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As consolidation in the Swiss legal market continues, lawyers are divided over the need to look beyond national boundaries. Stephen Mulrenan reports from Zurich and Geneva

Dutch pharmaceutical and chemicals company Akzo Nobel has launched a Dm1 billion ($604 million) Eurobond, one of the first by a single-A credit rated company since the devaluation of the Russian rouble in August and the following credit crisis. The offering is also the first Akzo Nobel has made in the Deutschmark market. Senior banking associate, Grant Jenkins, of Dutch law firm Loeff Claeys Verbeke represented the lead managers ABN Amro (Germany) and Warburg Dillon Read.

US law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe acted as US legal advisers and US tax advisers to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on the launch of its $2 billion 10-year global bond. Partners Christopher Moore and Carl Lyon led the team for Orrick Herrington. The TVA had planned to raise $1 billion, but poor US employment figures issued early on launch day led to strong bond trading and encouraged the TVA to increase the size of the issue. Proceeds from the bond issue will be used to help repay debt owed by the TVA to the US Treasury. In October, the TVA gained the approval of Congress to raise $3.2 billion in Federal Financing Bank (FFB) debt. The new issue is expected to be listed on the New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and Luxembourg stock exchanges.

Oryx Energy and Kerr-McGee have announced plans to merge in a deal worth $4 billion. The combined company will be the fourth largest oil exploration and production company in the US. It will have the equivalent of one billion barrels of oil reserves in oil and gas and an enterprise value of $6 billion. The Kerr-McGee/Oryx merger will consist of a tax free pooling of assets including debt and stock. Oryx shareholders will receive Kerr-McGee stock valued at about $1.8 billion. Kerr-McGee will assume about $1.3 billion of Oryx debt. The new company will be called Kerr-McGee.

US firms Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and Baker & Botts advised on international energy company Conoco's initial public offering, valued at about $4.2 billion. The offering consisted of Class A common stock of Conoco. 191,456,427 shares were offered at $23 a share. 172,456,427 of the shares were offered initially in the US and Canada. The Houston office of Baker & Botts and the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom advised Conoco. The Baker & Botts team was led by corporate partners Walter Smith, Michael Watson, David Kirkland Jr, and partners James Raborn (employee benefits) and William Griffith (tax).

Telecom Italia has bought a 25% stake in Telekom Austria, Austria's fixed net telecoms provider. Post und Telekom Austria (PTA), the state-owned parent company, sold the shares for Sch27.2 billion ($2.3 billion). The package includes a an 18.75% stake in Mobilkom, the cellular subsidiary, in addition to Telecom Italia's existing 25% holding. The transaction is the largest deal ever closed in Austria and is the second step in the privatization of PTA, following the sale of the Mobilkom stake to Telecom Italia in 1997. The next step will be Austrian Telekom's IPO, scheduled for after 2000.

By Barbara Galli

US firm Shaw Pittman Potts & Trowbridge has opened a London office. The office plans to take advantage of a gap it has identified in the London market for specialist advice in the negotiation and structuring of technology transactions and outsourcing. The firm, which already has 100 attorneys in the US practising technology, decided to expand its practice into Europe to meet the needs of its existing UK and US clients and to attract new clients. Paul Mickey, managing partner of Shaw Pittman, explains: "London is the centre for financial transactions in Europe. The types of institutions with technology needs are clustered here."

The new Channel Islands Stock Exchange (CISX) has started operations. The exchange already has 23 members — most are Guernsey or Jersey-based company subsidiaries, including Kleinwort Benson (Guernsey), Deutche Morgan Grenfell (CI) and Midland Bank Fund Managers (Guernsey). The CISX admitted its first listing on October 27. Tamara Menteshvili, chief executive for the CISX, says: "There is strong interest in the exchange not only locally but internationally, from places like Hong Kong, Australia, New York and a variety of European jurisdictions." The exchange has taken 18 months to create, in a joint effort by both islands' financial services commissions.

The consolidation of the South African legal market continues with the merger of three firms Bowman Gilfillan Hayman Godfrey, John & Kernic and Findlay & Tait. The 60 partner new firm Bowman Gilfillan will be one of the largest in the jurisdiction. Senior partner Peter James of John & Kernic says: "Traditionally clients have used us for their intellectual property work and other firms for other aspects of business law. Now we'll be able to offer a fuller service. The major international clients also look more closely at larger firms."