Victoria Delacey

Sullivan & Cromwell sent shockwaves across London's legal scene when the news broke on Monday that it is hiring two of the City's best known corporate lawyers—Kon Amisacopoulos from Kirkland & Ellis and Mike Francies, formerly of Weil Gotshal & Manges. Amisacopoulos has acted on some of the biggest restructurings in the U.K. of the past 10 years, while Francies, though recently retired, has for nearly three decades enjoyed a reputation as one of London's most prominent private equity M&A leaders. Given the calibre and profile of the double-hire, it has given way to plenty of speculation, chiefly, whether or not Sullivan & Cromwell is going to replicate Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison's hyper-aggressive London growth strategy. Could the hires be the first step in the elite-but-conservative Sullivan & Cromwell's transformation into a major London competitor? According to sources close to the matter, the firm is going to make more big name hires. It is planning to bring on around five more high profile partners in London, one of the people said, as well as make several internal promotions, with at least three partner promotions expected in the near term. These numbers suggest that the firm isn't quite expecting to replicate Paul Weiss' much-lauded hiring spree, which began in 2023 after it enlisted Neel Sachdev and other debt finance rising stars from rivals including Kirkland & Ellis, Linklaters and others. But Sullivan & Cromwell has started from a higher base. It already has more than 50 fee-earners in London, around 17 of whom are partners. Full story from Molly Smith: https://lnkd.in/e5YkiHAe

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🚨 Orrick has completed its blockbuster finance raid on Cadwalader, hiring 37 lawyers - including ten partners - across London, New York, Charlotte and Washington DC, in one of the biggest finance moves of the year. 14 lawyers (and two trainees) are making the jump in London from one of the City's leading CLO practices. The team is led by leading name David Quirolo and includes partners Claire Puddicombe, Alex Collins and Daniel Tobias. Orrick chair Mitch Zuklie called the hires "a game-changer" for the firm and its clients, adding: "It advances multiple strategic priorities, including growing our London office and scaling our finance practice with a team of remarkable quality." More here: https://lnkd.in/ePuK_GQD

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Read the latest on Weil’s European Restructuring Watch from Neil Devaney, Andrew Wilkinson, Natasha Ayres, Matt Benson, Lois Deasey, Jenny Davidson, Gemma Sage and Mark Lawford – Cross Border Recognition of Restructurings: The 2019 Hague Judgments Convention Comes into Effect in the UK – https://lnkd.in/eD6UqzrJ

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Defending the defenders 🛡️ Tom Bedford, partner, speaks to Legal Cheek about his career journey – from acting for banks in negligence claims, to becoming a leading lawyer in professional negligence and regulatory defence. He says: “I liked the idea of representing other people’s interests. Every case carries a compelling human story.” His work today spans litigation, disciplinary proceedings, client training, mentoring junior lawyers and helping with the management of the firm. His advice for aspiring lawyers? “Be yourself… if you go in authentically and the firm likes you – I think it’s a recipe for success – and for happiness.” Read more from Tom’s interview here: https://bit.ly/3KdUV6T

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From landmark appellate rulings to collective action milestones – Q3 was anything but quiet in UK competition litigation. In our latest UK Competition Litigation Quarterly Update, partners Ed Coulson and Andrew Leitch, alongside senior associates Juliette Parkinson, Sam Brown, India Fahy, and Jamie Pollock, break down six key developments shaping the litigation landscape, including: - The dismissal of Phones 4u’s long-running collusion claim against mobile operators - The CAT’s findings on default multilateral interchange fees and their competitive impact - The call for evidence on reform of the opt-out collective proceedings regime - The latest rulings in Le Patourel, Rowntree, and Boundary Fares These cases highlight both the pace of developments and complexity in this fast-evolving space – and the practical implications for businesses navigating high-stakes disputes. Watch our teaser video below and read the full update at the link in the comments.

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On 1 August 2025, the Arbitration Act 2025 (the “2025 Act”) formally enters into force. The 2025 Act brings about a number of important changes to the Arbitration Act 1996 (the “1996 Act”), the principal statute governing international commercial arbitrations in England and Wales. Jonathan Schaffer-Goddard and Aphiwan Natasha King summarise some of the most important practical considerations in relation to the 2025 Act here: https://lnkd.in/ezVKES8m

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🚨 Clifford Chance doubles down on projects. The global firm has launched a front-end construction team in Aus. Counsel Katie Joukadjian returns to lead. Joukadjian rejoins the firm from Pinsent Masons. Before that, she worked on mega-projects at CC’s own Abu Dhabi office. She brings extensive expertise across renewables, mining, real estate and infra. Now she rejoins Clifford Chance. It’s a timely move. Capital is flooding into energy and infra sectors across APAC. And this is another step in Clifford Chance’s Aus growth plan. Nadia Kalic, Global Co-Head of Energy & Resources, said: “We're committed to supporting our clients across all stages of their investment into major projects and Katie's extensive front-end construction experience will complement our existing transactional and disputes practices.” If you liked this post, we know you’ll like our newsletter. Click 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗨𝗽 to join free 👆

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4 New Square Chambers’ Graham Chapman KC acted for the successful party in defending an application for injunctive relief in a high-profile shareholder dispute concerning Pakistan’s largest energy company.   Graham was instructed by Dillon Eustace LLP’s Cayman Litigation team – Conal Keane, Niall Dodd, and Alan Quigley. 4 New Square Chambers' Scott Allen was also instructed by Dillon Eustace to assist with the matter.   The case is Al Jomaih Power Limited & Denham Investment Limited v. IGCF SPV 21 Limited & KES Power Limited. #CommercialLitigation #caymanlitigation #injuctiverelief #shareholderdispute

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Case update: Court provides guidance on when the “COVID-19 safe harbour” under s588GAAA may not apply Contributors: Adam Preiner CA RITP, Managing Director, Integra Restructuring & Insolvency Isabella Marriott, Associate, Mills Oakley Alwyn Narayan, Partner, Mills Oakley The District Court of New South Wales has delivered the first judicial consideration of the “COVID-19 safe harbour” for insolvent trading under s588GAAA of the Corporations Act 2001 (“the Act”). The Court examined whether the “COVID-19 safe harbour” applied to the Director for the period 25 March 2020 to 31 December 2020 in circumstances where the company was already insolvent and had already ceased trading prior to COVID-19. Read the takeaways, background and decision (members only) ▶️ https://lnkd.in/gUHn2mK2

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