Pui Guan Man

March 19, 2014 | International Edition

Slaughter and May has made up seven London associates to partner in its largest promotion round since the downturn. The promotions mark the biggest batch of new partners the firm has made up since 2006 when it made up eight lawyers. The round is significantly up on last year's equivalent, when the firm made up two partners in the London office.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

March 18, 2014 | International Edition

Stephenson Harwood has named partner Andrew Edge as the firm's new head of corporate. Stephenson Harwood CEO Sharon White, who was recently reappointed to the management position for a three-year term, held a dual role as corporate chief. She will hand over the reins to Edge on 1 April having led the corporate practice since 2007.

By Pui-Guan Man

1 minute read

March 18, 2014 | International Edition

Irwin Mitchell has lost its place on energy giant National Grid's legal panel as part of an ongoing review by UK general counsel and company secretary Karen Clayton. The firm, which won a first-time appointment to the UK panel in 2011 to advise purely on debt recovery matters, has not been reappointed as part of a review of the company's existing panel firms. Shakespeares, which already advises National Grid on property work, will instead take over from Irwin Mitchell having been awarded a one year place.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

March 17, 2014 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has moved a step closer to letting out six floors of empty office space in its City headquarters, with Transport for London (TfL) in talks to take the space. The transport body has put in an offer to take over roughly 220,000 sq ft of CC's 10 Upper Bank Street building in Canary Wharf - equating to six of tower's 30 floors. The offer, first reported by property website CoStar, has yet to be agreed by TfL's board, however if the deal does go ahead it will end a hunt for a tenant which has been going on for well over 18 months.

By Pui-Guan Man

3 minute read

March 13, 2014 | International Edition

SJ Berwin's merger with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) has been met with guarded optimism by law firm partners, who are more cynical about other recent high-profile tie-ups. Legal Week's latest Big Question survey has found that nearly 50% of partners believe legacy SJ Berwin's merger with Asia-Pacific giant KWM, which went live last November, looks like a good deal, while a further 6% believe the tie-up will be game-changing. However, 44% of respondents have a 'negative' or 'very negative' view of the union. Nearly half (46%) of partners see the KWM combination as being on a par with other sizeable international mergers in recent years, namely Norton Rose's tie-up with Texas firm Fulbright & Jaworski, which went live last June, US firm Hogan & Hartson's merger with City firm Lovells in 2010 and the three-way union between SNR Denton, Salans and Canada's Fraser Milner Casgrain last March forming Dentons.

By Pui-Guan Man

6 minute read

March 13, 2014 | International Edition

Eversheds has been named as solicitors to the Jersey historical abuse inquiry. The £6m year-long inquiry will investigate allegations of child abuse in homes and care in Jersey dating back as far as 1960.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

March 11, 2014 | International Edition

Ashurst London head of pensions Steven Hull has joined Eversheds, marking the latest in a string of partner exits at the City firm. Hull is set to leave Ashurst on 20 March, and is expected to join Eversheds on 1 May.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

March 11, 2014 | International Edition

Weil Gotshal & Manges' City arm has posted a 3.6% increase in revenue for 2013, as its global profit and turnover both suffered significant falls. The London office generated $114m (£68.6m) in fee income last year, up on the previous year when it brought in $110m (£66.2m).

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

March 10, 2014 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) and Slaughter and May have won the leading roles on the proposed $1.6bn (£961m) sale of two Indian hydro-power plants to a group led by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA).

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read

March 07, 2014 | International Edition

Stephenson Harwood's supervisory council has reappointed Sharon White as the firm's chief executive for a further three-year term. White is set for an eight-year stint in the role, having first taken on the top job in 2009.

By Pui-Guan Man

2 minute read