Daniel Toner had done his research. Before an interview to become head of legal at Bupa Hospitals in 2006, he noticed the company had shifted some of its non-hospital assets to a new division. At the interview he asked, tongue-in-cheek, whether Bupa was selling its hospitals division. He was told: ‘Absolutely not. That would never …
EDF and Co-op overhaul panels Big six energy supplier EDF Energy has almost halved its external advisers in a panel review that cut the number of law firms from 14 to eight. CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) were added, while Baker McKenzie, Herbert Smith Freehills, Pinsent Masons, Eversheds Sutherland, …
Vietnam is a wonderful country, full of wonderful people, with a rapidly developing economy that persistently grows at world-leading rates. Vietnam is also a fascinating, challenging, and rewarding legal jurisdiction for M&A lawyers. There are many things for which Vietnam has made itself noteworthy as a jurisdiction during the last 20 years, but sophisticated competition …
Continue reading “Developments in merger control rules in Vietnam”
A lively debate over coffee recently with Axiom founder Mark Harris took me back to the discussion that manifests most frequently in my line of work these days: the extent that legal services are transforming with new providers and tools. While Harris highlights many genuine changes in the industry and buying behaviour we disagree on …
Israel has been, and continues to be, a highly desired market for foreigners to invest in. 2017 saw total Israeli exit transactions of approximately $23 billion, including Mobileye for $15.3bn. Though this is down in terms of volume, it is up in terms of value. This is perhaps an indicator that the Israeli market is …
We have long heard about the expectation that general counsel need to be more like business leaders rather than just lawyers. But while in-house counsel may have once viewed this evolution as aspirational or optional, the proliferation of technology and the pace of business today have made it mandatory.
Introduction The question “Bail or Jail?” at the pre-trail stage, as famously pointed out by the famous Indian jurist, Hon’ble V R Krishna Iyer, shall always belong to the “blurred area of the criminal justice system”[1]. The Indian courts, in line with the Eight Amendment of the US Constitution, have acknowledged that ‘bail, not jail, …
Poland is at the forefront of technological advancement in Europe in the implementation of modern payment and banking solutions, such as contactless payments, bank-branded pay-by-link payments, or sector-wide solutions such as the BLIK mobile payment service. The popularity of mobile and e-banking (with almost seven and 14 million active users, respectively) and contactless payments (currently …
Continue reading “Why Poland became a key part of Europe’s fintech scene – and what comes next”
29 March marked the one year anniversary since Article 50 was triggered. The last 12 months have seen a number of key developments. Following the end of the first stage of negotiations in Brussels, there is now an agreement in place for the rights of EU nationals and their family members living in the UK. …
Continue reading “The half way point to Brexit: 12 months down, 12 months to go”
We just made it through that time of year the majority of law firms update their standard rate cards. They will send these out some time during the first quarter to let those clients who accept such things, often with a standard ‘discount’, know what their new rates became (past tense) effective 1 January.