William Trotman

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

264

2 Comments

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

72

🚨 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 👆

328

7 Comments

Paris Smith LLP announces the official opening of its new office in Bournemouth. Located at Avalon House on Oxford Road, this expansion strengthens their commitment to delivering high-quality legal services across the South Coast and beyond. Led by Dorset-based partners, the Bournemouth office is a strategic move to serve individuals and businesses with even greater impact across areas including corporate & commercial, property, family, employment law, private client services and more. Read more: https://ow.ly/kGSL50WzhhL #legalservices #lawfirm #bournemouthsolcitors #businessexpansion #dorset

109

3 Comments

Smooth sailing🛥️ Lawyers in our corporate finance team have advised longstanding client Hays Travel on its acquisition of Victoria Travel Group, the parent company behind Cruise.co.uk. Partners Stephanie Brown and Philip Clare led on the deal, with support from Ben Evans, a solicitor in our corporate team. Ken Campling, financial director at Hays Travel, said, "As always, the corporate team at Muckle provided timely, professional, and expert advice that was essential to us closing the deal." Find out more about this acquisition and what it means for Hays', here👉https://ow.ly/w14K50Wy5LX

122

Chris Grant of Goodwin coined the term EFA (forward royalty payments accordingly) as a slight tweak on AFA, but they are really about the same thing when engaging firms: 1️⃣ Co-create the scope – law firm & client agree on outcomes before any work begins 2️⃣ Price for value – a single, transparent number tied to results, not timesheets 3️⃣ Stay in sync – ongoing check-ins keep the engagement aligned and surprise-free The payoff? Certainty on cost, stronger partnerships, and more time spent on strategic thinking. ▶️ Watch the clip to hear how EFAs deliver clarity and confidence for forward-thinking legal teams: https://lnkd.in/grhBtx3Z Then check out the full video for even more insights: https://lnkd.in/gWUVumD4 Want to learn more about switching over to an effective new way of legal spend? Book a demo at https://persuit.com/

69

2 Comments

🚀 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐰𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 We are thrilled to announce that Flint Bishop has successfully exchanged contracts to acquire the entire business of Lupton Fawcett LLP, a highly respected firm with offices in 𝐋𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬, 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤. Upon completion, Flint Bishop will retain all three Lupton Fawcett offices, substantially expanding our presence across the north of England, employing more than 420 people and projecting annual turnover well in excess of £40 million. The deal follows our record-breaking financial year for 2024/25, which saw revenue growth of 53% year-on-year to £31.9 million — highlighting the firm’s strong market momentum. Qamer Ghafoor, 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝: 🗨️ “Our latest acquisition is a transformative step in our growth journey, enhancing our capabilities, broadening our geographic reach, and allowing us to deliver even greater value to our clients. Lupton Fawcett has a proud heritage and an outstanding reputation, and we look forward to welcoming our talented new colleagues in Leeds, Sheffield, and York, supporting them with exciting career and development opportunities. The acquisition also creates significant opportunities for growth across Leeds, Sheffield, and York, where we will be actively recruiting to strengthen our presence in the north of England. With further strategic acquisitions in the pipeline and active discussions already underway, we remain firmly committed to strengthening our position as a leading, innovative, and client-focused national law firm.” 📖 Read the full news story here: https://loom.ly/3SyanyQ #FlintBishop #LuptonFawcett #LawFirmGrowth #LegalInnovation #NationalLawFirm #CareerOpportunities #Leeds #Sheffield #York

267

36 Comments