China
On February 24, China Business Law Journal (CBLJ) announced the winners of the 2016 China Business Law Awards in its February 2017 issue. Han Kun was honored as "Firm of the Year" in the following 3 practice areas: 1. Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences Firm of the Year 2. Private Equity & Venture Capital Firm of the Year 3
Nigeria
Funke Adekoya (SAN), Partner & Head of Dispute Resolution Practice Group at AELEX has been appointed member of the newly constituted ICCA-ASIL Task Force on Damages in International Arbitration. The Task Force brings together a carefully selected panel of leading legal and economic experts from 11 jurisdictions to promote consistency and rigour in the field’s approach to damages
Italy
Gianni, Origoni, Grippo, Cappelli & Partners is the first Italian, full-service law firm to obtain the ISO27001 certificate from DNV GL – Business Assurance in Italy. The ISO/IEC 27001 certification is an international accreditation that is only awarded to organizations which are able to ensure that information and data is secure from any kind of threat and that guarantee integrity, confidentiality and accessibility of their data
Argentina
Estudio Beccar Varela advised Tarjetas Cuyanas S.A. and the placement agents on the issuance of notes Class XXVII, issued in one series under the company’s global program for short, medium and long term notes for a maximum nominal value of up to US$250 million (or its equivalent in other currencies). Series II notes were issued at a nominal value of AR$500 million. The transaction closed on February 10th, 2017
Virginia, USA
Partner Fernando Alonso, chairman of the firm’s Latin America practice group, has been selected for inclusion in the 2017 Latin America’s Top 100 Lawyers by Latinvex, for the second consecutive year. Latinvex selects leading lawyers based on a combination of factors, including recent rack record on major deals and business, prominence of firm in Latin America, as well as legal rankings from Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and Thomson Reuters
China
On February 22, 2017, the Asia Legal Awards 2017 winners were announced at an awards ceremony in Hong Kong. Han Kun won "TMT Firm of the Year" from among 7 shortlisted Asian and international law firms. The Asian Lawyer, in association with The American Lawyer, China Law & Practice and Legal Week, has held the Asia Legal Awards annually since 2014
Philippines
Light Rail Manila Corporation’s (LRMC) PHP 24 billion project financing was recognized as the Best Project Finance Deal of 2016 in Southeast Asia at the 10th Annual Alpha Southeast Asia Best Deal and Solution Awards. The 15-year loan facility will finance the operations and maintenance of the existing Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT1) system and the construction of an 11
Michigan, USA
The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of Dykema pro bono client Ehlena Fry in her lawsuit against the Napoleon, Michigan Community Schools. In ruling that Fry, a 13-year-old with cerebral palsy, may sue for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) without first exhausting administrative proceedings, the Court removes significant and time-consuming legal hurdles for disabled children who are victims of discrimination in their education systems
Sweden
Delphi has advised Stiftelsen Industrifonden and the British venture capital fund Balderton Capital in connection with their investments in Soundtrack Your Brand. The total investment round amounts to 22 million US-dollars. The financing round also saw participation from several current shareholders including Telia Company, Northzone, Creandum, H&M’s family vehicle HMP and Jörg Mohaupt
Michigan, USA
Dykema announced today that Eduardo “Eddy” Espinosa, Dallas-based member of the firm’s Business Services Department, was elected to the Board of Directors for the Dallas Hispanic Law Foundation. He is serving a two-year term that concludes on December 31, 2018. The Dallas Hispanic Law Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to the advancement of Hispanics in the legal profession
Finland
The Finnish M&A market was busy in 2016, and the Krogerus M&A practice has further strengthened its position as a leading practice in Finland. For several years, the practice has been one of the most active in the field, and based on league tables published by Mergermarket, Krogerus ranked once again among the top legal advisors measured in volume of M&A deals announced in Finland in 2016
Philippines
Two of SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan’s transactions in 2016 are shortlisted in the IFLR Asia Awards 2017. Shortlisted for debt & equity-linked deal of the year is the issuance by AP Renewables of a landmark climate bond (“Tiwi MakBan project bond”), where SyCipLaw acted as borrower’s counsel for AP Renewables, Incorporated (APRI), a unit of Philippine energy company Aboitiz Power
Germany
Business magazine Wirtschaftswoche recognized Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek as one of the top law firms in labor law and Frankfurt-based partner Bernd Weller individually as a top labor lawyer. The Wirtschaftswoche ranking of the top law firms assists companies in finding the right advisor for their requirements. The ranking was carried out by Handelsblatt Research Institute (HRI)
South Africa
We are delighted that a deal in which ENSafrica was the lead South African legal advisor won the prestigious 2016 Deal of the Year at the recent DealMakers Gala Awards, one of the top awards on the African continent. The firm was also again recognised as a leading corporate legal advisor in terms of both transaction value and transaction flow, for both M&A and General Corporate Finance in South Africa
Texas, USA
Haynes and Boone, LLP advised client Benefit Street Partners L.L.C. in a joint venture with California Resources Corporation (CRC) to invest in CRC’s oil and gas properties in California. The joint venture calls for Benefit Street Partners to invest up to $250 million for development opportunities in both conventional and unconventional assets of CRC in California
Germany
A team led by capital market law expert Dr. Mirko Sickinger, Partner at Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek's Cologne office and tax law expert Klaus Weinand-Härer from the firm's Frankfurt office, advised bedding manufacturer Gebr. Sanders GmbH & Co. KG, Bramsche, as part of a bond restructuring. The team led by Sickinger and Weinand-Härer advised Sanders on the intended bond restructuring in corporate law, capital market law, and tax law
England
National law firm Shoosmiths has advised IM Land on securing a successful planning appeal for a major residential and mixed-use scheme, the first to be approved since the publishing of the government's housing white paper. Plans to build 750 new homes at Curborough, near Lichfield, have been approved by Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid
Germany
A Federal Court of Justice decision of January 10, 2017 (Case VIII ZR 33/16) led to a judgment of Frankfurt am Main Higher Regional Court of January 21, 2016 (15 U 181/12) becoming final. The ruling had dismissed the claims for damages filed by deu B.u.S. Verkehrsbetriebe für Personenbeförderung AG as buyer of a company. Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek had successfully represented the seller Gerhard Nau against the buyer
Michigan, USA
Dykema announced today that Jeana R. Long, McAllen-based attorney in the firm’s Financial Services Litigation practice group, was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. Founded in 1983, the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley is a champion to those organizations who focus on making food accessible to the Rio Grande Valley, including Hidalgo, Willacy and Cameron Counties
Germany
Led by capital market law expert Dr. Thorsten Kuthe, Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek advised PANTALEON Entertainment AG on a cash capital increase. In exclusion of shareholders' subscription rights, the company’s share capital was increased by issuing 55,000 new shares against cash contributions, placed with selected institutional investors. PANTALEON Entertainment AG is one of Europe’s fastest growing media companies
South Africa
ENSafrica is pleased to announce that top banking and finance lawyer Rachel Musoke will be joining ENSafrica in Kampala, Uganda. This follows on the footsteps of Phillip Karugaba’s decision to join ENSafrica, Africa’s largest law firm, which has over 600 practitioners on the continent. Karugaba, who joined the firm in mid-December, is widely recognised, having received tier 1 ratings from top rankings agencies
Sweden
Delphi has been legal advisor to NIBE Industrier AB (publ) in connection with its acquisition of 50% of the shares in the Canadian heat pump company CGC Group of Companies Inc., with an option to acquire the remaining 50% of the shares no later than spring 2022. CGC was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Mississauga, just outside Toronto, with its manufacturing facility in the nearby town of Fergus
Guatemala
QIL+4 Abogados in Guatemala acted as local counsel to Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as underwriters and initial purchasers on the US$500,000,000.00 5.75% debt international notes offering by The Central America Bottling Corporation (CBC), a beverage producer and distributor with operations in Central America, the Caribbean and South America headquartered in Guatemala. Other financial institutions involved included Scotiabank and The Bank of New York Mellon
Texas, USA
Haynes and Boone CDG, LLP has significantly expanded its London office with the addition of three partners, who will bolster the firm’s finance, shipping, and energy practices. Emma Russell and Zoë Connor join the firm as London partners in the Finance Practice Group, where they will represent banks, investment funds and other clients on a range of finance transactions, including arranging capital commitment/subscription financings and other fund financings
