Sofia Lind

October 17, 2011 | International Edition

Slaughter and May and Herbert Smith have won lead roles on one of this year's largest M&A deals - the £5.2bn purchase of Danish facilities outsourcing firm ISS by UK security group G4S. The acquisition is set to make the Crawley-based security services provider the world's largest combined security and facilities service provider, with revenues of around £15.9bn.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

October 13, 2011 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has added a high yield finance partner in London office with the hire of Latham & Watkins senior associate Fabio Diminich. Diminich, who began his career as an associate with Weil Gothsal & Manges in Washington DC, joined CC earlier this week (10 October).

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

October 12, 2011 | International Edition

SJ Berwin is to add to its structured finance practice with the hire of a partner from Sidley Austin, doubling the team's partner capacity in London. Sidley finance partner Andrew Bliss, who is a UK-qualified solicitor in the US firm's London office, is set to join SJ Berwin's City finance group after being voted into the partnership on 7 October. Bliss, who joined Sidley in 1999, has a practice focused around structured finance deals, including the securitisation of loans and rental deposits, repackagings, and bond and equity-linked transactions in the developed and emerging markets.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

October 12, 2011 | International Edition

Coming barely four months after it formally merged with Canada's Ogilvy Renault, last week's announcement that Norton Rose had sealed a second tie-up in the country led some rivals to question why the firm needs 700 lawyers in a nation that was until recently ignored by international law firms. But while Calgary-based Macleod Dixon – which will unite with Norton Rose's existing Canadian operations under a new Norton Rose Canada banner in January 2012 – may not have the same brand recognition outside Canada as legacy Ogilvy, closer scrutiny shows the union with the 250-lawyer practice fits rather neatly with the City firm's practice and global ambitions.

By Sofia Lind

6 minute read

October 12, 2011 | International Edition

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has called on the legal profession to 'open its doors wider' and do more to offer alternative routes into law in his latest appeal to UK businesses to boost social mobility. The Deputy Prime Minister made the remarks in a speech to the Financial Services Lawyers Association yesterday (11 October), in which he called for the profession to be more open to people of diverse backgrounds and stamp out nepotism.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

October 11, 2011 | International Edition

Clifford Chance's (CC) global head of aerospace and defence Georg Linde is leaving to join US firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher in Frankfurt. The Frankfurt-based partner has been at CC since 1999, and made partner in 2005. His practice covers corporate, M&A and private equity, with a particular focus on the aerospace, IT and telecoms, chemicals and renewable energy sectors.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

October 11, 2011 | International Edition

Taylor Wessing has grown its City hotels practice with the hire of a partner from Edwin Coe. Ronald Graham, Edwin Coe's head of hotels and hospitality, will join Taylor Wessing later this month (24 October). His practice focuses on advising owners and investors on their hotel and leisure assets, in particular on M&A and commercial contracts work.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

October 10, 2011 | International Edition

Simmons & Simmons has appointed UK projects head Juliet Reingold to lead its global energy and infrastructure sector group, replacing Charles Bankes in the role. The City partner, who was appointed head of projects in 2008, has a practice focusing on major projects and public private partnerships (PPP), with a particular emphasis on the transport and logistics, facilities management, utilities and defence sectors.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

October 10, 2011 | International Edition

Dundas & Wilson and Bircham Dyson Bell have ended their merger discussions after deciding against a combination. The firms announced today (10 October) that they have concluded exploratory discussions about a tie-up after mutually coming to a decision not to seek partner approval for a potential merger.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

October 07, 2011 | International Edition

Clifford Chance's (CC) partners increased their pro bono contributions by 31% last year, with the firm as a whole investing hours valued at a total of £17.8m in pro bono work during 2010-11. The figures are contained within CC's annual corporate responsibility report, which states that the magic circle firm invested a total of 58,368 hours in pro bono and community activities during the year, up 2% from the figure of 57,071 hours reported last year.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read