Legal news: Hovell rules on Vanessa Mae case; Squires’ deals joy & more
TOP sports lawyer Mark Hovell, a partner at Mills & Reeve in Manchester, was a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel in Switzerland that allowed an appeal by violinist-turned skier Vanessa Mae against her four year ban from competitive skiing following her qualification for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
However, sitting on the CAS panel in his role as arbitrator, Hovell, dismissed Mae’s second appeal against the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) and upheld she should have been found ineligible to have competed in the Games.
But the panel did annul the professional violinist’s earlier four year ban after finding that there was insufficient evidence to hold that she had breached the FIS Betting and other Anti-Corruption Violation Rules.
The 36-year-old Thailand skier was suspended in November 2014 after results at four slalom competitions in Krvavec, Slovenia, were allegedly manipulated by her to enable her to qualify for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
CAS said there was no direct evidence to implicate her in the fixing. However, the panel held that the competitions in Krvavec, notwithstanding the fact that Vanessa herself was not guilty of any manipulation, were so defective that their results and qualification points gained therefrom could not stand, meaning that Vanessa remained ineligible to compete in the Games.
Mae, a British citizen, competed in Sochi for her father’s native country under the name Vanessa Vanakorn. She finished in 67th place in the giant slalom, although that result will not stand. However, she is now free to try to qualify for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
CAS work has seen Hovekll clocking up the air miles of late. Last week he was in Shanghai for 48 hours, giving two lectures for the CAS, where it has recently opened its Alternative Hearing Centre. Meanwhile, Mark also chaired the a panel which confirmed Turkish side Bursaspor’s exclusion from the 2015/16 Europa League.
He said: “It is a great privilege to sit on CAS panels and to represent it in China, in a role that highlights the sports team’s growing reputation in the regulation of sport on a national and international level.”
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INTERNATIONAL firm Squire Patton Boggs has been ranked No 1 for UK mid-market M&A deals completed in the first half of 2015.
In its EMEA Mid-Market report for H1 2015, which includes deals up to and including US$200m, respected business news and information provider ThomsonReuters ranked Squire Patton Boggs number one legal adviser for the number of UK deals.
Mergermarket has also placed the firm at top position for number of UK deals both up to US$250 million and for deals up to US $500 million for the first half of 2015.
Jane Haxby, Manchester-based EMEA chair of the global corporate practice at Squire Patton Boggs, said: “Our UK-based corporate team has over 60 lawyers across four offices – London, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester – with a strong focus on mid-market M&A, private equity and capital markets.
“The combination of our strong local teams, backed by specialist industry knowledge in the sectors we focus on, and a global platform is making all the difference for the companies we are advising.
“In Manchester, over the last six months we have been particularly active advising both UK and US companies who are acquiring UK businesses. Recent deals have included advising Findel plc on the disposal of Kleeneze, advising management on Lloyds Development Capital’s £207m buyout of SSP Limited, and advising Endless on the buy-out of Mavisbank Limited and the Adare group of companies.
“Internationally we have been particularly active on US/UK transactions including advising US listed Cardtronics Inc. on the disposal of Sunwin Managed Security; advising Lubrizol on the acquisition of Warwick International and advising Innospec on the sale of its aroma chemicals business to US company, Emerald Kalama Chemical. We have also advised GB Group on the acquisition of San Francisco-based software business Loqate Inc,” commented Ms. Haxby.
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MANCHESTER lawyer Hugh Jones, a leading Court of Protection specialist, has become one of UK’s longest serving deputies after 10 year panel re-appointment.
Jones has secured a place on the Office of the Public Guardian’s panel of court approved deputies.
After a rigorous application process, Jones, founder of Hugh Jones Solicitors, is the only deputy in Manchester to have been reappointed.
Deputies are appointed by the Court of Protection to manage the financial affairs of individuals who are deemed to lack capacity to make such decisions themselves. Often in cases where family members can’t agree who should be the deputy or where there has been financial abuse and the family member is discharged of their duties.
He said: “I am delighted to secure a place on the panel. It is a 10-year appointment which is excellent news for the firm.
“Over the last 12 months, we have seen a 30% rise in the number of professional deputyship appointments as the firm continues to cement its position of the leading independent court of protection specialist.”
