- Date
- 27 October 2021
#30 The Legal Profession This Week: Slaughter and May - A Law Firm and Venture Capital Firm?
Slaughter and May - A Law Firm and Venture Capital Firm?
Slaughter and May has often been touted as being the most old-fashioned of the Magic Circle firms. That image is slowly changing. The firm’s recent investments into legal technology include a new graduate scheme and now a venture fund for legal technology start-ups. Slaughter Ventures allows partners at the firm to directly invest their own money into start-ups involved in the firm’s technology incubator program, Collaborate. Previously the firm only provided support to these start-ups through feedback on their products and introduction to clients.
While the exact details of the venture are unclear, allowing partners to personally invest in start-ups linked to the firm may introduce new risks. Could the companies with partner-backing receive preferential treatment when they are introduced to clients? Does this affect which services or products the firm chooses to make its lawyers use long term?
‘Business as usual’ – the notable deals and cases which went ahead this week:
This week we are covering recent deals in the entertainment & media space.
Latham & Watkins is advising KKR on its $1.1bn purchase of a music rights portfolio. The portfolio includes publishing rights over a range of music produced by popular artists such as Lorde and Childish Gambino. DLA Piper is advising Dundee Partners, the firm co-investing alongside KKR.
Netflix is continuing its flurry of UK activity, this time with the signing of a new lease for its UK production hub. The lease is being signed with FTSE 100 real-estate company SEGRO, who are long-standing clients of CMS. Early last month, Netflix acquired all trademarks and copyrights over Roald Dahl’s works from The Roald Dahl Story Company Limited. Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom advised on the deal.
By Dheepa M |
Slaughter and May - A Law Firm and Venture Capital Firm?
Slaughter and May has often been touted as being the most old-fashioned of the Magic Circle firms. That image is slowly changing. The firm’s recent investments into legal technology include a new graduate scheme and now a venture fund for legal technology start-ups. Slaughter Ventures allows partners at the firm to directly invest their own money into start-ups involved in the firm’s technology incubator program, Collaborate. Previously the firm only provided support to these start-ups through feedback on their products and introduction to clients.
While the exact details of the venture are unclear, allowing partners to personally invest in start-ups linked to the firm may introduce new risks. Could the companies with partner-backing receive preferential treatment when they are introduced to clients? Does this affect which services or products the firm chooses to make its lawyers use long term?
‘Business as usual’ – the notable deals and cases which went ahead this week:
This week we are covering recent deals in the entertainment & media space.
Latham & Watkins is advising KKR on its $1.1bn purchase of a music rights portfolio. The portfolio includes publishing rights over a range of music produced by popular artists such as Lorde and Childish Gambino. DLA Piper is advising Dundee Partners, the firm co-investing alongside KKR.
Netflix is continuing its flurry of UK activity, this time with the signing of a new lease for its UK production hub. The lease is being signed with FTSE 100 real-estate company SEGRO, who are long-standing clients of CMS. Early last month, Netflix acquired all trademarks and copyrights over Roald Dahl’s works from The Roald Dahl Story Company Limited. Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom advised on the deal.
