Sofia Lind

May 11, 2010 | International Edition

Stephenson Harwood has promoted two to the firm's partnership in its 2010 annual promotions round. The news comes as the City firm has also added a partner to its London office through the hire of a Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer lawyer. All the appointments are effective as of 1 May.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

May 11, 2010 | International Edition

SJ Berwin is on track to repay its withheld partner distributions within a year, with the first two monthly instalments paid out as planned. Partners have indicated that at the current rate, the firm could pay back the money due to partners within 10 months after beginning repayments in March 2010. This would be in line with initial hopes by management, which had targeted paying back the whole sum within one year.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

May 11, 2010 | International Edition

Simmons & Simmons may have seen a double-digit fall in revenue in the last financial year, but the prospects look relatively rosy for the firm's upwardly-mobile finance practice. Out of Simmons' four sector groups, financial institutions now count for around half of the firm's international business after the group's income more than doubled between 2005 and 2009. Since City banking partner Jeremy Hoyland took over the helm of the financial markets practice group from current managing partner Mark Dawkins five years ago, the firm has maintained a low-key but steady ascent up the pecking order of many of the world's leading banking institutions.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

May 05, 2010 | International Edition

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has put plans for strategic deals in the Middle East and London "on ice" as the US firm aims to gain a clearer sense of the economic prospects for Europe and the wider region. As Legal Week reported in February, the US west coast firm has been in talks with SJ Berwin regarding a merger. However, it has since emerged that Orrick had also held merger talks with United Arab Emirates firm Afridi & Angell as part of its other strategic priority of bolstering its Middle East practice.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

May 05, 2010 | International Edition

Former Samsonite general counsel Deborah Rasin has joined City boutique Candey after the luggage company closed down its London headquarters. Rasin joined the boutique as head of company and commercial at the end of April. Candey specialises in corporate and commercial law, with a particular focus on hotels, leisure and media companies. The hire of Rasin will add to the firm's consumer goods and retail law capabilities.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

May 05, 2010 | International Edition

SJ Berwin and Herbert Smith have taken lead roles on a major property deal which has seen airport operator BAA offload real estate assets worth £111m. SJ Berwin advised industrial real estate giant Segro on its acquisition of BAA's 50% share in the Airport Property Partnership (APP), the other 50% of which is owned by Aviva Investors.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

May 05, 2010 | International Edition

Royal Dutch Shell has finalised a global panel review which has seen former principal corporate adviser Slaughter and May miss out on a formal appointment. It is understood that magic circle rivals Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy will now share the sought-after global M&A work for the energy company.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

May 04, 2010 | International Edition

Clifford Chance (CC) has announced its annual promotions round with the City giant making up 22 new partners from 1 May. Five are based in the firm's London office, while one splits their time between Moscow and London. Europe sees the majority of the promotions, with new partners in Frankfurt, Duesseldorf, Brussels, Moscow and Warsaw.

By Sofia Lind

3 minute read

May 04, 2010 | International Edition

Willkie Farr & Gallagher has moved to dramatically scale up its French projects and public law practice with the hire of a nine-lawyer team from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Public law partner Thierry Laloum and project finance partner Amir Jahanguiri both joined the Paris arm of Willkie Farr on 1 May as partners, alongside counsel Vincent Brenot, who also joined as a partner.

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read

April 30, 2010 | International Edition

Allen & Overy (A&O) has overhauled its pay bands for junior lawyers with the City giant restarting its associate track and agreeing modest rises in its underlying salary bands. The pay increases, which are effective from 1 May, will see the firm's salaries range from a newly-qualified (NQ) rate of £61,000 to £74,000 for solicitors with two years' post-qualification experience (PQE).

By Sofia Lind

2 minute read