THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

update 18:45 (GMT)

Uría Menéndez has been awarded at the annual award ceremony of the Asian magazine China Law & Practice in the China Outbound Award category. The publication, which is part of the Euromoney group, recognised Uría Menéndez’s participation in the transaction, through its Beijing, Madrid and São Paulo offices, as legal advisors to the sellers in the China State Grid - Brazilian Assets’ deal. This transaction was also nominated for the Energy and Natural Resources category.   (... read full story)

MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

update 11:00 (GMT)

According to the half-year rankings of Bloomberg, Mergermarket and Thomson Reuters, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira continues to lead the M&A tables in Spain and Portugal, consolidating its position as the leading law firm for M&A transactions on the Iberian market.   (... read full story)

Twenty three of the UK's leading law firms have demonstrated their long-term commitment to improving access to the legal profession by launching PRIME, a profession-wide undertaking to give fair access to quality work experience for young people from less privileged backgrounds.   (... read full story)

Bryan Cave Welcomes Jean de Hauteclocque and Anna Obolensky in Paris

The international law firm Bryan Cave LLP welcomed Jean de Hauteclocque as counsel and Anna Obolensky as associate to its Commercial Litigation and International Arbitration Team at the beginning of September. (... read full story)

International legal practice Norton Rose OR LLP launched its new Canadian business ethics and anti-corruption team today. It will help clients navigate the increasingly complex rules that apply to companies doing business in Canada and in other countries around the world. (... read full story)

Slaughter and May is advising Texas Instruments Incorporated ('TI') on the English law aspects of its acquisition of National Semiconductor Corporation (National) for $6.5 billion in an all cash deal. The acquisition was announced on 4 April 2011 and has received US Antitrust clearance and the approval of National's Shareholders. (... read full story)

Funkwerk AG has sold 100% of the shares in its subsidiary ALPHA Meß-Steuer-Regeltechnik GmbH ("ALPHA GmbH") to an investment firm held by Bilfinger Berger Industrial Services GmbH. The purchase agreement was signed today. The purchase price was not disclosed. (... read full story)

Slaughter and May advised Taylor Wimpey plc on the repurchase of £82,415,000 in aggregate nominal amount of its £250 million 10.375% senior notes due 2015 (the 'Notes') at a purchase price of 106%, pursuant to a tender offer for the Notes. (... read full story)

Shearman & Sterling is advising long-time client Charter International plc on the US aspects of its proposed acquisition by Colfax Corporation. The acquisition values Charter’s fully diluted share capital at approximately £1,528 million. It is intended that the acquisition will be implemented by way of a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under Jersey law or a takeover offer to Charter shareholders at the election of Colfax. The acquisition will be funded from a combination of proceeds of an equity issue by Colfax, new debt facilities and Colfax’s existing cash resources. (... read full story)

Slaughter and May is advising Charter International PLC ('Charter') on a recommended cash and share offer to be made by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Colfax Corporation for Charter which values the company at approximately £1,528 million.  (... read full story)

International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer says the Independent Commission of Banking's (ICB) final proposals on UK banking regulation, if implemented, will significantly affect the international and domestic competitiveness of UK-based banks with retail operations in the following ways...   (... read full story)

International legal and tax advisors CMS have published the "CMS Guide to Cross-Border Mergers", an overview of the requirements and implications of cross-border mergers. Covering 17 countries in Europe, the publication anticipates a continued upswing in the number of such transactions.   (... read full story)

MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 05, 2011

update 18:30 (GMT)

The global partnership of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey has enthusiastically approved the proposed combination with Minter Ellison Perth, placing Squire Sanders among the world’s top 20 legal practices. Partners at the firm in Western Australia voted earlier this month to join Squire Sanders’ global legal practice. The combination will take effect by October. (... read full story)

NATIONAL LAW firm, Irwin Mitchell, has further enhanced its Real Estate practice with the appointment of Holly Trotman to the firm’s Planning team.  (... read full story)

José Manuel García Represa, a Spanish national based in Dechert’s Paris office, focuses his practice on international investment and commercial arbitration, particularly on cases involving Latin America and Spain. Since joining Dechert as a senior associate in 2008, Mr. García Represa has been a major contributor to the development of the firm’s Latin American practice, which is headed by Eduardo Silva Romero.  (... read full story)

ECM Equity Capital Management (ECM) has sold IN tIME, a provider of logistics services, to Barclays Private Equity through a secondary buyout. A number of conditions need to be met in order for the purchase agreement to become effective, such as approval by the relevant competition authorities. The parties have agreed not to disclose other terms of the agreement, including the purchase price.  (... read full story)

THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 01, 2011

update 17.45 (GMT)

Philippe Thomas joins Dechert's Employment Law Practice as a Partner in Paris

Philippe has extensive experience advising both domestic and international clients on all aspects of French employment law, most notably as relating to national and international mergers and acquisitions and the transfer of personnel. He also regularly advises on restructuring issues as well headcount reduction, consultation of work councils, harmonisation of employee status, senior employee terminations and post termination issues.  (... read full story)

Slaughter and May is advising Bunzl plc, the international distribution and outsourcing Group, on the sale of Provend Group Limited and its subsidiaries (including Bunzl Vending Services Limited) to Autobar UK Limited for approximately £32 million in cash. Bunzl Vending Services supplies, services and operates food and drink vending equipment and systems.  (... read full story)

International legal practice Norton Rose LLP has advised developer Contour Global on a US$91.25 million loan facility to complete Phase I of the KivuWatt project on Lake Kivu in Kibuye, Rwanda. The total cost of Phase I of the project is expected to be approximately US$142million. (... read full story)

Slaughter and May acted for The Arsenal Football Club on its transfer dealings over the course of the recent transfer window (which closed at 11pm on 31 August, 2011).  (... read full story)

FRIDAY - AUGUST 28, 2011

update 14.00 (GMT)

Norton Rose Australia has today announced the appointment of four new lateral partners strengthening its corporate practice and adding depth to its banking, funds and financial services offering.   (... read full story)

Norton Rose Piotr Strawa and Partners, LP has provided comprehensive legal advice to Vattenfall AB on the sale of 99.98 per cent of shares in Górnośląski Zakład Elektroenergetyczny S.A. (GZE) to TAURON Polska Energia S.A. (TAURON), one of Poland’s leading power companies, and the sale of Vattenfall Heat Poland S.A. (VHP) to Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo S.A. (PGNiG), one of Poland’s leading oil and gas companies. The share purchase agreements were signed on 23 August 2011. The closing of both transactions is dependent upon TAURON and PGNiG obtaining clearance for the transactions from the Polish Antimonopoly Authority.    (... read full story)

Tuesday - AUGUST 23, 2011

update 19:15 (GMT)

AESI Group of France has acquired Stuttgart-based ICIDO GmbH, a European leader in virtual reality and virtual engineering. The seller is a group of private equity investors.  (... read full story)

Tuesday - JANUARY 18, 2011

update 14:00 (GMT)

PARSHIP GmbH, part of the Georg von Holtzbrinck publishing group, has acquired Berlin-based start-up 12like. (... read full story)

Baker & McKenzie announced that it has successfully acted as Ukrainian law counsel to a leading international pharmaceutical company in a case against the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine regarding cancellation of the public procurement tender committee decision. The case was reviewed by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU). (... read full story)