Search results for

The London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (Liffe) has bought a long leasehold interest in part of the 13-acre Spitalfields site, in London, to build a new trading building.

The Allen Committee’s Final Report strikes a blow for greater transparency and accountability in corporate governance in Canada. By Thomas Allen and Andrew Fleming of Ogilvy Renault, Toronto and London

Chinese company Bengang Steel Plates was floated by an international placing of B shares on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

• New York's Chadbourne & Parke LLP has made seven lawyers partners. They are: in Singapore, Bruce Rader (corporate and project finance); in Moscow, Mikhail Rozenberg (Russian practice); in Washington DC, Thomas Hechl (Russian practice and project finance); and in New York, Douglas Fried (project finance), Claude Serfilippi (corporate finance), Drew Wintringham (intellectual property) and Nancy Zajac (leasing).

Two new Acts of Parliament have introduced far-reaching reforms to the rules governing the privatization of state-owned companies in Poland. The first Act, of August 8 1996, abolished the Ministry of Privatizations, and, as of October 1 1996, transferred its functions to the Treasury Ministry. The second Act, of August 30 1996, amended the terms and conditions of the sale and privatization of state-owned companies. It came into force on April 8 1997.

What do these words mean in the context of a financial agreement? Financial lawyers are very familiar with this phrase because it is included in most loan participation agreements and syndicated loan agreements for the purpose of protecting the lead or agent bank.

The Prague office of UK firm Cameron McKenna has expanded with the addition of four Czech lawyers. This brings the total to 20 and four paralegals. The office's new senior Czech partner is Petr Skacel, formerly of UK rival Lovell White Durrant and most recently of his own firm. Skacel is a former London consul for Czechoslavakia, and specializes in company and commercial law and commercial litigation. He is joined by three other Czech lawyers: Veronika Nezvalova, Milos Mastny and Lucie Motejzikova.

French firm Bureau Francis Lefebvre has merged its Spanish operations with three Spanish firms. The new firm begins operations in Madrid on October 1 1997. The three Spanish firms are: Briones, Alonso & Martin; Rodes & Sala and Rubio & Carretero. The firm will be known as Briones, Alonso & Martin-Bureau Francis Lefebvre. Partners at the Spanish firms will eventually be integrated into the Lefebvre worldwide partnership. "It is a merger, but it will be spread over time," says Pierre-Sebastien Thill, a partner at Lefebvre in Paris. "There are increasing movements from France to Spain. We want to be able to provide a service to clients, but also to get Spanish clients."

Chicago-based McDermott, Will & Emery has opened a Silicon Valley office. The office will focus on high technology issues and intellectual property. It is the firm's 11th office, and eighth within the US. "The opening of a Silicon Valley office is a natural geographic extension of our high technology and intellectual property practice," says chairman Larry Gerber. "The demand for legal counsel on complex intellectual property issues and international work is so high that we felt it necessary to expand our west coast capabilities."

Seven partners have defected from the Gothenburg office of leading Swedish firm Lagerlöf & Leman to form a new firm, KPMG Wahlin Advokatbyrå. However, the new firm will not continue to be called that for long because the Swedish Bar Association has forced the firm to drop KPMG from its name as of November 1 1997. The Bar said the name gave the impression the firm was not an independent law firm. "We think it is the wrong decision," says name partner Tryggve Wahlin. "The Swedish Bar Association needs to adapt to the market trend. We do not agree with the view that the name gives the appearance that we are not independent. What is important is that we are independent." The firm is a member of the KPMG-aligned international network of law firms, and has a cooperation agreement with KPMG Bohlins, the Swedish accounting, tax and consulting arm of the big six firm. But it is, Wahlin insists, an independently-owned law firm.