Sofia Lind

March 15, 2012 | International Edition

A quartet of City firms have scored roles on a major City real estate deal which has seen the Aldgate Place site in London's E1 area change hands. The deal, which closed last week (8 March), saw Winckworth Sherwood take the lead role for Barratt Developments on its purchase while Addleshaw Goddard, which acted on behalf of the organising bank, HSH Nordbank, advised the seller, Tishman Speyer.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 15, 2012 | International Edition

White & Case City restructuring partner Mark Glengarry is leaving the firm to take up a role at Morgan Stanley as a managing director in its investment banking division in London. Glengarry joined White & Case in 2003 and was made up to a partner in the firm's financial restructuring and insolvency practice (FRI) in 2009.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 15, 2012 | International Edition

SJ Berwin has elected Stephen Kon as its new senior partner to succeed Jonathan Blake as of 1 May. Kon, who currently heads the firm's EU and competition group, is a longstanding member of the firm's strategic management team. He stood against just one other contender for the role, City litigation partner Hilton Mervis, who had also previously stood unsuccessfully for the managing partner role in 2010.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 14, 2012 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) is in line to pick up a high-profile advisory role if the Government pushes ahead with plans to introduce 100-year sovereign bonds to take advantage of Britain's historically low interest rates. The magic circle firm is currently the primary adviser on this type of work to the Debt Management Office (DMO), which would be charged with testing market appetite for the new gilts, which are expected to form part of Chancellor George Osborne's annual budget next Wednesday (21 March).

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 12, 2012 | International Edition

Bird & Bird is advising a group Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) shareholders on a £2.4bn lawsuit brought against the bank and a group of former directors including former chief executive Fred Goodwin. The firm is representing the RBoS Shareholders Action Group, which said it is bringing the lawsuit as a "last resort" after the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had failed to help them recover losses incurred by a 2008 rights issue.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 11, 2012 | International Edition

Stephenson Harwood has won the key role to advise the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) on a £3bn waste-to-energy procurement project, after a competitive tender which saw the firm see off former adviser Eversheds. The project will see the creation of new waste treatment facilities in north London and a new fuel use facility to optimise energy recovery from solid recovered fuel. By 2045, the facilities are expected to handle around 3% of the UK's municipal waste tonnage.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 09, 2012 | International Edition

City media lawyers have questioned the timing of the news that the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) is to be shut down amid the ongoing Leveson inquiry into UK press standards. The wind-down of the PCC, which has come under intense fire in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal, had been widely predicted, although the yesterday's (8 March) announcement has provoked some surprise among media lawyers.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

March 09, 2012 | International Edition

Taylor Wessing's Singapore ally RHT Law has joined its international network, with the 60-fee earner firm set to rebrand as RHTLaw Taylor Wessing. The two firms, which entered into a co-operation agreement six months ago, will now see their relationship operate along the same lines as Taylor Wessing's UK and German arms.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

March 08, 2012 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) has continued its involvement in the European sovereign debt crisis with a key role advising the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) Determinations Committee, which last week ruled that Greece had not yet defaulted on its debts. The magic circle firm is fielding a team led by City derivatives and structured finance partner David Benton.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

March 08, 2012 | International Edition

The UK's top 100 law firms saw fee income increase by 7.2% year-on-year during the third quarter of 2011-12 according to new research, which shows firms are predicting slower growth for the coming financial year due to the ongoing economic uncertainty in the eurozone. Deloitte's latest legal sector survey, covering the three-month period ending 31 January, shows that while fee income increased in Q3 this year compared with 2011, the growth is down on last quarter, when the same firms reported an increase in turnover of nearly 10%.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read