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David Handy heads Addleshaw Goddard LLP’s dominant Leeds banking and finance team. Recognised for ‘excellent advice and support’, the five-partner group regularly wins leveraged, housing, real estate and project finance instructions. Clients include HSBC, which the firm advised on leveraged finance facilities, as well as new client Drax Power, which retains the firm for derivatives and commodities advice.

DLA Piper UK LLP’s ‘very professional’ banking practice is headed by Sarah Day, who is praised for her ‘natural rapport with clients’. With particular experience in cross-border financings - such as its recent advice to a banking syndicate on the £130m purchase of CPP Group Holdings - the practice has capabilities in the sale and purchase of mortgage assets, asset-based lending and project finance. Mark Smith is recommended for his ‘great expertise’ in real estate finance.

Eversheds LLP advised a club of five banks, which included core client Barclays Bank, on the financing of the 3i-backed MBO of infrastructure group Radius Systems. Jason Wurzal heads the team, which includes partner Kathryn Walters. NG Bailey Limited, BBA Aviation and Collins Stewart were among the team’s new client wins in 2008.

Walker Morris is praised for ‘proactively driving transactions’ as well as being ‘the best value for money in Leeds’. With a client base including HBOS, RBS and Alliance & Leicester, the firm’s work is national in flavour. Recent instructions include advising a banking syndicate on the £450m refinancing of a shopping centre portfolio. ‘Tenacious’ head of department Michael Taylor is a ‘good negotiator’, while Peter Considine takes a ‘calm, measured approach’.

Hammonds LLP is instructed by some major lenders including Yorkshire Bank, Barclays, RBS and Lloyds TSB across primarily corporate banking, acquisition and property finance markets. Richard Morton, who has experience on large transactions, works alongside Leeds banking practice head Simon Owen, who advised on a £350m refinancing of Findel.

Pinsent Masons LLP houses a ‘polished’ stable of banking lawyers, including ‘greatly respected’ and ‘high-calibre’ practice head John Cleland. Recent highlights include advising RBS and Barclays on a £175m refinancing of Evans Property Group. Other clients include HSBC and Lloyds.

Richard Berry at Cobbetts LLP is described as‘very approachable, thorough, commercial and always on time’, while Chris Ramage recently helped secure three new lender panel appointments, including Fortis Bank.

Nabarro LLP continues to win finance mandates in the property and projects sectors, with Andrea Cropley’s recent move from London adding asset-based lending experience to a team headed by Matthew Sibley.

Clarion Solicitors LLP received instructions from HSBC after being appointed to its panel in 2008, including advising it on the provision of property development facilities to Earnstone Developments. Christian Hunt is recommended.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is regularly instructed on smaller finance transactions by a range of top-tier lenders. ‘The efficient’ James Bullock is part of a strong team that was recently strengthened by the recruitment of Paul Johnson from Keeble Hawson.

Bob Harrap heads the practice at Lupton Fawcett LLP, which regularly acts for borrowers in the regional market, such as TI Automotive.

Watson Burton LLP’s Lester Wilson forms part of a northern finance team that has achieved panel memberships including Yorkshire Bank.

Gordons LLP recruited Paddy Sturman from Addleshaw Goddard LLP to establish a banking practice, which has achieved new panel appointments from Co-operative Bank, GE Money and Lloyds TSB.

HLW Commercial Solicitors LLP won appointments to the legal panels of Svenska Handelsbanken, Bank of Scotland and Alliance & Leicester, adding to existing clients such as Bank of Ireland and RBS. Roger Dyson heads the practice.

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Legal Developments in the UK

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  • Student employees – new restrictions on employment

    On 10 February 2010 a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules was laid before Parliament which is due to come into force on 3 March 2010.
    - Penningtons Solicitors LLP

  • Landlord & Tenant Briefing

    Dilapidations in commercial premises – ten points to consider
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP

  • Being a helpful Landlord may be a mistake!

    Most landlords and their solicitors try to resist the impulse to be helpful, however, in these recessionary times when landlords are concerned to avoid empty space, there may be the temptation to take shortcuts to ensure a letting proceeds. In circumstances where it is intended that Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (the 1954 Act) should not apply to the tenancy, i.e. that the tenant should not have the benefit of security of tenure, then occupation before the lease has been finalised (and the appropriate ‘contracting-out’ steps taken) is a potentially dangerous step and needs to be taken only when the landlord has fully comprehended the potential consequences.
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP

  • New regime for approval of major transport projects set to ‘switch on’

    The Planning Act 2008 (the Act) introduces a new regime designed to speed up the planning and, in turn, the delivery of infrastructure projects of national significance. For transport projects, it is one of the most important pieces of legislation in recent years. The new procedure will have to be used for any third runway at Heathrow, amongst other high-profile projects.
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP

  • Divorce and the media: the courts, the pay-outs and the speculation

    The rising divorce rate and some well-publicised settlements running into tens of millions of pounds have focused attention on a growing issue in divorce cases: just how far can spouses go to obtain information about their partner’s financial affairs?
    - Schillings

  • Top ten really useful cases of 2009

    If you want your panel solicitor to‘get off the fence’, need to know when a cause of action accrues or wondered whether the judiciary live in the 21st century, the following cases from 2009 provide some really useful guidance. With professional negligence claims on the increase, whether you are giving or receiving legal advice, the cases discussed below highlight practical points for all legal advisers to be aware of.
    - Bond Pearce LLP

  • The twilight zone: legal issues for directors

    there is no legal definition of the term ‘twilight zone’ (perhaps derived from the cult TV series, the writer would like to think), which is now widely used to describe a period of trading when a company has, or is predicted to have, insufficient cash to pay its debts as they fall due. This might be an immediate cash-flow crisis or the problem might be anticipated many months ahead.
    - Holman Fenwick Willan

  • Cloud computing:key issues for SMEs

    Although many definitions exist, broadly speaking ‘cloud computing’ is the outsourcing of specified IT functions via the internet (the cloud) to provide or receive services that would otherwise only be available if the end user had installed the appropriate hardware and/or software on desktops, or on local networks controlled by that organisation itself. Such services may include the use of software over the internet or remote storage of business data by a third-party provider. One benefit of this is that businesses can structure payment for these services differently (for example pay-as-you-go or on a subscription basis), rather than having to pay large sunk costs for long-term software licences, and the purchase and installation of IT infrastructure necessary to support the services locally.
    - SJ Berwin LLP

  • Commission victorious in ‘regulatory holiday’ action brought against Germany

    On 3 December 2009, following an action brought by the European Commission under article 226 of the EC Treaty (now article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU) the European Court of Justice (ECJ) confirmed that Germany had failed to comply with its obligations under the European regulatory framework for telecommunications (the Common Regulatory Framework (CRF)). The ECJ’s judgment in European Commission v Germany [2009] confirms that Germany acted unlawfully by adopting a national law excluding ‘new markets’ from regulation – so called ‘regulatory holidays’.
    - SJ Berwin LLP

  • New Commission

    On Friday 27 November 2009 the new European Commission, which will begin its mandate early in 2010, was announced by Commission President José Barroso. This announcement followed a week after the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton as the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy respectively, the two new roles created by the Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force on 1 December 2009.
    - Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to

  • KF Fastigheter develops the trade area Mobilia in Lund

    KF Fastigheter has acquired parts of the trade area Mobilia in Lund, and will together with Arne Paulssons Byggnads AB develop the area, including i.a. a Coop supermarket. KF Fastigheter has in connection herewith sold a larger property in central Lund to Paulssons. Mannheimer Swartling advised KF Fastigheter.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Kaul and Capol sold to Riverside

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised the owners in the sale of Kaul GmbH and UK-affiliate, Capol UK Ltd., to The Riverside Company.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Proventus establishes vehicle for investments in corporate loans and bonds

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Proventus in connection with the establishment of Proventus Capital Partners – a co-investment vehicle focusing on corporate loans and corporate bonds. The investment strategy for this vehicle also allows direct loans to companies and the ambition is to contribute with financing to mid-sized companies in need of capital for growth or restructuring when these companies are unable to secure traditional bank financing.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Protego Real Estate Investors selling Swedish retail properties

    Protego Real Estate Investors has been advised by Mannheimer Swartling on the sale of twelve retail properties situated throughout Sweden for a total value of approximately SEK 210 million.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Teracom divests its broadband business

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised the Teracom Group in the divestiture of its subsidiary Comet Networks to CSIT. Comet Networks operates the Group's broadband business, currently reaching more than 650,000 households and 80,000 businesses in approximately 50 municipalities in Sweden.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Södra Timber acquires Trivselhus

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Södra Timber in connection with its acquisition of Ittur Prefab Industrier AB, the parent company of the Trivselhus Group, one of Sweden’s leading producers of prefabricated homes. Closing is expected to take place on 1 October 2009. The transaction is subject to inter alia competition clearance.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Varian Medical Systems selected for new proton therapy centre

    Mannheimer Swartling has assisted Varian Medical Systems in entering into agreements for delivery of a proton therapy system to Skandionkliniken. The agreements include supply of an estimated USD 60 million in products. Varian Medical Systems will also have a five year service agreement valued at approximately USD 25 million. Skandionkliniken is the first clinical centre for proton therapy in Scandinavia and will have a capacity of treating 1,000 – 2,500 cancer patients per year. Varian Medical Systems is the world’s leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Wallhamn, Sweden’s largest private port, gains approvals for expansion

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Wallhamn AB on matters related to gaining approval for expansion of the port’s fairway to facilitate access for larger cargo ships. The port, owned by the Italian-based Grimaldi Group, is used for RoRo cargo, mainly in relation to the import and export of vehicles. The matter involved negotiations and permitting approval from, among others, the Swedish Transport Agency as well as other authorities and concerned parties. The firm recently also advised the Grimaldi Group on its acquisition of 50 per cent of port Wallhamn from EUKOR Car Carriers Inc, making the Grimaldi Group the sole owner of port Wallhamn.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Stena Bulk in joint venture with Asahi Tankers

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Stena Bulk AB in its new joint venture with Japanese shipping company Asahi Tankers. The joint venture company, Asahi Stena Tankers, will be owned 50/50 by the parties and will invest in tonnage of varying sizes, initially focusing on Suezmax tankers for global transportation of crude oil.
    – Mannheimer Swartling

  • Skandia Liv signs asset management agreement with DnB NOR

    Mannheimer Swartling has advised Skandia Liv on an agreement with DnB NOR to manage a portfolio of assets valued at approximately SEK 80 billion. The agreement replaces a previous asset management agreement between the parties and covers DnB NOR’s continued management of a portfolio of Swedish shares and interest and includes a number of special mandates, amongst others in tactical allocation and advice on “socially responsible investing.”
    – Mannheimer Swartling
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