Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance is the world’s first integrated global law firm. It is a multi-jurisdictional international law firm providing a full range of legal services for all aspects of business and finance with 3,650 legal advisers. The firm has local knowledge combined with global reach to support the business its clients conduct. This means that Clifford Chance is able to provide lawyers who fully understand the markets within which they work who are familiar with the pressures clients face and who are able to project manage complex transactions while delivering consistently high standards and a uniformity of approach across multiple jurisdictions. Clifford Chance is unique in being able to offer this service.

The firm’s market-leading European private practice consists of 37 partners and 70 assistants based in offices in London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Padua, Paris and Warsaw. The European practice is enhanced by additional private equity practitioners in both the US and Far East. Clifford Chance’s practice has been built on a clear, long-term commitment to this sector and a track record of quality service. It is the only firm to be ranked top-tier for fund establishment, leveraged acquisitions and financing structures. Clifford Chance is unique in being able to offer a truly integrated product across this field, providing specialist advice on all aspects of private equity. The firm’s market leading position was confirmed at the Chambers and Partners awards in May 2001 where it won the award for Private Equity Law Firm of the Year – Western Europe and was described by Chambers and Partners as:

“Consistent, versatile and the first choice of an unequalled number of venture capital groups and financial institutions for European cross-border work”.

The firm has a long history of advising on leveraged acquisitions and has been at the forefront of advising venture capitalists and other investors on incubation projects, early stage financings, further rounds of fund-raising and exit strategies. Clifford Chance regularly advises 15 of the leading equity providers in the European markets some of which have been clients since their inception. During 2000 Clifford Chance had a lead corporate role on 10 transactions in excess of GBP250 million and 20 deals over GBP100 million.

Clifford Chance also has a leading international investment funds practice with a unique transatlantic capability. The team dedicated to this field has a strong track record in establishing and structuring substantial private equity funds on a multi-jurisdictional basis.

The firm’s international finance practice is the most comprehensive of any law firm. It works for all the leading commercial and investments banks and has a long record of pro-active contribution to innovative products and techniques. The firm is market leader in both European acquisition finance and international securitisation and has greater experience of European high yield issues than any other law firm.

Clifford Chance’s private equity practice had a spectacular year in 2000 and the high quality, cross border work has continued into 2001. Highlights of the past 18 months include advising:

* Apax Partners on the E528 million LBO of Ericsson Enterprise Solution Channel Business

* CVC Capital Partners on the E700 million acquisition of Lenzing and merger with certain businesses of Acordis

*Royal Bank Private Equity on the GBP360 million cash offer for Cannons Group plc

* Schroder Venture Advisers on the $2.3 billion joint purchase of VEBA Electronics Group from E.ON AG

* Candover Partners and Legal and General Ventures on the acquisition of the Rank holidays division by Bourne Leisure.

* Royal Bank Private Equity on the cash offer for NYSE listed Doncasters plc

* Kohlberg Kravis Roberts on the $1.175 billion buyout of Laporte’s water technology, timber treatment and electronics division.

* HSBC Private Equity on the buyout of the automotive friction materials division of BBA Group for GBP390 million.

* CVC Capital Partners on the $300 million LBO of the professional products business of Revlon Inc.

* Duke Street Capital on the FF1,300 million public-to-private LBO of Marie Brizard.

l CVC Capital Partners on the $400 million acquisition of the sealing systems business of Invensys plc.

* EQT Partners AB on the CHF830 million cross border LBO of Nestle’s Findus frozen food business.

* CVC Capital Partners on the MBO of Collins Stewart Ltd for GBP122 million and subsequent IPO at GBP325 million.

* Schroder Venture Advisers on the GBP1 billion LBO of Homebase.

* Department of Trade and Industry on the establishment of the UK High Technology Fund, a GBP150 million fund-of-funds.

* Industri Kapital on the establishment of the Industri Kapital 2000 fund which raised E2.1 billion.

* Duke Street Capital on the establishment of E1 billion the Duke Street Capital V fund.

* EQT Partners AB on the establishment of its E2 billion fund.