Day two is nearing its close, I don’t expect anybody to be here on day three apart from the cleaners. Conferences used to be all about the speakers, the exhibition stands were a side show. My experience on Wednesday was that it was well worthwhile attending just to hear the panels, so the speakers won […]
Aim-listed company London Mining has become the latest casualty to be struck down by Ebola, as it calls in administrator PwC to wind up its operations. The disease, which has been ravaging West Africa, was clearly the tipping-point for the mining giant, which has also been struggling to overcome crippling debt, collapsing iron ore prices, […]
Linklaters has continued its push on diversity by launching a new ally programme aimed at support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) colleagues. The launch comes after EY named it the first organisation in the UK to achieve a new diversity standard devised by EY and a group of UK businesses including Nestle, Vodafone, RBS […]
A raft of firms including Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Pinsent Masons and Hogan Lovells has advised on the £1bn sale of three of Heathrow’s airports to a consortium formed by Ferrovial and Macquarie. Freshfields partners Stephen Hewes and Laurie McFadden advised Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd on the sale of Glasgow, Abderdeen and Southampton […]
Travers Smith and Clifford Chance have been called in to advise on the administration of Ebola-struck London Mining. The mining giant has turned to its longstanding adviser Travers Smith for advice, while the administrator PwC instructed Clifford Chance. London Mining has struggled to overcome a number of obstacles in recent years, including collapsing iron ore […]
Covington & Burling advised US mobile phone chipmaker Qualcomm and Slaughter and May advised tech firm CSR on the US company’s £1.6bn takeover of the British company, which will increase Qualcomm’s presence in the UK. London-based partners Louise Nash and Simon Amies led Covington & Burling’s team in the deal for Qualcomm, which will allow […]
He’s keeping a close eye on it, is Mr King. So far I’ve been during the soft opening, for two breakfasts (not together) and a rather leisurely lunch and he’s been there twice, doing that thing he does, welcoming you at the door in that charming yet slightly intimidating way, as he towers over you, […]
Until recently Tim Roberts resided very much in the shadows at Parabis, quietly masterminding the systems and processes that have created the volume powerhouse that the firm is today. Roberts was a defendant insurance lawyer at legacy Badhams when he tempted Tim Oliver away from Berrymans Lace Mawer in 2000 and the two set about […]
EDF has turned to Clifford Chance antitrust partner Jenine Hulsmann to win approval for a nuclear reactor subsidy scheme from the European Commission (EC), enabling the first new nuclear reactors to be built in Britain for 20 years. EDF general counsel Guido Santi, head of project Angela Piearce and head of nuclear new build Chris […]
Ben Jones, partner and tax expert at Eversheds, has commented on news that AbbVie is reconsidering its $54bn (£34bn) takeover of UK drug maker Shire in light of the recent crackdown on tax inversion deals. He said: ‘It is of course right and proper for the Board of AbbVie to give further consideration to the proposed […]
Tomasz Zalewski, the partner in charge of the e-business, intellectual property and public procurement teams at Wierzbowski Eversheds, has been elected to the Expert Group in the field of intellectual property (IP) at the Polish Chamber of Information Technology and Telecommunications (PIIT), by resolution of the PIIT Council. In his IP practice, Zalewski focuses on issues […]
Peter Shervington, a specialist in product liability at Eversheds, has commented on news that Toyota is recalling 1.75 million vehicles over fuel and brake system issues. Shervington noted that undertaking a consumer recall is a major step for any manufacturer — the direct costs of contacting vehicle owners, disseminating information through dealer networks and informing […]