Post on 18-Mar-2020
Five ReasonsLondon
Every practice. Every office. For every client.
Work with the market’s leading practitioners at the centre of corporate finance transactions that are shaping global business.
ISS DKK 8,036 billion
(approx $1.5 billion)IPO and NASDAQ OMX
Copenhagen listingMarch 2014
AstraZeneca $119 billion
Successful defence of Pfizer’s unsolicited bid
April 2014
Com Hem SEK 5.67 billion
IPO and NASDAQ OMX Stockholm listing
June 2014
OneSavings Bank£134 million
IPO and London listingJune 2014
NN Group€1.77 billion
IPO and Euronext Amsterdam listing
July 2014
Wood Mackenzie £560 million and £195 million
Advised joint lead arrangers on amendment and restatement
of senior facility and mezzanine facility agreements
October 2014
SS&C Technologies $95 million
Acquisition of DST Global SolutionsDecember 2014
UBM £545 million
Rights offering and acquisition financing
December 2014
Rexam £4.3 billion
Advised financial adviser to Rexam on its acquisition
of Ball CorporationFebruary 2015
Tencent $195 million
Acquisition of a controlling stake in Miniclip February 2015
Verisk Analytics £1.85 billion
Acquisition of Wood Mackenzie and related bridge financing
March 2015
Wizz Air £309 million
IPO and London listingMarch 2015
Temenos €235 million
Acquisition of Multifonds and related bridge financing
March 2015
GO Scale Capital $3.3 billion
Acquisition of majority interest in Philips’ combined
LED components and automotive lighting business
April 2015
Ladbrokes £2.3 billion
Advised financial adviser to Ladbrokes on its proposed
acquisition of certain businesses of Gala Coral Group
July 2015
RBS$3.125 billion
Notes offeringAugust 2015
London Office Transactions — Highlights 2014/2015
Excellence1“We need people who want to get involved, who are
willing to take the initiative and are up for a challenge.
You’ll be expected to stand on your own two feet.
Providing the best possible advice to our clients can
be challenging, but it certainly is never boring.”
We advise on the matters that matter – global M&A deals, groundbreaking securities offerings, the ongoing restructuring of the finance sector, complex compliance and corporate governance issues, and litigation and enforcement matters throughout the world. At Davis Polk, you are always at the top of your profession – and you are recognised as being so. Our London-based team consists of over 50 UK and US lawyers, many of whom are acknowledged as leaders in their fields.
Associate Elisabeth Milan
Recent Recognition
■■“Houses a deep bench of UK and US-qualified lawyers, highly skilled in all aspects of DCM and ECM work. Regularly advises on many of the market’s most complex and high-profile transactions.”
– Chambers UK 2015
■■“Since 2012, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP’s London office has offered English law capabilities alongside its US law offering and has been involved in a number of big-ticket transactions.”
– Legal 500 UK 2014
■■“The past year has seen the firm continue to gain traction in the UK M&A market acting on a number of substantial mandates...A client who worked with the M&A team says: “Davis Polk & Wardwell’s London office did an excellent job representing us in the acquisition. They operated very efficiently and provided quality advice.” Another adds that the advice received was
“responsive, proactive and business oriented.””
– IFLR1000 2015
We Prepare You Like No Other Firm
■■ In addition to the numerous training sessions offered to all trainees and associates, the firm runs a series of practical seminars throughout the training contract on aspects of corporate and finance law.
■■ Our trainees have a month-long induction program that introduces life at Davis Polk and includes the Trainee Litigation Programme (TLP) and both core and elective components of the Professional Skills Course (PSC).
■■ In addition to access to all of the usual legal resources, our partners take an active role in trainee and associate development to ensure that the London office stays on top of legal and regulatory developments and changes in market practice.
There is no better place to launch and build a career in the law. You will do crucial work for high-profile clients. You will work directly with some of the most highly regarded lawyers in the market. You will have mentors, both formal and informal, at every level. We will train you extensively, give you responsibility early, and that responsibility grows over time. This opens doors and gives you invaluable experience from which you will draw throughout your career.
Preparation2
Trainees Jack Kelly and Courtney Grafton
“ We attended training sessions at the firm whilst doing the
LPC and these sessions, presented by Davis Polk lawyers,
enhanced our LPC electives by showing how the content
we learned in class is applicable to the firm’s practice areas.”
Davis Polk is a recognised leader worldwide. You will work from one or more of our offices in major financial capitals. And if based in London, your workplace is still the world. With sophisticated practices in global capital markets, cross-border M&A, credit and restructuring, much of your work as a lawyer here will involve assignments, clients and colleagues from across the globe.
“I have really enjoyed the global reach of the deals
here at Davis Polk. Working on the Wizz Air IPO was
fascinating in enabling me to see both the UK and US
sides of an international transaction.”
Trainee Jessica Hui
Global3A Truly Global Practice
The global nature of our work often carries our associates across the world. Over the past year, Sam Kelso, a corporate lawyer based in Hong Kong, Radoslaw Michalak, a corporate lawyer based in London, and Meghan Maloney, a corporate lawyer originally based in New York (now São Paulo), each traveled extensively on highly complex multijurisdictional matters for our clients.
● Sam’s cross-border work for Asian clients involved travel to Shanghai, Singapore, Amsterdam, London and New York.
● Radoslaw traveled to Johannesburg, Stockholm, Midrand, Copenhagen and Bristol to attend meetings with high-level global clients.
● Meghan’s capital markets work for international clients has taken her to Tel Aviv, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, where she relocated to in June 2014 in order to expand her Latin American markets experience.
On the next page, see their travels mapped across the world.
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54
Stockholm − February
Attended business due diligence session for a bond offering by a Swedish bank.
2 Midrand − July
Attended kickoff meeting for a Rule 144A/Regulation S rights offering.
3
Johannesburg − February
Drafting session for proposed IPO of a South African financial services group.
1
Amsterdam – March
Negotiations for the purchase of Philips’ LED business by a Chinese consortium.
4 Shanghai – April
Meeting with the special committee of a Chinese online dating company on a going-private transaction.
5 London – May
Negotiations for the sale of an Indian wind power business by a US private equity investor.
6Beijing – May-June
Further negotiations for the development of the international theme park.
3New York – February
Negotiations for the development of an international theme park in China.
21 Singapore – February
Meeting with a consortium for an Indian hydropower investment.
Sam’s Travel Radoslaw’s Travel Meghan’s Travel
Copenhagen − August
Document review for a debut Yankee deal by a Danish shipping company.
4 Bristol − December
Document review for a proposed bond offering by a UK company.
5 São Paulo – June
Relocated to Davis Polk’s São Paulo office for a two-year rotation.
1 Mexico City – July
Meeting on shipping terminal selection and outstanding issues.
2 3 Rio de Janeiro – July
Interviewed management and employees in connection with alleged FCPA violations.
Tel Aviv – March
Met with client and gathered facts and documents relating to DOJ’s voluntary tax program for Swiss banks.
4
“Each of our trainees is one of a handful.
That means more experience working directly
with partners and senior associates, as well as
a greater focus on individual development.”
Partners Will Pearce and Simon Witty (right)
Trajectory4
Responsibility From Day One
Hands-On ExperienceA small intake ensures that our trainees have hands-on experience from the beginning and are an integral part of the Davis Polk team on a deal, with regular partner interaction.
SupportOur trainees have the support of their supervisor, the broader team and a comprehensive ongoing training program delivered by our lawyers.
Professional DevelopmentTrainees receive frequent informal feedback from supervisors, complete a monthly training record and have a review every six months with supervisors and the training principal.
VarietyThe training contract at Davis Polk involves gaining experience in corporate (M&A and capital markets), credit and tax, regulatory and anti-trust. Trainees will also have the opportunity to spend time in our New York office.
There are many paths to and through Davis Polk. Whatever your path, Davis Polk offers an invaluable foundation and can be a springboard or simply the best place you could spend your entire career. You will be exposed to a rich variety of work early on and, from day one, you will take a hand in charting your career.
“ We work hard here, but it’s made much easier by
the fact that your colleagues are intelligent, talented
and, importantly, pleasant lawyers who are working
just as hard as you are. I enjoy working in a culture
that promotes excellence, but is also respectful and
supportive.”
Associate Greg Spencer
Character5
Davis Polk is made up of people of substance – unique individuals who are not just intelligent and highly accomplished lawyers but who bring integrity, respect and diverse backgrounds to their practice. Diversity means many things at Davis Polk – gender and ethnicity, of course, but also place of origin, language, educational background, nonlegal skills, and interests and experiences outside the law. Here, you work among exceptional colleagues – in teams that are routinely multidisciplinary, often multilingual, and that span the globe.
A Global Team
■■ Headquartered in New York, we work from 10 offices in the Americas, Asia and Europe.
■■ Firmwide, our lawyers come from 53 countries and collectively speak over 45 languages.
■■ 41% of our associates and 18% of our partners are women.
■■ 31% of our lawyers are ethnic minorities or LGBT.
■■ Our Europe-based lawyers are citizens of nearly 20 countries, including Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
■■ Nearly 20 different languages are spoken by our Europe-based lawyers, including Afrikaans, Amharic, Arabic, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.
■■ In 2014, our lawyers devoted 31,789 hours to pro bono matters and we advised on nearly 540 pro bono matters.
■■ London lawyers and trainees have recently done pro bono work with A4ID and are working on CSR initiatives through the East London Business Alliance.
Training at Davis Polk in London Key Training Contract Facts
Vacation Scheme for 2016
Apply by email with a CV and cover letter addressed to Martha Jeacle, Legal Recruiting and Associate Development Manager at vacation.scheme.2016@ davispolk.com.
■■ Applications open: 1 November 2015
■■ Applications close: 28 January 2016
■■ Conduct interviews: late January/early February 2016
■■ Salary: £500 per week
■■ Number of places: approximately 20
■■ Start dates: June/July 2016
■■ Duration: 2 weeks
Training Contracts for 2018
Apply by email with a CV and cover letter addressed to Martha Jeacle, Legal Recruiting and Associate Development Manager at london.training.contracts@ davispolk.com.
■■ Applications open: 1 May 2016
■■ Applications close: 31 July 2016
■■ Conduct interviews: early August 2016
■■ Salary: £50,000 (first year), £55,000 (second year) and £100,000 (NQ)
■■ Intake: approximately 4
■■ Start date: August 2018
■■ Duration: 2 years
Legal Training
■■ Dedicated LPC
■■ Tailored PSC, including electives
■■ Contentious experience through the TLP
■■ Ongoing legal training
Benefits Package
■■ Covered GDL and LPC fees
■■ Maintenance grant of £8,000 per year
■■ 20 days of vacation per year
■■ Gym membership subsidy
■■ Private healthcare, life, long-term disability, critical illness and travel insurance
■■ Employee Assistance Programme
■■ Pension scheme
■■ Interest-free season ticket loan
Seat Rotations
■■ M&A/Capital Markets
■■ Credit
■■ Tax/Regulatory/Anti-trust
■■ Opportunity to spend time in New York
There are many opportunities to meet Davis Polk lawyers at universities across the United Kingdom.
We will be holding open days at our London office for:
■■ First-year law students on 11 March 2016
■■ Second-year law and post-grad law students on 20 November 2015
■■ Final-year non-law students on 27 November 2015
Details of our events and how to sign up to attend can be found at careers.davispolk.com.
If you have further questions about the Graduate Recruitment program, please contact martha.jeacle@davispolk.com.
1849
Francis N. Bangs, a 21-year-old lawyer, hangs out a shingle on lower Broadway in Manhattan and opens his one-man firm, which today is known as Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.
1885
During work on a complex transaction involving the Pennsylvania Railroad, the firm begins a relationship with banker J. Pierpont Morgan.
1889
Grover Cleveland joins Bangs, Stetson, Tracey & MacVeagh as “of counsel” for the period between his nonsequential terms as President of the United States.
1892
On behalf of J. Pierpont Morgan, the firm performs the legal work on the organisation of General Electric.
1913-1918
John W. Davis argues or takes part in more than 250 cases before the US Supreme Court, 160 of which were for the government during his period as Solicitor General, the remainder in private practice. No other lawyer had participated in so many.
1935
Partner F.A.O. “Fritz” Schwarz helps develop the standard telephone company registration form for AT&T. During the Great Depression, he would take a leave of absence from the firm to run his family’s toy store.
1944
Partner Theodore Kiendl successfully represents Erie Railroad in the well-publicized Supreme Court case Erie v. Tompkins, in which Justice Louis D. Brandeis formally ends the 90-year-old doctrine of federal common law.
1962
Davis Polk opens an office in Paris, the firm’s first overseas outpost. The firm continues to open offices in key financial and business centres around the world: London (1972), Washington DC (1980), Tokyo (1987), Hong Kong (1993), Menlo Park (1999), Madrid (2001), Beijing (2007) and São Paulo (2011).
1971
Lydia Kess is elected to the partnership, becoming only the second female partner in a major Wall Street firm.
1987
Davis Polk advises Her Majesty’s Government on the $1.9 billion IPO of British Airways. This marks the first of several major British privatisations that would be handled by Davis Polk lawyers, including those involving British Telecommunications, British Petroleum, British Gas and the power-generating companies run by the British Department of Energy.
2000
Davis Polk advises longtime client J.P. Morgan & Co. on its $38.6 billion merger with Chase Manhattan Bank to form JPMorgan Chase.
2001
Davis Polk advises Comcast on its acquisition of AT&T Broadband to create the nation’s largest cable company.
2010
Davis Polk launches its Hong Kong law practice, and in 2013, the firm strategically expands its global enforcement capability and strengthens its market-leading litigation practice in Asia and Hong Kong.
2012
Davis Polk launches its English law practice in London to complement the firm’s English law practices in Hong Kong and Brazil.
2014
The first intake of London trainees join the firm.
Our History – Selected Highlights
www.davispolk.com/firm/history/
“ We attract the brightest and most dynamic students. We must. Because our clients repeatedly seek our advice on the most complex legal problems.”
Born and raised in Kirkcaldy on the east coast of Scotland,
Tom Reid attended Edinburgh Law School. In 1986,
following completion of an LL.B., Tom left Scotland for the
United States. He received an LL.M. from Columbia Law
School in 1987, and then joined Davis Polk as an associate in
New York. Tom transferred to the London office in 1990 and
was elected partner in 1995. Tom was named as Head of
Corporate in 2008 and Managing Partner in 2011. Tom now
manages the firm and advises clients across the world.
Managing Partner Tom Reid
New YorkMenlo ParkWashington DCSão PauloLondon
ParisMadridTokyoBeijingHong Kong
Visit the Careers page of our website to learn why, at Davis Polk, you are always at the top of your profession. careers.davispolk.com
© 2015 Davis Polk & Wardwell London llp