access to local legal advice in Turkey.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

November 15, 2012 | International Edition

The scandal over a BBC report featuring allegations of child abuse by a former Conservative politician has placed renewed scrutiny on the legal implications of comments posted on social media sites such as Twitter. Following the Newsnight broadcast earlier this month, former Conservative Party treasurer Lord McAlpine rapidly became the subject of a number of allegations on social media sites, despite the fact he was not named by the programme.

By Pui-Guan Man

3 minute read

November 15, 2012 | International Edition

Norton Rose has sealed one of the largest-ever transatlantic mergers, with the firm agreeing to tie up with Houston's Fulbright & Jaworski in June 2013. The deal, approved by more than 75% of Fulbright partners at the weekend and by Norton Rose partners at the firm's Toronto conference earlier this month, will create a firm just outside the global top five, with combined revenues of nearly $2bn (£1.26bn) – just behind Clifford Chance.

By Pui-Guan Man

4 minute read

November 15, 2012 | International Edition

The rollercoaster continues lurching up and down. For private equity (PE) lawyers, it has been an eventful few years with advisers hard-pushed just to keep up with frenetic deal-doing during the boom years, only for the market to go into a sustained slump after 2007. The industry went on to stage something of a modest comeback through 2011, but the latest indications confirm that buyout activity remains volatile to say the least – and 2012 has unsurprisingly proved a mixed year.

By Pui-Guan Man

5 minute read

November 15, 2012 | International Edition

Former DLA Piper referral firm Miranda Correia Amendoeira & Associados has launched in London, becoming the first major Portuguese practice to open in the City. Of counsel Nuno Antunes will relocate to London to head up the new base, which will officially launch on 28 November.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read