Legal Week - Ashurst

Ashurst set to close in Rome after pulling out of Sweden last week

Rose Walker, staff — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 00:00:23 -0400

Partners say smaller offices have been under the microscope, with Rome closure coming after decision to exit Stockholm

Freshfields, A&O and Slaughters lawyers register in Ireland as Brexit fears mount

Anna Ward, contributor — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 00:03:00 -0400

UK-qualified lawyers apply to join Irish roll of solicitors to obtain European rights ahead of Brexit vote

Ashurst and DLA advise on Time Out IPO as Brexit vote looms

Anna Ward, contributor — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 09:03:00 -0400

Duo win roles to float the UK listings magazine just days before historic EU referendum

Ashurst and Eversheds make a splash on £140m Joules IPO

Rose Walker, staff — Tue, 24 May 2016 19:05:00 -0400

The UK clothing and lifestyle company expects to raise around £77.5m from the flotation

White & Case hires second Ashurst partner in two weeks

James Booth, staff — Thu, 5 May 2016 12:22:00 -0400

US firm’s London office picks up Ashurst's London disputes head who is also global co-head of resources and infrastructure disputes

Ashurst appoints legacy Blake Dawson partner as managing partner

Rose Walker, staff — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 19:03:00 -0400

Banking and finance partner Paul Jenkins takes up the reins after 20 years at the international firm

Ashurst hires two KWM partners as firm exits continue

Rose Walker, staff — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 09:52:00 -0400

International firm has hired two KWM partners for its London office as KWM sees the latest in a string of exits in recent months

Ashurst retains 79% of spring trainees

Rose Walker, staff — Thu, 7 Apr 2016 12:12:00 -0400

The international firm has held onto 79% of its trainees - none of which have joined the finance department

Ashurst hires HSF’s global co-head of TMT in double partner swipe

Rose Walker, staff — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 09:37:00 -0400

Nick Elverston and Amanda Hale join Ashurst after 12 and five years at HSF respectively

Ashurst launches research and development arm

Rose Walker, staff — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 06:12:00 -0400

The R&D capability will form one part of the firm's new global innovation initiative, Ashurst Advance

Addleshaw Goddard and Ashurst drop off Aviva roster as panel confirmed

James Booth, staff — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 20:03:00 -0400

Ashurst and Addleshaw Goddard have both moved off Aviva’s roster of advisers

Ashurst drafts in London partner to manage Italian offices as local head exits for DLA Piper

Rose Walker, staff — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 20:03:00 -0400

Managing partner of Rome and Milan offices exits for DLA Piper following a nine-lawyer team that made the jump in October

Partners ill-prepared for law firm management, report reveals

Rose Walker, staff — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 19:23:00 -0500

Nearly two-thirds of lawyers in senior management positions say they had little or no help in preparing for their roles

Ashurst bags mandate on Morrisons and Ocado deal

Rose Walker, staff — Wed, 2 Mar 2016 06:03:00 -0500

Ashurst instructed by Morrison on Ocado discussions while in-house lawyers at Morrisons and Amazon advise on grocery supply deal

Litigation rising stars

Rose Walker, staff — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 12:13:00 -0500

ALLEN & OVERY Mahmood LoneQualified: 2004Made partner: 2014Practice: Banking, finance and regulatory litigation Case highlights: Advising a leading…

Hitachi Rail Europe appoints first GC

Rose Walker, staff — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 06:41:00 -0500

Jane Mee joins from engineer WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, where she was legal director

Ashurst and MacRoberts advise on sale of i newspaper as Independent ceases print

Rose Walker, staff — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 09:44:00 -0500

Ashurst is advising long-standing client Johnston on the acquisition as sister title announces it will drop print edition

Bristol tops list of most popular cities for legal services centres as firms reap cost cuts of over 20%

Rose Walker, staff — Mon, 8 Feb 2016 08:35:00 -0500

Report reveals that firms pay up to 22% less per square foot for space in regional cities than they do in London

First contenders emerge in Ashurst managing partner race

Rose Walker, staff — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 19:03:00 -0500

As Ashurst’s board gears up to appoint James Collis’ successor, partners past and present consider who is best set to replace him

RSA GC steps down as insurer prepares to kick off delayed panel review

Rose Walker, staff — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:00:00 -0500

Derek Walsh set to leave next month, with insurer's delayed panel review expected to start this quarter

Ashurst boosts City disputes team with hire of DLA international arbitration head

Rose Walker, staff — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 11:02:00 -0500

Matthew Saunders joins Ashurst after 15 years at DLA Piper

DLA Piper advises China’s Lufax on $1.2bn share offering

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 05:46:00 -0500

Clifford Chance, Ashurst and Paul Hastings among firms advising a host of investors in the Chinese peer-to-peer lender

Slaughters and Linklaters top 10-year listed company adviser rankings

Rose Walker, staff — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 19:03:00 -0500

Magic circle firms retains their position as the firms with the most and biggest clients on the London Stock Exchange

Linklaters and Ashurst advise on Countryside Properties flotation

Rose Walker, staff — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 07:06:00 -0500

Countryside is expected to be valued at £1bn as it sets its sights on raising around £114m through the IPO

Ashurst's Korea opening put on hold following partner exit

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 19:03:00 -0500

Ashurst has put its plans to open a Korea office on hold following the exit of Tokyo head John McClenahan

Ashurst and Kirkland & Ellis lead on UBM’s sale of PR Newswire for $841m

Rose Walker, staff — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 08:42:00 -0500

UK events business aims to complete the disposal of the news agency in the first quarter of next year

Linklaters' CFO among ex-HBOS executives facing possible investigation

Rose Walker, staff — Thu, 3 Dec 2015 05:31:00 -0500

Peter Hickman is among former bank directors facing investigation by the financial and regulatory authorities

Olswang hires Ashurst Singapore partner

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 2 Dec 2015 06:39:00 -0500

Corporate partner Toby Grainger has joined Olswang in Singapore bringing the firm's office partner headcount to five

Ashurst hires Mayer Brown US finance partner

Rose Walker, staff — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 09:19:00 -0500

Mayer Brown partner Lawrence Berkovich will join Ashurst’s collateralised loan obligations team in New York

Asia Transfer Window: recent moves including Latham, Kirkland and Ashurst

Frances Ivens, contributor — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 19:03:00 -0500

Sidley Austin, Withers and Ropes & Gray have all also made hires in the region in recent weeks

Trio of firms called in on AUS$2.4bn NAB and Nippon Life Insurance deal

Frances Ivens, contributor — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 05:37:00 -0400

The AUS$2.4bn deal sees Japan's Nippon Life Insurance acquire an 80% interest in a subsidiary of National Australia Bank

Ashurst hires veteran King & Wood Mallesons corporate partner in Hong Kong

Rose Walker, staff — Thu, 8 Oct 2015 05:57:00 -0400

Corporate partner Joshua Cole, who joined King & Wood Mallesons in 1996, becomes the latest in a string of partners to exit

Freshfields and KWM dominate Asia M&A over the last three years

Frances Ivens, contributor — Tue, 1 Sep 2015 21:03:00 -0400

Firms come out on top of value and volume rankings for the last three years as total deal value and volume hit new highs

Travers Smith hikes NQ salaries 9%

Rose Walker, staff — Tue, 1 Sep 2015 05:27:00 -0400

Firm raises newly qualified pay to the same level as Slaughter and May following record financial results earlier this year

Ashurst plans move to Spitalfields in 2019

Rose Walker, staff — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 09:03:00 -0400

Ashurst to end 30-year stay in Appold Street with 20-year lease on Fruit & Wool Exchange building

Transfer Window Asia: recent moves including Cleary Gottlieb, Ashurst and DLA Piper

Frances Ivens, contributor — Sun, 2 Aug 2015 19:03:00 -0400

Further hires for White & Case, King & Wood Mallesons, and Morrison & Foerster

Five firms act on A$1.4bn energy company takeover

Frances Ivens, contributor — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 07:15:00 -0400

Norton Rose Fulbright, Ashurst and Allens have all secured roles on the cross-border energy deal

A&O hires Ashurst's former Spanish banking co-head

Anna Ward, contributor — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 10:29:00 -0400

Magic circle firm recruits Juan Hormaechea in Spain as it continues to grow after launching its Barcelona branch last year

Ashurst feels impact of currency fluctuations with 4% revenue dip

Frances Ivens, contributor — Tue, 7 Jul 2015 19:03:00 -0400

Firm's profit per equity partner falls by nearly 7% after a rebound in 2013-14, while revenue drops by 4%

Ashurst loses nine lawyers to Paul Hastings in the US

Frances Ivens, contributor — Fri, 3 Jul 2015 06:16:00 -0400

The UK firm's US managing partner and global co-head of securities and derivatives are among those moving

King & Spalding launches in Tokyo with Ashurst team

Frances Ivens, contributor — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 04:49:00 -0400

US firm hires three Tokyo Ashurst partners for the office opening, halving Ashurst's Tokyo partners headcount

Ashurst appoints Asia managing partners

Frances Ivens, contributor — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 05:07:00 -0400

Firm selects new heads for its Hong Kong and Tokyo offices as reigning partners' terms come to an end

Freshfields' Australia country partner jumps to Ashurst

Vern Pitt, contributor — Fri, 29 May 2015 07:28:00 -0400

Former Tokyo managing partner joins with remit to enhance the 'scale and depth' of firm's Asia-Pacific business

Ashurst associates get pay rises of up to 8%

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 27 May 2015 16:20:00 -0400

Firm hands salary increases to lawyers with three years' PQE following a year when rates were frozen for most associates

Ashurst hires global pro bono practice leader from Reed Smith

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 05:18:00 -0400

It is the first time the firm has brought in a global pro bono head who will draft a new strategy for the practice

A brave few becomes a growing crowd: Australia's continuing magnetism

John Malpas, contributor — Thu, 2 Apr 2015 06:52:00 -0400

Hogan Lovells' modest Australia launch makes sense at a time when the economy down under has lost its lustre

Ashurst scores on Crossrail as annual legal fees double

Vern Pitt, contributor — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 20:03:00 -0400

Firm scoops up more than half of Crossrail's legal spend over the five-year period running to April 2014; Freshfields biggest non-panel winner

Ashurst and Hogan Lovells post drop in spring NQ retention rates

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 4 Mar 2015 08:28:00 -0500

Hogan Lovells and Ashurst are keeping on 66% and 91% of their spring intakes respectively, with the former blaming conflicting practice area preferences for the drop

Ashurst, DLA and Eversheds on board as Hitachi Rail Europe names debut panel

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 07:28:00 -0500

Ashurst, DLA Piper and Stephenson Harwood are among the firms to have won places on Hiatchi Rail Europe's debut legal panel.

Deutsche Bank kicks off global panel review

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 3 Dec 2014 08:06:00 -0500

Deutsche Bank has begun a review of its global legal panel with the results of the process expected early next year.

Ashurst loses Australia competition head to Herbert Smith Freehills

Frances Ivens, contributor — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 19:25:00 -0500

Ashurst's head of competition in Australia, Liza Carver, has left the firm to join Herbert Smith Freehills' Sydney office.

Ashurst's Glasgow support office welcomes its first partner

Frances Ivens, contributor — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 11:31:00 -0400

Ashurst has moved the first partner to its Glasgow office with the firm planning to make more senior appointments in the low-cost support centre.

Ashurst cuts 15 document review roles in London

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 20:03:00 -0400

Ashurst has cut 15 roles from its London based overnight document production team, following a redundancy consultation which took place last month.

Ashurst's James Collis: still work to do after Blakes merger

Frances Ivens, contributor — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 19:05:00 -0400

Nearly a year after Ashurst formalised its long-awaited transcontinental merger with Australian firm Blake Dawson you could be forgiven for thinking James Collis would be looking forward to a slightly more relaxed 12 months, but the firm's managing partner is not resting on his laurels.

Ashurst reveals 22% PEP boost in first post-merger results

Frances Ivens, contributor — Mon, 7 Jul 2014 19:03:00 -0400

Ashurst's profit per equity partner (PEP) jumped 22% to £801,000 in the 2013-14 financial year with revenue up 6%, in its first end of year results since last year's merger with Australian outfit Blake Dawson.

Ashurst and Davis Polk advise on 'challenger bank' IPO

Frances Ivens, contributor — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 19:07:00 -0400

Ashurst and Davis Polk & Wardwell have won roles on the initial public offering (IPO) in London of Onesavings bank, the first of an expected wave of listings from ‘challenger banks'.

California dreaming - firms look further west in bid for US expansion

Georgina Stanley, staff — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 19:03:00 -0400

"While UK practices are still continuing their developing markets push, behind the scenes attention had already started shifting back to the perpetual elephant in the room: cracking the US market..."

Different routes – the non-magic circle way to fly American

Georgina Stanley, staff — Fri, 2 Mar 2012 05:46:00 -0500

The magic circle may have yet to find their dream partners in New York, but the more flexible model used by some London rivals - notably Hogan Lovells and DLA Piper - has allowed them to make considerable progress in the US...

Ashurst wins role for Nakheel bondholders on Dubai debt crisis

Legal Week, staff — Wed, 2 Dec 2009 08:17:00 -0500

Ashurst has become the latest City firm to win a role in relation to Dubai's debt crisis. The top 10 City firm is advising a group of bondholders who collectively hold more than 25% of bonds in Nakheel - the Dubai World-owned property company at the heart of the crisis.

Ashurst PEP falls by more than a third in 2008-09

Legal Week, staff — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:06:00 -0400

Ashurst has seen profits per equity partner (PEP) drop by more than a third during 2008-09. The top 10 City law firm has reported PEP of £673,000 for the last financial year, a 35% fall on the equivalent 2007-08 figure of £1.04m.

Ashurst partner profits down by more than a third for 2008-09

Legal Week, staff — Wed, 8 Jul 2009 07:52:00 -0400

Ashurst has seen profits per equity partner (PEP) drop by more than a third during 2008-09. The top 10 City firm has reported PEP of £673,000 for the last financial year, a 35% drop on 2007-08 figure of £1.04m.

Eversheds, Links honoured at British Legal Awards

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:48:00 -0500

Eversheds was among the winners at the 2008 British Legal Awards, beating a strong field of competition to scoop the coveted Law Firm of the Year award.Former Allen & Overy senior partner Guy Beringer - who now holds non-executive positions at investment managers Fleming Family & Partners and on the board of Her Majesty's Courts Service - was honoured with the City of London Law Society Lifetime Achievement award after 30 years at the magic circle law firm.

Ashurst lands Lehman role on Nomura takeover

Georgina Stanley, staff — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:07:00 -0400

Ashurst is the latest firm to benefit from the fallout of Lehman Brothers' spectacular collapse, with the top 10 City firm advising Lehman's European investment banking division on its takeover by Nomura. Corporate head Adrian Clark and corporate partner Gavin Gordon are leading the team, which also includes employment, incentives and pensions head Caroline Carter. Nomura announced today (23 September) that it had agreed to buy the European and Middle Eastern equities and investment banking operations of the stricken bank. The Japanese bank also beat Barclays to take on Lehman's Asia-Pacific operations.

Hammonds cooks up lead role on £1bn kitchen tools buy-out

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:38:00 -0400

Hammonds has scored a starring role on a £1bn deal - advising Illinois Tool Works (ITW) on its takeover bid for kitchen equipment manufacturer Enodis. The firm is fielding a team led by corporate partners Giles Distin and Jane Haxby on the £1.03bn acquisition, acting alongside Kirkland & Ellis and Ropes & Gray, which are providing US advice on the deal.

Hammonds tools up for £1bn Enodis bid

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:40:00 -0400

Hammonds has scored a starring role on a £1bn deal - advising Illinois Tool Works' (ITW) on its takeover bid for kitchen equipment manufacturer Enodis. The firm is fielding a team led by corporate partners Giles Distin and Jane Haxby on the £1.03bn acquisition, acting alongside Kirkland & Ellis and Ropes & Gray, which are providing US advice on the deal.

UK trainees avoid crunch fallout as top firms' retention soars above 90%

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:03:00 -0500

Trainee retention rates across the UK's elite legal profession have remained steadfast, with many firms keeping hold of more than 90% of their intake despite a sharp dip in City lawyers' overall business confidence. Eighteen out of 25 of the UK's top firms are holding on to more than 90% of their March class of qualifying lawyers, including six firms with a 100% retention rate.

Ashurst adds two to management board

Georgina Stanley, staff — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 04:53:00 -0500

Ashurst has elected two new members to its management board, with partners from London and Germany winning posts on the committee. Ashurst partners voted London litigation partner Ben Tidswell and Frankfurt corporate partner Reinhard Eyring on to the board, with effect from the start of this month.

City giants lead Emap's £1bn B2B sell-off

Georgina Stanley, staff — Wed, 2 Jan 2008 10:43:00 -0500

Ashurst and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are advising Guardian Media Group and private equity house Apax on their £1bn takeover of the business-to business arm of publishing giant Emap. The terms of the recommended cash offer, announced on 21 December, together with a £1bn special dividend payable to shareholders following the sale of Emap's consumer and radio divisions, effectively value the company at £2bn.

Herbies only top firm to hold market share in client rankings

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 21:03:00 -0500

Herbert Smith has enjoyed a strong showing in Hemscott's quarterly rankings of advisers to listed clients, finishing as the only top firm to improve its market share. The top 10 City firm managed to edge up its number of listed clients to 77 to finish eight in the UK rankings, while the rest of the top 15 firms saw their number of stock market clients drop.

City giants commit £750k to new diversity drive

Georgina Stanley, staff — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:33:00 -0500

A clutch of London's leading law firms have committed around three-quarters of a million pounds to a new initiative aimed at increasing diversity in the legal profession. Thirteen members of the City Solicitors Educational Trust (CSET) have set aside £250,000 for next year to finance the new project - which aims to encourage students from a wider range of universities and backgrounds to consider a career in law - with similar totals expected for 2009 and 2010.

City defies crunch with double-digit H1 growth

Georgina Stanley, staff — Thu, 8 Nov 2007 00:48:00 -0500

City leaders have defied struggling credit markets to announce strong H1 results, despite longer-term worries about the rest of the year. Just one out of nearly 20 top 50 firms to have reported H1 results has failed to record double-digit growth, with a wide range of firms enjoying increases of more than 20% on the same period last year.

KKR, Permira and Apax storm ahead in private equity league

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Wed, 7 Nov 2007 23:34:00 -0500

Buy-out giants Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR), Permira and Apax Partners have emerged as the most lucrative clients in the sector in recent years, according to new research. Mergermarket rankings compiled exclusively for Legal Week show the private equity houses have completed the highest value of deals in Europe over the last three years.

Ashurst lures Freshfields partner in German push

Georgina Stanley, staff — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:05:00 -0400

Ashurst is set to bolster its German practice with the hire of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner Matthias Kuhn. Kuhn, who became a partner at Freshfields in 1996, is due to join Ashurst's Frankfurt arm on 10 September.

Weil, Ashurst tune in for NBC's Sparrowhawk deal

Georgina Stanley, staff — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:36:00 -0400

Ashurst and Weil Gotshal & Manges have bagged the main advisory roles on the acquisition by US media giant NBC Universal of UK pay-TV company Sparrowhawk Holdings, in a deal thought to be worth around £175m. Ashurst advised Sparrowhawk shareholders including 3i Group, Providence Equity Partners and TV impresario David Elstein on the disposal, which was announced yesterday (28 August). Corporate partner Andrew McMillan led an Ashurst team that also included competition partner Duncan Liddell, employment partner Caroline Carter and finance partner Simon Thrower.

Ashurst promotes lucky 13 to counsel role

Georgina Stanley, staff — Fri, 3 Aug 2007 13:35:00 -0400

Ashurst has made its first round of counsel appointments with the top 10 City firm promoting 13 associates to the new role. The appointments were announced…

A&O lands top role on record Metronet insolvency

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:13:00 -0400

Allen & Overy (A&O) has landed the key role advising Ernst & Young (E&Y) on the £2.6bn restructuring of struggling transport group Metronet. The role is a major boost for the magic circle law firm, which is advising E&Y as administrator on the largest formal insolvency procedure ever seen in the UK. Insolvency head Mark Sterling and restructuring partner Katrina Buckley are leading the team for A&O.

Ashurst acts for Quinlan on £1bn Citi HQ sale

Georgina Stanley, staff — Mon, 2 Jul 2007 12:01:00 -0400

Ashurst has landed its first instruction for Irish financier Derek Quinlan, advising opposite SJ Berwin and Allen & Overy (A&O) on his £1bn acquisition of Citigroup's London headquarters with PropInvest. Ashurst won the appointment around a month ago through its position as a regular adviser to Glenn Maud's PropInvest. Real estate head Adrian Dear led the team on the latest deal, alongside partner Susan Roy and tax head John Watson.

Ashurst PEP soars 36% to near magic £1m mark

Georgina Stanley, staff — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:03:00 -0400

Ashurst has announced a massive 36% surge in average profits per equity partner (PEP), with the top 10 City firm's average PEP approaching now approaching the £1m mark. Partners will now draw an average of £956,000, up from £701,000 last year, following the firm's announcement of a 28.5% increase in turnover to £275m.

KKR/Boots stand-off on pensions raises the stakes

Georgina Stanley, staff — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:06:00 -0400

Ashurst and Sacker & Partners may not have taken the main roles on Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co's (KKR's) £11bn takeover of Alliance Boots, but their involvement on behalf of the pension fund's trustees certainly proved crucial. The pair advised the trustees on last-minute talks with KKR to guarantee the future of the retailer's pension fund in an instruction that not only demonstrates the growing pressure on private equity deals in the UK but the increasing power of pensions funds in takeovers in general.

Ashurst ups NQ salaries by 16% to £64k

Georgina Stanley, staff — Tue, 22 May 2007 07:43:00 -0400

Ashurst has upped its associate salaries, with the City giant matching firms including Linklaters and Herbert Smith to pay its newly-qualified solicitors £64,000. The pay-rise, effective from the start of this month, represents a 16% increase on last year's rate of £55,000.

Ashurst announces 28% rise in revenues

Georgina Stanley, staff — Fri, 4 May 2007 13:14:00 -0400

Ashurst has announced a 28.5% increase in turnover for 2006-07 - becoming the first top 10 City firm to release its preliminary figures. The firm's turnover for the last financial year stood at £275m, up from £214m for the previous 12-month period.

Path to partner at top firms gets longer despite booming City scene

Georgina Stanley, staff — Wed, 2 May 2007 23:56:00 -0400

The wait for partnership is getting longer at the UK's leading firms, according to research by Legal Week, which shows it took 8.7 years on average for lawyers to make partner this year, compared with 8.1 years in 2004. The partnership track has increased in length each year for top City lawyers during the last four years, despite the fact that a number of firms, including Ashurst, Lovells and Herbert Smith, saw a significant drop in the time it took to make partner this year.

Partnership track results: Associates waiting longer to make partner

Georgina Stanley, staff — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:48:00 -0400

Associates at the UK's top firms are generally taking longer to make partner, according to new research conducted by Legal Week. The figures show that it took 8.7 years on average for lawyers to make partner this year, compared with 8.1 years in 2004. This is despite the fact that several firms, including Ashurst, Lovells and Herbert Smith, saw a significant drop in the time it took to make partner this year.

City giants continue record year for promotions

Georgina Stanley, staff — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 08:41:00 -0400

Ashurst and Norton Rose have both announced a bumper crump of new partners, with Ashurst promoting 20 associates to partner from 1 May and Norton Rose making up 23. The number of promotions constitutes a record for Ashurst, which made up just 15 new partners globally last year, while Norton Rose promoted 22 lawyers to its partnership in 2006.

Fulbright raids Ashurst for energy partner

Georgina Stanley, staff — Mon, 5 Mar 2007 08:32:00 -0500

Fulbright & Jaworski has bolstered its London office with the hire of Ashurst energy partner Jeremy Sheldon. Sheldon left Ashurst on Friday (2 March) and is expected to join Fulbright in mid-March. Sheldon became a partner in 2000 and has a particular focus on domestic and international electricity and oil and gas deals both from a corporate and infrastructure perspective. He spent part of his time with Ashurst in India.

Apax hands Ashurst Swedish healthcare sale

Georgina Stanley, staff — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 05:08:00 -0500

Ashurst has won the lead role on a €2.85bn (£1.87bn) disposal of Swedish healthcare company Molnlycke for private equity house Apax.The top 10 City firm ran two separate teams with one advising Apax on the exit and another acting for Molnlycke on a listing on the London Stock Exchange proposed as an alternative exit option.

Ashurst holds contested board elections

Georgina Stanley, staff — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 09:31:00 -0500

Ashurst adds extra post to its management board, giving continental Europe a greater say in the running of the firm.

Prowling banks move to take legal top 50 to stock market

Georgina Stanley, staff — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:03:00 -0500

Some of the worlds top banks have begun wooing major UK law firms as investment targets, as the legal profession gears up for sweeping regulatory reforms. Leading investment banks including Goldman Sachs and Rothschild, as well as a host of smaller houses, such as investment manager Fleming Family & Partners, are understood to have contacted a range of major City firms in the run-up to Christmas to gauge their interest in outside investment.

Trio of top firms gear up for roles on billion-pound bids

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 19:03:00 -0500

ITV and Scottish Power bids hand lead roles to Ashurst, Fried Frank and Linklaters

City elite rushes to reform for age discrimination clampdown

Georgina Stanley, staff — Wed, 4 Oct 2006 20:03:00 -0400

Birthday greetings to partnership deeds - firms modernise for age law reform

Macfarlanes and Ashurst bag £199m Incisive sale

Charlotte Edmond, contributor — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:03:00 -0400

Legal Week reports

Ashurst in drive to boost assistants' access to clients

Georgina Stanley, staff — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:03:00 -0400

Legal Week reports