Leading international law firm, Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) is delighted to announce the recruitment of Western Australia’s former Attorney-General and Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes, who joins the firm’s Perth office as a Partner in the Corporate, Projects & Finance practice, effective 1 March 2012.

Squire Sanders continues the expansion of its global Transportation, Shipping and Logistics industry group with the launch of a wholly new maritime practice team in London, led by three new partners Graham Harris and Dharmendra Nair, who both join from Thomas Cooper, and Linos Choo, who joins from DLA Piper. Harris will head up the team in London, which is supported by associates Anne Pickering and Ann Mazzucco, also from Thomas Cooper.

Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce that Steven D. Allison has joined the firm’s Orange County office as a partner, where he will be a member of the Litigation Group. Allison is a proven litigator and trial lawyer with more than 17 years of experience in general commercial matters, as well as key substantive areas such as insurance, health care, intellectual property, and class action defense. He joins from Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Orange County, where he headed the firm’s California Trial department.

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP represented Ypso France S.A.S., the parent company of the Numericable Group, in connection with the offering of €360,200,000 12.375% senior secured notes due 2019 by Numericable Finance & Co. S.C.A. The transactions closed on Feb. 14, 2012. The proceeds from the offering were used by Numericable Finance & Co. S.C.A. to acquire a loan made to Ypso France S.A.S. to repay a portion of the facilities under a senior facility agreement.

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP represented Verisure Holding AB, the parent company of the Securitas Direct group, in its offering of €500,000,000 of its 8.75% senior secured notes, Series A, due 2018, €100,000,000 of senior secured floating rate notes, Series A, due 2018, and €271,500,000 of 8.75% senior secured notes, Series B, due 2018, and amendment and restatement of a senior secured loan as a €50.0 million Series A senior secured term loan. The transactions closed on February 15, 2012. The net proceeds of the offering were used to repay substantially all of the borrowings under a senior secured credit facility entered into as part of the financing of the acquisition of the Securitas Direct group by affiliates of Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman, which was completed on September 2, 2011.

Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised on the debut US$500 million bond issuance by State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (“SOCAR”). The Firm represented Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland as joint lead managers, and Nomura and Société Générale as co-managers, on the offering. The offering was the first ever Eurobond issuance by a corporate Azerbaijani issuer.

Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP is pleased to announce that Joel J. Hughey has joined the firm’s Atlanta office as a partner in the Corporate Practice Group. With him, Mr. Hughey brings extensive transactional and securities experience in the technology industry.

Arent Fox is pleased to announce that leading patent attorney W. David Wallace has joined the firm’s intellectual property practice as a partner in its Washington, DC, office. Mr. Wallace’s practice focuses on patent prosecution, counseling, and litigation in the areas of pharmaceuticals (especially Hatch-Waxman litigation), nutraceuticals, organic and inorganic chemistry, polymers, foods, medical devices, and biotechnology.

Weil’s London Private Funds practice group represented BC Partners in connection with the final closing of its latest buyout fund, BC European Capital IX (BCEC IX), at the hard cap of €6.5 billion in investor commitments. BCEC IX is reported to be the biggest European buy-out fund to have a final close since the height of the financial crisis. The Weil team representing BC Partners was led by Private Funds partner Nick Benson, together with associates James McCrory, Laura Carrier and Peter Boulle, and was assisted by lawyers from Clifford Chance and Simpson Thacher.