Jones Day is pleased to announce that Christopher Braithwaite and Baiju Vasani are joining the Firm as global disputes partners in London. Mr. Braithwaite, a finance litigation lawyer, will join from Simmons & Simmons in mid-July. He advises banks, financial institutions and other clients on finance litigation and arbitration, regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings, and insurance coverage issues and litigation. Mr. Vasani serves as trial counsel in international arbitrations involving the common and civil law legal systems, national political establishments and inter-governmental organizations, private companies and state-owned enterprises, sovereign governments, and private individuals. He also regularly advises parties about risk mitigation and dispute avoidance strategies, arbitral clause drafting and negotiations, and early case evaluations.

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Linklaters has acted as global counsel for the lenders on the US$1.4bn equivalent multi currency limited recourse project financing of the Jorf Lasfar IPP Expansion. The lenders comprised of Export Credit Agencies (JBIC and NEXI of Japan and KEXIM of South Korea) and the Mandated Lead Arrangers (BNPP, Standard Chartered, Société Générale and Banque Centrale Populaire of Morocco). The Sponsor is the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (“TAQA”).

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International law firm Simmons & Simmons advised Crédit Agricole Corporate Investment Bank (CA-CIB) on the structuring of an asset-backed securities collateralised by auto loans originated in Italy by RCI Banque SA, a bank group of French automaker Renault S.A.

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Hogan Lovells has successfully advised Rift Acquisitions Limited, formed by the consortium of Infracapital (managed by Prudential M&G) and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, on the £1.2 billion acquisition of three UK water businesses from French water and waste group Veolia Environment.

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International law firms Herbert Smith and Freehills confirmed today that their partnerships have voted overwhelmingly in favour of merging to create a new firm, Herbert Smith Freehills. The firm will focus on providing an integrated service to clients across its 20 offices. This will be a full equity merger, with a single profit pool from day one. Launch of the firm is targeted for 1 October 2012.

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