Big fall in M&A activity involving S'pore firms

Business Times – 26 Mar 2012
Deals in Q1 down to 187 from 273 a year ago, while their value fell 36.5%

By LYNETTE KHOO

(SINGAPORE) A bleak picture on the local merger and acquisition (M&A) scene has emerged, showing M&A activity involving Singapore-domiciled companies sliding to the lowest level in value since the second quarter of 2009.

The total value of announced Singapore M&A deals in the first quarter registered year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter declines of 36.5 per cent and 24.6 per cent, respectively, to US$5.7 billion, latest data from Thomson Reuters shows.

The number of deals stood at 187 in the first quarter, down from 273 in the same period last year.

A similar trend unfolded in the South-east Asian region, with the total deal value slipping 19.2 per cent from a year ago and 11.9 per cent from the fourth quarter to US$20.3 billion.

Wong Ai Ai, principal at Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow, noted that deals are taking a longer time to negotiate and close due to gaps in pricing expectations and buyers’ concerns over risks. ‘Deals that were being looked at in the last half of 2011 have either not been completed or have fallen away for these reasons,’ she said.

Singapore companies have slowed down their buying spree abroad, with the overseas deal count falling from 104 in the first quarter last year to 68 this year, though the aggregate value of these deals were 12.3 per cent higher year-on-year at US$2.9 billion.

The total deal value was bolstered by United Fiber System’s proposed acquisition of Indonesia’s Golden Energy Mines through a reverse takeover valued at US$987.8 million.

At the same time, Singapore companies were also less targeted by overseas acquirers, with 30 announced inbound M&A deals in the first quarter compared to 50 deals in the same quarter last year.

This resulted in a 91.6 per cent plunge in the aggregate value of inbound M&A deals to US$224.3 million – the lowest quarterly level since the first quarter of 2004. Chinese acquirers still accounted for the bulk of Singapore’s inbound M&A deals with a 35.1 per cent share.

According to data from Thomson Reuters, Malaysian companies are most targeted in the region by acquirers, followed by Indonesia, Vietnam and then Singapore.

‘There’s been a lot of recent excitement over deals announced across the Causeway, and over the potential assets for sale in Indonesia, so relative to all that activity, Singapore may not look so exciting or well-priced,’ Ms Wong said.

‘But a lot of deal structuring is being done through Singapore, even though the companies involved may not be Singapore companies.’.

Private equity (PE) firms closed smaller M&A deals in the first quarter, with PE-backed deals involving Singapore companies falling by 95.4 per cent year-on-year to US$10.2 million although the deal count remained at five.

In the South-east Asian region, PE-backed M&As marked a 87.8 per cent fall to US$70.2 million while the number of deals declined from 19 in the first quarter last year to 13 this quarter.

Than Su Ee, head of Mezzanine Capital Unit (Private Equity & Special Opportunities) at OCBC Bank, noted that the let-up in M&A activity among PE funds in the last six to nine months is a reflection of the uncertainties surrounding global economic conditions.

‘This is changing as investors are increasingly of the opinion that the eurozone crisis and US economic troubles may have turned the corner,’ he said.

With improvements in economic climate and market liquidity, PE investors are expected to take advantage of better market conditions to undertake M&A financing or exit from their investments, he added. ‘Unless there are any major global economic or political surprises, we should see a return of private equity funds activities in M&A over the next 24 months.’

Slower M&A activities in the first quarter has translated to lower fees for advisors. Estimates from Thomson Reuters/Freeman Consulting Co show M&A advisory fees from completed transactions involving Singapore companies fell 39 per cent from a year ago to US$50 million this quarter.

Leading the pack is Morgan Stanley, which chalked up fees of US$4 million and accounted for 8 per cent of total fees. Daiwa Securities enjoyed the highest jump in estimated fees, enjoying an increase of more than 19-fold from a year ago to US$1.7 million in the first quarter.

Copyright © 2010 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

World’s Largest Law Firms

This list of the world’s largest law firms by revenue is taken from The American Lawyer and is ordered by 2010 revenue:

Rank Name Revenue Office Reach Headquarters
1 increase Baker & McKenzie $2,104.0m International United States US
2 increase Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom $2,100.0m International United States US
3 steady Clifford Chance $1,874.5m International United Kingdom UK
4 decrease Linklaters $1,852.5m International United Kingdom UK
5 increase Latham & Watkins $1,821.0m International United States USA
6 decrease Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer $1,787.0m International United Kingdom UK
7 decrease Allen & Overy $1,644.5m International United Kingdom UK
8 steady Jones Day $1,520.0m International United States USA
9 increase Kirkland & Ellis $1,428.0m International United States USA
10 decrease Sidley Austin $1,357.0m International United States USA
11 decrease White & Case $1,307.0m International United States USA
12 increase Weil Gotshal $1,233.0m International United States USA
13 increase Greenberg Traurig $1,173.0m National? United States USA
14 decrease Mayer Brown $1,118.0m International United States USA
15 increase Morgan, Lewis & Bockius $1,068.5m International United States USA
16 increase K&L Gates $1,034.5m International United States USA
17 decrease DLA Piper USA $1,014.5m National… United States USA
18 increase Gibson Dunn $995.0m International United States USA
18 increase Sullivan & Cromwell $995.0m International United States USA
20 increase Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton $965.0m International United States USA
21 increase Reed Smith $942.0m International United States USA
22 increase WilmerHale $941.0m International United States USA
23 decrease Dewey & LeBoeuf $941.0m International United States USA
24 decrease DLA Piper International $910.0m International United Kingdom UK
25 decrease Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker $889.0m National? United States USA
26 increase Morrison & Foerster $884.0m National? United States USA
27 decrease Simpson Thacher & Bartlett $870.5m National? United States USA
28 steady Hogan & Hartson $864.5m National United States USA
29 increase Bingham McCutchen $860.0m International United States USA
30 decrease Lovells[3] $849.0m International United Kingdom UK
31 increase Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe $847.5m International United States USA
32 increase Davis Polk & Wardwell $846.0m International United States USA
33 decrease McDermott Will & Emery $829.0m International United States USA
34 decrease O’Melveny & Myers $826.5m International United States USA
35 decrease Shearman & Sterling $801.0m International United States USA
36 increase Ropes & Gray $789.5m International United States USA
37 increase Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld $719.0m International United States USA
38 decrease Dechert $713.0m International United States USA
39 increase Winston & Strawn $705.0m International United States USA
40 decrease Herbert Smith $704.5m International United Kingdom UK
41 increase King & Spalding $677.5m International United States USA
42 decrease Debevoise & Plimpton $668.0m International United States USA
43 steady Foley & Lardner $667.0m National? United States USA
44 increase Paul Weiss $665.5m International United States USA
45 increase Goodwin Procter $658.0m International United States USA
46 increase Proskauer Rose $643.0m International United States USA
47 decrease Fulbright & Jaworski $642.5m International United States USA
48 decrease Slaughter & May $628.5m International United Kingdom UK
49 decrease Hunton & Williams $615.0m International United States USA
50 increase Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy $601.5m International United States USA
51 increase Wachtell $585.0m International United States USA
52 increase Covington & Burling $583.0m International United States USA
53 decrease Baker Botts $575.0m International United States USA
54 increase Cravath, Swaine & Moore $568.5m International United States USA
55 decrease Vinson & Elkins $562.0m International United States USA
56 increase Eversheds $556.5m International United Kingdom UK
57 increase Bryan Cave $555.0m International United States USA
58 increase Alston & Bird $551.0m International United States USA
59 decrease Willkie Farr & Gallagher $549.5m International United States USA
60 decrease Holland & Knight $545.5m International United States USA
61 decrease Squire Sanders $545.0m International United States USA
62 decrease Pillsbury Winthrop $533.5m International United States USA
63 increase Arnold & Porter $524.0m International United States USA
64 increase McGuireWoods $509.0m National United States USA
65 decrease Cooley Godward $507.0m International United States USA
66 decrease Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati $501.0m International United States USA
67 decrease Norton Rose $481.0m International United Kingdom UK
68 decrease Howrey $480.0m International United States USA
69 decrease Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal $472.5m International United States USA
70 increase Garrigues (law firm) $466.0m International Spain Spain
71 increase Nixon Peabody $465.0m International United States USA
72 decrease Ashurst $459.0m International United Kingdom UK
73 decrease Cadwalader $456.5m International United States USA
74 increase Seyfarth Shaw $453.5m National United States USA
75 increase Perkins Coie $433.0m International United States USA
76 increase Kaye Scholer $432.0m International United States USA
77 decrease Fried Frank $424.5m International United States USA
78 steady Katten Muchin $420.5m International United States USA
79 increase Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan $419.0m International United States USA
80 increase Fish & Richardson $417.0m International United States USA
81 decrease Fidal $411.0m National France France
82 increase Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell $399.0m International United States USA
83 increase Minter Ellison $398.5m International Australia Australia
84 decrease McCarthy Tetrault $397.0m International Canada Canada
84 increase Schulte Roth $397.0m International United States USA
86 decrease Loyens & Loeff $396.0m International Netherlands Netherlands
87 decrease Mallesons Stephen Jaques $392.0m International Australia Australia
88 decrease Simmons & Simmons $391.5m International United Kingdom UK
89 increase Duane Morris $387.5m International United States USA
90 steady Allens Arthur Robinson $380.8m International Australia Australia
91 decrease Freehills $378.0m International Australia Australia
92 increase Troutman Sanders $376.5m International United States USA
93 increase Drinker Biddle & Reath $373.5m National United States USA
94 increase Littler Mendelson $370.5m International United States USA
95 increase Jenner & Block $367.5m International United States USA
96 increase Sheppard Mullin $361.0m International United States USA
97 decrease Clayton Utz $351.0m International Australia Australia
98 increase Venable $349.5m International United States USA
99 decrease Finnegan Henderson $349.0m International United States USA
100 decrease Dorsey & Whitney $342.0m International United States USA

Don't settle

apple

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

~ Steve Jobs

Legal luminary Cashin dies at 89

Legal luminary Cashin dies at 89
Ex-Rugby Union president had colon cancer
By Carolyn Quek, Teh Joo Lin & Terrence Voon

ONE of Singapore’s longest-serving lawyers – who took on the inquiry into the 1983 Sentosa cable car tragedy and the sensational Adrian Lim murder trial – died early on Thursday morning after a long battle with cancer.

Mr Howard Edmund Cashin, 89, had practised law here for more than 50 years. So passionate was he about his profession that he spent almost every day in court, said his widow, Mrs Lily Cashin, 53.

Outside the courtroom, he pursued his other passions – rugby and cricket – and was the Singapore Rugby Union’s (SRU) president between 1977 and 1987.

Speaking to The Straits Times at their bungalow in Sarimbun, near Lim Chu Kang, Mrs Cashin said he retired from law practice after contracting colon cancer in 2003.

The cancer went into remission in 2007 after intensive treatment, but resurfaced late last year. Mr Cashin decided to forgo treatment and the cancer took its toll, but he remained mentally alert, even during his last days.

Though he was bedridden when his wife told him the English cricket team had won The Ashes test series, he cried: ‘Oh, that’s wonderful.’

Mr Cashin read law at Oxford and returned to Singapore after World War II. He spent many illustrious years at law firm Murphy & Dunbar.

Dr Myint Soe, 75, a partner with the firm for many years, said he was a meticulous lawyer who excelled at cross-examining witnesses, ‘especially those who were not telling the truth’.

High Court judge Choo Han Teck, 55, once Mr Cashin’s assistant, said he was effective in court because he understood human nature well.

‘He was able to get witnesses to say things they should say – not an easy thing to do in court,’ said Justice Choo.

While he was SRU president, Mr Cashin slapped a life ban on local rugby star Song Koon Poh for flouting the rules. Now 55, Mr Song, says he has no hard feelings towards the man who he feels took Singapore rugby to new heights. ‘He was also the only man to give local rugby a chance then. His passing is a great loss,’ said Mr Song.

Law amended to make it easier for returning lawyers to practise

18 August 2009 2107 hrs (SST)
CNA

SINGAPORE: Parliament has passed amendments to the Legal Profession Act to make it easier for returning lawyers to practise in Singapore. The changes will also ensure Singapore continue to grow as a legal hub.

A law graduate currently has to undergo pupillage at a law firm before being admitted to the Bar in Singapore. But some pupils may have little direct contact with their pupil masters.

Hence, a new Training Contract will replace the pupillage to ensure that trainees have a structured learning programme for six months. It will also ensure the law firms take greater responsibility in the pupil’s training.

Law Minister K Shanmugam said: “The current system doesn’t train pupils adequately and you need to impose that obligation on the law firms. If they are not resourced to train their pupils, we will try and find a way in which they can arrange with other law firms to go and get their pupils trained.

“But the pupils’ interests and the profession’s interest on the whole must not suffer. People should take on pupils with the clear idea that the pupillage period, the entire pupillage period, should be used to train the pupils (and) not to use them as additional labour.

“It is no answer really to say that the law firms may not be in a position to train the pupils. It is not fair to the pupils – which is why we now say we will provide the framework.”

Another change to the Legal Profession Act is the doing away with the existing overlapping powers between the Board of Legal Education and the Law Minister. This is in preparation for the establishment of the proposed Institute of Legal Education next year.

The change will give the Law Minister single exemption power and allow him to exempt lawyers from certain practice training requirements based on their experience and standing. This will shorten the training period and encourage more graduates to return.

The move, however, raised concerns among some members of the House. Ellen Lee, MP for Sembawang GRC, asked: “Why should the minister be the only authority to so decide without consulting the other relevant bodies? What KPIs are in place to measure the quality of applicants’ contributions?”

Mr Shanmugam said: “It’s a government policy. What sort of criteria can we waive? How many lawyers do we need? Should we expand the criteria? These are issues that the minister should decide and be answerable in Parliament here.

“And bearing in mind, currently the minister has and does exercise substantive powers of exemption. So, it’s not a new development.”

Mr Shanmugam said that many Singapore lawyers are sought after by international firms as they are well-educated and have a reputation for hard work.

In view of the fact that Singapore firms are also short of lawyers, it is important to ensure that those trained overseas can come home and practise here, without too many hurdles.

On increasing the intake of law students here to meet aspirations, Mr Shanmugam said that the National University of Singapore (NUS) has almost reached its optimal level. The Singapore Management University (SMU) has also expressed that it wants to keep the cohort small.

Singapore acts to lure overseas-trained lawyers back home

Singapore acts to lure overseas-trained lawyers back home
By Imelda Saad | Posted: 13 February 2009 1755 hrs
CNA

SINGAPORE: Major changes are on the cards for Singapore’s legal education system.

The changes are aimed to ensure Singapore has an adequate supply of local lawyers who can compete against global competition and to strengthen Singapore’s position as a key regional legal education hub.

Law Minister Law Minister K Shanmugam announced the changes in Parliament on Friday.

In hoping to attract overseas-trained Singapore lawyers to come back and practise law at home, the Law Ministry will abolish the one-year-long Diploma in Singapore Law course.

Mr K Shanmugam noted that the course, which is a requirement for all returning lawyers, has proven to be a disadvantage as lawyers feel they can pick up most of what’s taught during practice.

Hence, from June this year, such students will be offered an optional three-month conversion course.

To enhance legal training, measures include:

– revamping the Practice Law Course;

– replacing the pupillage system with training contracts, with the intention of putting the onus on law firms to ensure that trainees have a constructive and structured learning programme;

– the possibility of making continuing legal education mandatory to ensure practising lawyers are up to date on any changes to the law and are familiar with emerging areas of law.

To ensure a steady supply of lawyers, graduates with a Second Class (Lower) degree from approved universities will be admitted to the Singapore Bar without the two-year minimum legal experience requirement.

Adding to this, the Singapore Management University’s Law School will put in place additional measures to add to the pool of lawyers.

The first batch of graduates from SMU will join the industry in 2011.

The NUS Law Faculty will also increase its intake from 220 to 250 students a year.

Together, Mr K Shanmugam said, these moves will result in an almost 70 per cent increase in the number of local law graduates in a few years’ time – from 220 to 370 annually.

He added the incoming Qualifying Foreign Law Practices (QFLPs) will also bring in more lawyers as they consolidate their regional offshore work here.

To oversee the legal education in Singapore, a new statutory board – tentatively called the Institute for Legal Education – will be set up.

Mr K Shanmugam said: “Most essential for a vibrant legal sector are good quality lawyers. Therefore ensuring that legal education and training is top notch is extremely important”.

The minister also gave an update on moves to free up legal services in Singapore.

The Law Ministry notes that despite the current economic crisis, there is potential in the medium term for the legal sector to expand in certain areas.

One example is arbitration as Singapore is fast becoming an arbitration venue of choice.

By mid-2009, Singapore will have the Maxwell Chambers to house arbitration hearings under one roof.

Mr K Shanmugam said: “Our advantage is our connectivity and world class infrastructure, our judicial philosophy in respect to arbitration and being accessible at a much lower expense than some of the other popular arbitration centres.”

Another good sign is that international law firms have been setting up new offices in Singapore in recent months.

In the past four months alone, four new firms opened up offices here, one of them among the Global Top 40.

Another two firms have already registered with the Attorney-General’s Chambers and have announced plans to open new offices in Singapore.

Foreign law firms good for S'pore

ST Aug 27, 2008
Young lawyers get to practise with global firms and gain exposure
By Selina Lum

CHANGES to the Legal Profession Act passed in Parliament yesterday will now open up the hitherto protected legal sector to allow foreign firms more leeway to operate here.

The presence of strong local and foreign law firms will strengthen Singapore’s reputation as the region’s legal services centre, said Law Minister K. Shanmugam.

Young and talented Singaporean lawyers too stand to gain as they will now have more opportunities to practise in big international firms and gain international exposure, he said.

The amendments to the Act follow recommendations made last September by a committee, headed by Justice V. K. Rajah, tasked with developing the legal sector.

They come nine years after the Government first sent signals that the sector should be liberalised.

Three key changes will result from yesterday’s legislative amendment:

Come October, five foreign law firms will be allowed to hire Singapore-qualified lawyers to practise Singapore law in certain areas, namely high-end work in corporate and banking sectors.

Second, an existing scheme in which a local firm ties up with a foreign one has been enhanced, among other things, allowing the foreign part of the venture to share up to 49 per cent of the local constituent’s profits.

Third, the scope of work that foreign firms can carry out in international commercial arbitration involving Singapore law has been widened.

Four of the five parliamentarians who spoke on the issue yesterday were practising lawyers. To a man, the latter expressed concern about the impact of the liberalisation on local law firms. They also had reservations about whether the moves would really benefit Singapore as envisioned.

Mr Shanmugam said he understood their concerns about competition but pointed out that a number of areas would continue to be ‘ring-fenced’ beyond the reach of foreign firms.

These include constitutional and administrative law, conveyancing, criminal law, family law, succession law, trust law for individuals and litigation.

Local firms also stood to benefit if the economy as a whole prospered. ‘We must remember that the decision to liberalise was taken because we believe that it is in the overall economic interest of Singapore. It should also benefit the legal services sector as a whole,’ he said.

Explaining a key driver behind the moves, Mr Shanmugam noted that financial-sector representatives had asked ‘very strongly’ for the legal market to be liberalised.

‘We survive as an economic entity by reason of being open, by reason of being economically competitive. The financial services sector is one of the key pillars of our economy and we have to listen to the feedback from that sector,’ he said.

He later addressed a point made by Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines GRC), who was concerned that top local firms could become ‘footnotes in our history books’.

Mr Shanmugam, a partner in Allen & Gledhill until he became Law Minister earlier this year, said he would be the last person to disagree with the point that the major law firms contribute significantly to the legal heritage and legal culture in Singapore.

But when dealing with policy issues, one had to look at things in terms of the benefit to the public, he said.

Singapore’s interest was best served by allowing competition, enabling more choices for young lawyers and creating a more vibrant economic legal market.

‘When that calculation comes through, it cannot be dominated by emotion,’ he said.

To Nominated MP and accountant Gautam Banerjee, who asked for even more liberalisation, he said: ‘We start at five (foreign firms). I think it’s better for us to proceed cautiously and make sure we get it right.’

Law Jokes

ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh?

Q. What do you call an attorney with a 60 IQ?
A. Your Honor.

ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Would you repeat the question?

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, “Where am I, Cathy?”
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan.

ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.

World's Largest Law Firms

This list of the world’s largest law firms by revenue is taken from The Lawyer and The American Lawyer and is ordered by 2006 revenue:

1. Clifford Chance, £1,030.2m – International law firm (headquartered in the UK);
2. Linklaters, £935.2m – International (UK);
3. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, £884.6m – New York City (USA);
4. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, £882.1m – International (UK);
5. Latham & Watkins, £776.1m – National (USA);
6. Baker & McKenzie, £742.9m – International (USA);
7. Allen & Overy, £736.3m – International (UK);
8. Jones Day, £706.0m – National (USA);
9. Sidley Austin, £617.6m – International (USA);
10. White & Case, £574.7m – International (USA);
11. Weil, Gotshal & Manges, £558.5m – New York City (USA);
12. Mayer Brown, £538.5m – International (USA);
13. Kirkland & Ellis, £533.0m – Chicago (USA);
14. DLA Piper (USA), £489.3m – National (USA);
15. Sullivan & Cromwell, £480.8m – New York City (USA);
16. Greenberg Traurig, £472.8m – National (USA);
17. Shearman & Sterling, £458.8m – International (USA);
18. Wilmer Hale – £447.8m, Washington, D.C. (USA);
19. O’Melveny & Myers, £444.0m – Los Angeles (USA);
20. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, £442.0m – National (USA);
21. McDermott Will & Emery, £439.3m – National (USA);
22. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, £417.6m – New York City (USA);
23. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, £409.9m – Los Angeles (USA);
24. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, £399.5m – New York City (USA);
25. Lovells, £396.2m – International (UK);
26. Hogan & Hartson, £384.6m – National (USA);
27. Morrison & Foerster, £377.5m – San Francisco (USA);
28. DLA Piper (Europe), £366.5m – International (UK);
29. Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, £366.5m – National (USA);
30. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, £339.6m – National (USA);
31. Foley & Lardner, £335.4m – Milwaukee (USA);
32. Davis Polk & Wardwell, £332.1m – New York City (USA);
33. Bingham McCutchen, £325.8m – National (USA);
34. Eversheds, £323.1m – International (UK);
35. Slaughter and May, £321.2m – London (UK);
36. Holland & Knight, £319.5m – National (USA);
37. Dechert , £317.0m – National (USA);
38. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, £315.4m – National (USA);
39. Winston & Strawn, £313.7m – Chicago (USA);
40. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, £309.3m – New York City (USA);
41. Reed Smith, £309.1m – Pittsburgh (USA);
42. Ropes & Gray, £306.6m – Boston (USA);
43. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, £304.4m – San Francisco (USA);
44. Fulbright & Jaworski, £296.2m – Houston (USA);
45. Herbert Smith, £296.2m – International (UK);
46. Debevoise & Plimpton, £294.2m – New York City (USA);
47. King & Spalding, £282.7m – Atlanta (USA);
48. Vinson & Elkins, £280.2m – Houston (USA);
49. Cravath, Swaine & Moore, £275.0m – New York City (USA);
50. Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, £272.5m – New York City (USA);
51. Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft, £265.4m – New York City (USA);
52. Heller Ehrman, £261.0m – San Francisco (USA);
53. Hunton & Williams, £261.0m – Richmond, Virginia (USA);
54. Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham – £257.71m – National (USA);
55. Arnold & Porter, £255.8m – Washington, D.C. (USA);
56. Proskauer Rose, £249.2m – New York City (USA);
57. Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, £246.2m – Chicago (USA);
58. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, £243.4m – New York City (USA);
59. Willkie Farr & Gallagher, £243.4m – New York City (USA);
60. LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, £241.8m – National (USA);
61. Baker Botts, £238.7m – Houston (USA);
62. Goodwin Procter, £228.0m – Boston (USA);
63. Simmons & Simmons, £226.9m – International (UK);
64. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, £226.4m – Palo Alto (USA);
65. Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, £225.3m – National (USA);
66. Bryan Cave, £219.0m – National (USA);
67. Alston & Bird, £217.0m – Atlanta (USA);
68. Dewey Ballantine, £215.7m – New York City (USA);
69. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, £214.3m – New York City (USA);
70. Ashurst, £214.0m – International (UK);
71. Katten Muchin Rosenman, £212.4m – Chicago (USA);
72. Howrey, £211.3m – Washington, D.C. (USA);
73. Kaye Scholer, £210.7m – New York City (USA);
74. Norton Rose, £210.2m – International (UK);
75. Covington & Burling, £208.8m – Washington, D.C. (USA);
76. Nixon Peabody, £205.2m – National (USA);
77. McCarthy Tétrault, £203.8m – National (Canada);
78. Freehills, £194.8m – National (Australia);
79. Mallesons Stephen Jaques, £190.7m – National (Australia);
80. McGuireWoods, £187.4m – Richmond, Virginia (USA);
81. Seyfarth Shaw, £184.9m – National (USA);
82. CMS Cameron McKenna, £181.3m – International (UK);
83. Fidal, £181.3m – National (France);
84. Schulte Roth & Zabel, £176.4m – New York City (USA);
85. Dorsey & Whitney, £175.0m – Minneapolis (USA);
86. Perkins Coie, £174.7m – Seattle (USA);
87. Pinsent Masons, £172.0m – International (UK);
88. Minter Ellison, £171.7m – National (Australia);
89. Clayton Utz, £163.7m – National (Australia);
90. Cooley Godward, £163.7m – Palo Alto (USA);
91. Addleshaw Goddard, £161.3m – National (UK);
92. Duane Morris, £159.6m – Philadelphia (USA);
93. Jenner & Block, £158.0m – Chicago (USA);
94. Baker & Hostetler, £156.0m – Cleveland (USA);
95. Allens Arthur Robinson, £154.9m – National (Australia);
96. SJ Berwin, £154.9m – International (UK);
97. Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, £153.0m – Boston (USA);
98. Thelen Reid & Priest, £152.7m – San Francisco (USA);
99. Loyens & Loeff, £151.9m – Rotterdam (Netherlands);
100. Denton Wilde Sapte, £147.5m – International (UK).