 | Akin Gump is best known for its top-tier practices, which include corporate transactions, private equity, investment fund formation, financial restructuring, energy, Russia/CIS and emerging markets.
Internationally, the firm has built a team of lawyers and senior advisers who combine their legal experience with backgrounds in business and government. Our global practice includes four former ambassadors, as well as many others with experience and contacts from their previous positions as senior government officials.
The London practice is fully integrated with the firms US, Brussels and Moscow offices, as well as with its affiliate office in Riyadh. In addition, the practice is enhanced by a network of professional relationships and resources throughout the world.
In 2003 Akin Gump announced a major expansion of its London office. The office now serves as the centre for the firms international practice in corporate transactions, investment funds, financial restructuring and emerging markets.
Lawyers in the London office are actively engaged in the following practice areas:
Corporate Transactions
The London office handles multi-jurisdictional acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures throughout Europe, as well as US and UK capital markets work. We represent buyers and sellers, financial institutions and private equity investors across a wide range of industries. Recent matters include: the first listing of a Russian company on the London Stock Exchange; strategic acquisitions in a number of European jurisdictions for US-based clients; private equity investments in the food sector; and a series of substantial transactions in the energy sector. Our London-based lawyers are able to negotiate transactions in several languages.
Investment Funds
Akin Gump is widely recognised as one of the worlds leading practices in the area of hedge funds and other alternative investment products. Based on a recent survey by Institutional Investor, the firm represents six of the ten largest hedge fund managers in the world. The firm recently expanded its funds practice to London in recognition of the significant growth in the fund management industry in Europe and the large number of funds being initiated and managed from London. Our funds team in London advises on all aspects of fund management and regulation under both English and US law and is experienced with all types of alternative investment products, including hedge funds, private equity and buyout funds, distressed debt funds, real estate opportunity funds, fund of funds, and emerging market funds. A particular area of our expertise is in relation to the structuring of alternative investment products in the most tax efficient manner allowing them to be offered to investors worldwide. In addition to investment funds, we also advise European promoters looking to access the US market as well as promoters in the United States looking to establish themselves in Europe. We advise regularly on European legislation affecting the fund management industry, including the Investment Services Directive and the UCITS Directive. We also advise on local authorisations and registrations around Europe with particular regard to FSA authorisation and compliance for London-based managers and promoters.
Financial Restructuring
Partners in the London office are members of Akin Gumps active and versatile international financial restructuring practice which has acted on many high-profile matters. The London-based lawyers are supported by more than 55 additional group lawyers located in New York, Washington, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles. As evidenced by its expansion into the UK market our financial restructuring group is among the firms fastest-growing practice areas. The group has gained an international reputation through its representation of the various constituencies in debt restructurings and business rehabilitations, including official and unofficial committees of creditors, bondholders and noteholders; debtors; trustees, examiners, administrators and liquidators; secured lenders and servicers of mortgage-backed securities; acquirers of debt and assets of distressed companies; and vendors, licensors and lessors. The firm has represented unsecured and secured bondholders in more than 80 major restructurings since 1999, and currently represents the creditors committee in the WorldCom reorganisation case, the largest corporate bankruptcy in history. In addition to its active creditor representation, the group also represents significant business entities in connection with debt renegotiations.
Russia/CIS and Emerging Markets
In addition to representing three of the four largest Russian oil companies, and the largest Russian electrical utility, we have a long track record of working with their Western counterparts in Russia and throughout the world. Our lawyers in London and Moscow have helped structure several groundbreaking Western capital markets transactions by Russian companies, including the first full listings by Russian companies on both the London and New York Stock Exchanges. Our integrated practice group includes top former government officials with significant experience in the region, including Robert S Strauss, former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union and first US ambassador to the Russian Federation, and James F Collins, former US Ambassador to the Russian Federation.
Insurance/Reinsurance
The London practitioners are part of an international practice group of corporate, regulatory, and litigation lawyers advocating for clients around the world. Client interests represented by the group range from US, UK and international regulatory matters to domestic and international dispute resolution before courts and arbitrators; advice on policy and treaty wording, drafting, and interpretation; development and documentation of alternative risk transfer products; insurance and reinsurance insolvency, claims, run-off, and commutations, and advice on the insurance aspects of corporate, project finance, corporate finance and capital markets transactions. We have taken a leading role in advising on the establishment of the new generation of insurance companies in Bermuda as well as acting as external counsel to long established insurers and banks with interests in the insurance market. We work closely with our US practitioners on matters of regulatory policy both before the US Congress and state regulatory and legislative bodies. We have assisted clients with UK and US litigation concerns, the latter through our lawyers' capabilities located from New York to Los Angeles, and we have offered strategic business planning advice to clients seeking new markets on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The London practitioners also have extensive experience in Lloyd's, UK and international insurance markets and regulation, and reinsurance markets, and the Firm's insurance industry resources have been utilized to assist clients with coverage, enforcement, and compliance matters both in the UK and the US. |
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