Top Stories

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  New Weil-Willkie Domains Add To Merger Speculation

  By Marialuisa Taddia

  Two domain names that combine the names of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP have been ...(read more)

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  EU Set To Overhaul Securitization Market To Free Up Capital

  By Tom Fish

  The European Union has agreed to relax its securitization rules to free up capital for banks, encourage lending ...(read more)

• Russia Must Put Up Security In $50B Yukos Award Suit

  By Caroline Simson

  England's Court of Appeal on Thursday ordered Russia to put up nearly £1 million in security as it appeals the enforcement of some $50 billion in arbitral awards to former shareholders of Yukos Oil Co., citing a "real risk" that the country could refuse to pay if it's unsuccessful.

• Weil Merger Talks Spotlight Growing BigLaw Split On Scale

  By Aebra Coe and Daniel Moritz-Rabson

  After dozens of partners left the firm this year, including several practice leaders, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP faced two paths: embrace a leaner footprint or merge with another law firm.

• White Collar Boutique Rahman Ravelli Enters Administration

  By Sophia Dourou

  Boutique white collar criminal law firm Rahman Ravelli has gone into administration after a quarter-century of representing clients in corporate crime cases.

• UK Delays Fire And Rehire Ban As Draft Code Released

  By Adele Redmond

  The U.K. government for a second time delayed its plan to restrict employers' ability to "fire and rehire" staff on Thursday, as it called for views on a narrow exemption for organizations facing "severe financial difficulties."

• Gucci Beats Printing Patent Infringement Appeal At UPC

  By Jamie Lennox

  Gucci has persuaded appellate judges at the Unified Patent Court to dismiss a claim that its method of imprinting patterns onto shoes and handbags infringes a Belgian company's patent.

• UK To Track Diversity Data For Barristers On Public Panels

  By Ashish Sareen

  The government said Thursday its legal department will collect self-declared diversity data from barristers applying to its panels to monitor whether work and fees are distributed fairly across backgrounds.

• Lidl, Aldi Face CMA Restrictions To Prevent Land Deal Abuse

  By William Janes

  The competition watchdog extended rules restricting anticompetitive land agreements to Aldi and Lidl on Thursday, bringing the discount chains in line with other supermarkets to prevent them from using property deals to stop rival stores opening nearby.

• Latham Advises LSE Owner On $3.5B Octus Acquisition

  By Irene Madongo

  London Stock Exchange Group said Thursday it has agreed to buy U.S. credit intelligence provider Octus for $3.54 billion in cash, a deal it anticipates will transform its presence in private market data.

• Homebuying Reforms May Spark Disputes Over Exiting Deals

  By William Janes

  The government wants to stop home sales collapsing and reduce uncertainty by introducing binding agreements earlier in the process, but lawyers warn that the homebuying reforms could create new legal disputes between buyers and sellers over when they are allowed to walk away from a deal.

• Spanish Co. Eyes Buying National Express Owner For £282M

  By Irene Madongo

  Freshfields-led Mobico said Wednesday that Spanish public transport operator Autobuses de León SL has made a £282 million ($378 million) approach, in a proposed offer that the National Express owner said it may recommend to its shareholders.

• Shell Blames Nigerian Oil Spills On Criminal Theft Gangs

  By Sophia Dourou

  Shell has argued that Nigerian communities suing it for damages over oil spills cannot use alleged systemic failings by the oil giant to hold it liable for environmental destruction largely caused by "endemic oil theft" carried out by criminal gangs.

• Whistleblower Plan Looms Over Search For Next SFO Chief

  By Christopher Crosby

  Plans to pay whistleblowers are likely to shape the government's search for the next director of the Serious Fraud Office as the U.K. mulls controversial reforms that will need the full backing of the white-collar prosecutor, lawyers say.