Alex Walker

BCL Legal’s ‘The Brief’ spoke to LexRex founder and MD, Victoria Moffatt to get her take on the PR and communications aspects of law firm mergers and acquisitions. She explained the importance of empathy and reassurance as firms navigate significant change following a deal: “People will respond differently, and some will want to ask questions, will need reassurance (sometimes on a repeat basis) and some may find the change involved in moving from one firm into another incredibly difficult. Applying ongoing empathy to all team members, regardless of their seniority can really make a positive difference.” Find out more and read the full article here: https://ow.ly/hshh50Reqbb

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White & Case is proud to rank Tier 1 for Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency in the 2025 edition of The Legal 500 UK. Well done to all involved! Read more about the ranking here: https://ow.ly/eGJV50TMwRL #whitecase #Legal500 #rankings

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📈 A piece by Linklaters’ Global Head of Corporate Simon Branigan in The Times highlights that the M&A market in the UK is experiencing a resurgence, with £16.5 billion in public deals in Q1 of 2023. 💬 He says: “Confidence is key to this unlocked activity — and it is returning, but remains fragile. Some of the obstacles that previously affected deal-making are diminishing but problems remain. In practice, for deal makers, investors and companies, the ability to forecast the future valuation of the businesses, to navigate the regulatory environment, to face political uncertainty as the general elections draw closer, and to anticipate shareholder reaction to any transaction will be key to successfully exploiting this wave of M&A activity and delivering strategic value to stakeholders.” Read the full article below (£) 👇

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In an interview with 20Minds, Cleary partners Michael Preston and Gareth Kristensen discuss what makes the UK an attractive destination for global AI investment. See it here: https://ow.ly/lo9050TPA2h #AI #UK #MandA #artificialintelligence

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Britvic plc Backs Sweetened £3.3B Carlsberg Group Takeover Offer Britvic plc said Monday that it is backing an improved £3.3 billion ($4.2 billion) cash takeover offer from Danish brewer Carlsberg Group AS that would create a British beer and soft drinks giant. Carlsberg Group is offering 1,315 pence per share in Britvic plc under the terms of the deal, which values the share capital in the maker of the Robinsons, Tango and Rockstar Energy drinks brands at £3.3 billion. The offer price includes a 25 pence special dividend. Baker McKenzie is advising Carlsberg Group, led by London corporate partner Nick Bryans. Linklaters LLP is acting as legal adviser to Britvic plc. Shares in Britvic plc, a member of London's FTSE 250 index, were up 4.63% on Monday morning at 1,266 pence, compared with 1,210 pence at Friday's market close. To learn more about LexisNexis' MLex, Law360 UK and Caselex and our proprietary merger and acquisition content, please reach out for an initial consultation. Phone: +44 7552 882 850 Email: [email protected] #MergerandAcquisition #MandA #TransactionsUK

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📈 A piece by Linklaters’ Global Head of Corporate Simon Branigan in The Times highlights that the M&A market in the UK is experiencing a resurgence, with £16.5 billion in public deals in Q1 of 2023. 💬 He says: “Confidence is key to this unlocked activity — and it is returning, but remains fragile. Some of the obstacles that previously affected deal-making are diminishing but problems remain. In practice, for deal makers, investors and companies, the ability to forecast the future valuation of the businesses, to navigate the regulatory environment, to face political uncertainty as the general elections draw closer, and to anticipate shareholder reaction to any transaction will be key to successfully exploiting this wave of M&A activity and delivering strategic value to stakeholders.” Read the full article below (£) 👇

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I found the Q&As covering the upcoming UK merger control reforms along with the one-page handout setting out key facts and figures particularly helpful #DMCCBill #DMCCAct #digitalmarkets #ukmergercontrol #competitionlaw #AddleshawGoddard

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A huge #thankyou to the team at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, in particular Katherine D'Urso, John Babtie and Daisy Williamson for hosting myself and tml Partners yesterday for a discussion with a brilliant cohort of legal CMOs on the topic of #EDI across MBD. According to a recent survey, 70% of people still avoid a conversation about EDI for fear of getting something wrong, and what was particularly telling yesterday is that for all the positive momentum around bringing the EDI agenda to the table with great initiatives, so few of us have examples of where positive action is yet to lead to genuine change across legal MBD. At points, silence was arguably more telling and powerful that what was said. From talent attraction to retention, we have a long way to go, and that's where I'm very proud to partner with firms who are being bold in their actions to influence change where it's needed. As a #BCorp, we have a moral obligation to be a part of the solution. Not giving away any spoilers, we've done something quite unique in this space which I was thrilled to be able to talk through and share in 'beta' format yesterday. Underpinned by data, this is something we're going to be sharing with, and ultimately working exclusively with our customers and partners on to drive genuine positive change around equity, diversity and inclusion. To learn more, please do get in touch at [email protected].

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👀 Hogan Lovells enters the chat 👀 The London salary war continues to burn well as Hogan Lovells has just upped its NQ pay by £15,000 to £135,000 - surpassing the last remaining Magic Circle firm (Slaughters), who have opted to keep its NQs on £125,000. It's a great move in a lot of respects from HL as it: (i) keeps them in touching distance to Freshfields, Links, CC and A&OS; (ii) all but matches some other US firms such as Orrick, Jones Day and S&C; and (iii) adds some decent daylight between them and the chasing pack, namely HSF, Mayor Brown, NRF, Bakers, and Ashurst. The vital question of to what extent these rises have been made equal all the way up the PQE ladder will of course be an extremely important one, especially as the four MC firms that made the rise to £150,000 at NQ matched the £25k bump all the way up ladder. Stay tuned for updates on this. Slaughters - arguably above all other firms - are now going to come under even more pressure to raise its associate salaries, as will a host of other firms of course. I can't imagine this will be my last post related to salary increases in June - and potentially not even this week! https://lnkd.in/e6325N3P

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Watch the video below on tips to help you ace your training contract application at Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance #trainingcontracts #YEAALN

Great video content for aspiring lawyers seeking training contracts from Toby Horner - Assoc CIPD at Clifford Chance. We whole heartedly agree with the 'know yourself' point and would add: 💡 Being able to articulate your strengths and skills is essential, backed up with examples of where / when you used them. 💡 Be genuine - individuality of experiences and achievements that are personal to you will shine through. 💡 Some planning about the specific skills or areas of knowledge you want to focus on or grow in the years ahead can demonstrate that you are self-aware, driven and keen to learn. #LegalCareers #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerAdvice #Law #UniversityOfLaw #CliffordChance

There can be few other commercial law practices in Scotland as collectively streetwise and knowledgeable as the Brodies bunch. I'm (genuinely!) looking forward to reading this in detail, and have already signed up to the Data Protection update.

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Despite 2023's high inflation, rising interest rates, and recession fears, law firms like HFW Fieldfisher, Osborne Clarke, Stephenson Harwood LLP and Kennedys are reporting double-digit revenue growth. In this video, International managing editor Krishnan Nair delves into the unexpected factors driving these strong financials. Discover how these firms thrived against the odds and what it means for the legal industry. Click to learn more: https://ow.ly/qT6E50SxFIb #Law #LegalRecruitment #LegalNews

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Todays the day, the big one, the one we’ve all being waiting for! The 2024 Competition Litigation Conference hosted by MLex, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Brick Court Chambers. Its been great to see so many of my network are attending and have asked to discuss MLex and Caselex. Please feel free to introduce yourself and say hello. #competition #litigation #antitrust #mergers #clc2024

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A focus on governance and getting the right advice can help steer the board through financial uncertainty and mitigate potential liability say Mark Lawford and Jenny Davidson partners in law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP London Restructuring practice. Read our latest intelligence briefing inc How to navigate financial difficulties https://buff.ly/3ztYYHc #BoardsOfDirectors #CorpGov #Directors #Governance #AI #Risk #ExecPay #AGM #Podcast

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#Regulatory and #ProfessionalDiscipline Partner Andrew Pavlovic has been quoted in this article for Law360 focusing on the recent spotlight on the long-hours culture within the legal sector (subscription required to read full article): #lawfirms #wellbeing

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We’re at a point now where the UK market has made huge strides in terms of reform in the past few years. The CMOT report sought to capture what we’d already done and be honest about where we still had work to do. While setting out clearly the positive narrative around reform and the UK elevator pitch. As we progress the remaining areas of reform - capital availability, both public and private, as well as further work on rem and stewardship being among them - the UK markets now also have considerable tailwinds at their back due to three main factors: 1. The reform agenda. 2. The coming capital cycle from private to public (a global phenomenon but one where the UK is now positioned once again as a leading listing venue). 3. Geopolitical considerations - the UK as an independent, stable, well-regulated, rule of law-governed, reformed and friction-free, pragmatic and flexible listing venue and financial centre that is not the US, that is not the EU and that is not Asia. We are at an inflection point, we must not squander all the progress that we have collectively achieved and must maintain the positive narrative and continue to let issuers and investors know what we have done and where we’re going. There is all to play for and, if we keep on, the match fit UK will in two to three years be in a very different place. #capitalmarketsoftomorrow #cmit #matchfit #positivenarrative #ukelevatorpitch Financial Conduct Authority HM Treasury Department for Business and Trade Financial Reporting Council London Stock Exchange LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group) CMIT - Capital Markets Industry Taskforce

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What will the new UK prospectus regime look like? Do check out our excellent briefing below to find out!

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