Sullivan Cromwell

Hogan Lovells and Sullivan & Cromwell have advised Goldman Sachs on its purchase of a 4.8% equity stake in the Trade & Development Bank of Mongolia. Hogan’s Mongolia office head Michael Aldrich advised the investment bank on Mongolian aspects of the deal, supported by a team of associates from the firm’s Ulan Bator office.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Sullivan & Cromwell and McDermott Will & Emery have become the latest US firms to announce their global partner promotions, with Simpson Thacher emerging as the only firm to add London lawyers to its partnership.

Linklaters, Latham & Watkins and Sullivan & Cromwell are among a raft of firms to have won roles on Virgin Media’s inaugural legal panel. The new panel, which will take effect from next year, also includes Ashurst and US firm Fried Frank, both of which are existing advisers to the company.

Four of the magic circle are among a raft of firms to have won roles on the 
multi billion-euro debt restructuring of Endemol, the TV production company behind shows such as Big Brother and Deal or No Deal. Endemol is owned by a consortium comprising Mediacinco, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Cyrte Investments, which are being advised by Clifford Chance (CC), Sullivan & Cromwell and Benelux leader Stibbe respectively.

Sullivan & Cromwell has overhauled its City management with former Europe M&A head Richard Morrissey appointed as London managing partner, replacing current incumbents Rob Schlein and Vanessa Blackmore. Morrissey’s appointment comes as corporate partner Craig Jones has been handed the first-time role of London office administrative partner, with Tim Emmerson taking over as Europe M&A head from Morrissey. All of the new appointments are effective from today (1 July), with no fixed terms. Schlein and Blackmore will continue with client work in the real estate and capital markets practices respectively, with Schlein splitting his time between New York and London.

Sullivan & Cromwell has launched a Hong Kong law practice with recruits from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, writes The Asian Lawyer. Kay Ian Ng, formerly Hong Kong managing partner for Freshfields, will lead the new group for Sullivan, with counsel Gwen Wong is also coming aboard. Both focus on capital markets work.

Sullivan & Cromwell has hired Simmons & Simmons white collar crime partner Louise Delahunty as a European counsel in the London office. Delahunty will join the US firm on 20 June in its criminal defense and investigations group.

Sullivan & Cromwell has boosted its City finance team with the hire of Presley Warner from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Finance partner Warner is set to join the US firm’s London arm after 16 years at Freshfields. He joined the magic circle firm in 1995, making partner in 2000.

Sullivan & Cromwell and Davis Polk & Wardwell have taken lead roles on BG Group’s inaugural debt offering into the US, with a $1bn (£640m) notes offer. Sullivan advised BG Energy Capital on the deal, which marks the New York firm’s first mandate for the company. The firm advised on both English and US law, fielding a team led by London co-managing partner Vanessa Blackmore and corporate partner Bill Plapinger.

Sullivan & Cromwell has made up eight new partners in its annual promotions round, with one London lawyer making the grade. Inosi Nyatta will join the partnership in the CityLondon corporate practice when the promotions take effect in the New Year, while Max Birke has been made up to partnership in the firm’s Frankfurt corporate practice.

Sullivan & Cromwell, Baker & McKenzie and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld have advised on BP’s $7.1bn (£4.6bn) sale of a majority stake in Argentinian energy company Pan American Energy. Akin Gump was instructed by Argentina-based energy company Bridas Corporation, which is acquiring a 60% stake in Pan American. The US firm’s team was led by London partner-in-charge Steven Blakeley and Dallas corporate partner Seth Molay. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Bridas’ state-owned Chinese parent company, was advised by longstanding adviser Bakers, which fielded a team led by Shanghai-based corporate partner Bee Chun Boo.

Sullivan & Cromwell is set to launch its first graduate training programme in the City as the US firm aims to boost its profile among UK job-seekers. The law firm will take on its first trainee intake in autumn 2013 and is intending to run annual intakes after that. Students will also be encouraged to apply for summer vacation placements, which will start in 2011.

Sullivan & Cromwell has advised Barclays on its $298m (£190m) settlement with US authorities after the bank was charged with violating economic sanctions in dealings with countries including Iran, Cuba and Libya, reports The National Law Journal. The US Justice Department alleged that Barclays “knowingly and willfully” facilitated US dollar transactions “for a number of parties and countries” that are sanctioned by the US Government, with the allegations spanning from March 1995 to September 2006.

Sullivan & Cromwell has secured the lead role to advise Skype on its long-anticipated initial public offering (IPO), as the online communications company prepares to issue US shares worth about $100m (£63m), reports The Am Law Daily. The US firm already has a relationship with Skype after London-based partner Richard Morrissey, the head of the firm’s European M&A group, advised the consortium of investors that acquired a controlling stake in the company from eBay for about $2bn (£1.3bn) in September.

Sullivan & Cromwell and Macfarlanes have scored lead roles on US private equity group Apollo’s $1.3bn (£835m) offer for Brit Insurance. Sullivan is advising Apollo on the bid with a team led by corporate partners Tim Emmerson, Ben Parry and Nikolaos Andronikos, alongside finance partner Neal McKnight and European counsel Rajan Subberwal.

CMS Cameron McKenna has won a trophy role on BP’s $7bn (£4.7bn) asset sale, joining Sullivan & Cromwell and a host of international law firms, writes The American Lawyer. The sale to Houston-based Apache – which involved oil and gas assets in Canada, Egypt and the US – is part of a bid by BP to shore up its balance sheet and cope with mounting costs stemming from the controversial oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Sullivan & Cromwell served as global coordinating counsel to BP on the deal. James Morphy, the former head of the firm’s M&A practice, advised BP along with M&A partner and IP co-head John Evangelakos and finance partner Christine Spillane.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Sullivan & Cromwell have advised on a joint venture between Daimler, Nissan and Renault that will see the automakers team up to develop a new wave of energy-efficient cars. The agreement will see the German, Japanese and French car manufacturers take stakes in each other to share technologies and build smaller, electric-powered vehicles.

The City of London Law Society has bulked up its membership with the addition of four major US firms and one UK top 50 practice. US firms Kirkland & Ellis, Sullivan & Cromwell, Latham & Watkins and White & Case have all signed up as members in recent months, with UK firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain also now on board.

Cleary Gottlieb & Steen Hamilton and Sullivan & Cromwell have taken lead roles on the €1bn (£900m) French initial public offering (IPO) of a subsidiary of luxury goods company PPR. PPR, the holding company of brands such as Gucci and Puma, is set to list its African distribution unit CFAO, marking the first significant IPO in the French market since 2007.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Sullivan & Cromwell and Stibbe have all landed roles on ING’s restructuring, which includes a €7.5bn (£6.8bn) rights issue. Sullivan and Stibbe have been instructed to advise on the bank’s rights issue, which was launched yesterday (26 October) as part of a wider restructuring that will see the Dutch banking giant split into two.