Corporate partner Neil Palmer led a cross-practice team which advised the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on a strategic partnership with the Universities of Strathclyde and Surrey for the development of the National Physical Laboratory.
Dentons Baku has advised KBR, a leading technology, engineering, procurement and construction giant, on a joint venture agreement to establish a new engineering and support services company in Azerbaijan. The agreement was signed on 18 March 2015 with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).
International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised Manulife Financial Asia Ltd on its entry into a bancassurance distribution arrangement with DBS Bank Ltd.
The arrangement, which takes effect on 1 January 2016, grants Manulife the exclusive right to sell insurance and wealth management products to DBS clientele throughout Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Indonesia for a period of 15 years.
The Freshfields team which advised on the commercial agreements was led by Asia regional managing partner Robert Ashworth.
Slaughter and May advised Arrow Global Group PLC (Arrow Global), a leading European purchaser and manager of debt portfolios, on the formalisation of a strategic origination and servicing partnership with CarVal Investors (CarVal). The formalisation of this partnership includes a five year agreement between Arrow Global and CarVal to jointly original Portuguese investments and the establishment of a formal five year servicing commitment with CarVal.
ABL-TECHNIC Entlackung GmbH (ABL), based in Leutkirch im Allgäu (Germany), has established a joint venture with QIS Mexico (QIS). This joint venture enables ABL and QIS to provide an even more comprehensive service portfolio in Mexico.
ABL provides its customers with a comprehensive service portfolio ranging from paint stripping management to waste disposal and recovery of valuable materials.
Baker & McKenzie recently advised HKSE-listed Sino-Ocean Land Holdings Limited ("Sino-Ocean Land") on its subscription of 40% of the equity interest in a joint venture with Nan Fung International Holdings Limited ("Nan Fung") for the construction and development of residential and related facilities at MTRCL LOHAS Park Package Six Property Development in Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung, Hong Kong. Sino-Ocean Land will contribute a total sum of approximately HK$1.34 billion to the joint venture upon completion of the subscription.
The Paris office of international law firm McDermott Will & Emery advised Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on its offer to create a partnership with Alstom in the energy field. The offer contemplated the creation of a joint venture with Alstom on most of Alstom’s energy assets, including the steam turbines, hydro and grid businesses, representing a cash contribution by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to Alstom of EUR 3.9b. The offer also included a proposal to acquire up to 10% of Alstom’s share capital, along with the French State.
Eversheds has advised FMC Technologies, on an agreement with France-based Technip, to form an exclusive alliance and to launch Forsys Subsea.
The 50/50 joint venture will unite the skills and capabilities of the two subsea industry leaders, and define the way subsea fields are designed, delivered and maintained.
Bringing together FMC Technologies and Technip, Forsys Subsea will have the technical capabilities, products and systems to significantly reduce the cost of subsea field development.
Herbert Smith Freehills has advised JFE Steel Corporation and Marubeni-Itochu Steel Inc. (MISI) on their agreement with Senaat GHC, a private joint-stock general holding company owned by the government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, to establish a joint venture in Abu Dhabi.
JFE Steel, MISI and Senaat have agreed to establish a joint-venture company in Abu Dhabi, called Al Gharbia Pipe Company, to manufacture and sell steel pipes, for sale and distribution to the energy industry within UAE and other member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
DLA Piper has advised the Cabinet Office on a strategic joint venture with Ark Data Centres, Crown Hosting Data Centres Limited. Crown Hosting establishes a shared service data centre environment which will deliver increased efficiency, improved value and transparency of service across the public sector.
Crown Hosting Data Centre Services offers customers across the public sector direct access to a rich portfolio of hosting services at different levels of accreditation, underpinned by a comprehensive set of SLAs.