The energy & infrastructure finance team at Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co has advised longstanding client Primrose Solar on two inflation-linked financings from a major institutional investor for five solar parks worth £60m. The first deal, which closed early October 2014, concerned the £29m refinancing of four solar parks. The operational sites are in Glamorgan, […]
JPMorgan has revealed that it ran up $1.1bn (£723m) of legal expenses during the fourth quarter of 2014, up 30 per cent from $847m the year before. The figures were released in the bank’s fourth quarter results today (14 January). The results showed that despite the extra legal costs, the bank’s net expense for the […]
After months of nail-biting tension, 88 barristers and five solicitor-advocates opened envelopes this week confirming they could add ‘QC’ to their names. The numbers appointed silk this year are slightly down on 2013/14, when 100 were appointed. But the number of applications from female candidates, and the number of women appointed, are at an all-time […]
Shoosmiths has advised Peugeot Motor Company plc on the sale of Motaquip, an all-makes car part distribution business to Luton-based Comline Auto Parts Limited, an auto parts business. As part of the transaction, Comline Auto Parts set up Motaquip Ltd as a new company to purchase Motaquip from Peugeot. Motaquip was established in 1981 and […]
No5 Chambers is supporting My Business Counsel’s corporate crime seminar, which takes place on 13 Jan 2015. The speakers will be Adrian Keeling QC, barrister Michelle Healey and solicitor-advocate John Cato. According to the firm, the seminar will highlight the dangers, show how to put the correct policies and procedures in place, and allow you […]
Penningtons more than doubled its debt in the year it took over cash-strapped Manches, with a number of its partners giving personal guarantees that the loans would be repaid. LLP accounts filed with Companies House this week reveal that the firm’s short-term debt went from £5.9m at the end of 2012/13 to £13.5m at the […]
As we revealed when we published our UK 200 back in October, the last financial year was a record-breaker for the UK’s legal market, with revenue, profit and headcount numbers for the top 200 UK-headquartered firms all at record levels. With LLP reporting season well under way, though, it is clear that dealing with some […]
The QC Appointments Secretariat has unveiled the list of newly-appointed silks, with 93 making the cut out of 223 applicants – including 25 women. The total number of new silks is down from last year, when 100 QCs were named (19 February 2014). Of this year’s successful applicants, 88 are barristers and five are solicitor-advocates. […]
A total of 10 law firms, including new entrant Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, have made the cut in this year’s list of the top 100 gay-friendly employers by LGB charity Stonewall. While the total number of firms in the top 100 remains unchanged (15 January 2014), the legal sector has had its best-ever showing […]
Servicing debt and dealing with staff costs including historical pension liabilities continued to preoccupy firms in the 2013/14 financial year, LLP accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. Some firms, such as DWF, saw staff costs rise as a result of merger while others, such as Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), had increased liabilities due to […]
DWF has appointed Ince & Co head of corporate insurance Richard Britain and DLA Piper banking partner Christian Francis in London. Britain joined DWF last week (5 January) while Francis joined on Monday (12 January). Britain left Ince & Co on 2 December following a restructure of the firm’s corporate team, which saw head of […]
The Global Law Summit (GLS) is a one-off three-day event taking place in London from 23 to 25 February, 2015. Held in the 800th year since the sealing of Magna Carta, the summit will champion the Rule of Law as the foundation of the best commercial environment for business growth and for fair societal development, […]