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UK companies Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham are planning a £100 billion merger (US$60 billion) which will create the world's biggest drugs manufacturer and the world's third largest company after General Electric and Royal Dutch/Shell. The news follows the rumours surrounding a possible merger between SmithKline Beecham and American Home Products, now abandoned. UK firm Slaughter and May and US firm Sullivan & Cromwell are representing Glaxo Wellcome. Slaughter & May's corporate partners Glen James, Michael Pescod and Robert Stern worked with competition partners Michael Nicholson, Laura Carstensen and tax partner Howard Nowlan on the deal. Sullivan & Cromwell partner Ben Stapleton worked on M&A issues out of the New York office, assisted by London partners William Plapinger (securities) and Robert Osgood (antitrust).

The UK's system of distinguishing levels of barristers should be disbanded, according to a report published by free market think-tank, the Adam Smith Institute. Its author, Peter Reeves, criticizes the system of Queen's Counsels (QCs or silks) as being costly and misleading. The radical proposal follows recent criticism made by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, about top commercial barristers charging excessive fees.

UK firm Linklaters & Paines is extending its Asian practice by opening an office in Bangkok. The office, which opened in January, complements Linklaters' other Asian offices in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Unlike other countries in south-east Asia, Thai bar rules enable foreign firms to employ local lawyers. Three lawyers have been taken on as partners to join managing partner Chris King. They join Linklaters from Thai firm International Legal Counsellors.

For the second time, the Swedish Bar Association has forced Wahlin Adokatbyra to dismantle its links with big six firm KPMG. Wahlin, a firm created in 1997 as an associate law firm of the professional services giant, must abandon the cooperation agreements between the two firms or face being disbarred with immediate effect. Name partner Tryggve Wahlin says: "The Bar came to the conclusion that these agreements were not consistent with the independence of the professional lawyers in Sweden. I can accept that reason because I think that is important too, but I don't think our agreements were in conflict with it."

Philadelphia-based Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is set to face legal action in Indonesia related to its office there and the hiring of a new partner for the firm. A leading Jakarta firm, Makarim & Taira S, is preparing to sue the US firm because it claims the firm's Jakarta office, PT ML&B Indonesia, operates outside the regime for foreign legal firms. Makarim & Taira is also preparing to sue the laterally hired partner. The moves put at risk Morgan Lewis's estimated US$5 million in billings for Indonesian matters. In January 1998 Morgan Lewis offered a partnership in its international section to Michael Hooton, a New York-qualified Canadian national who was working as a foreign legal consultant at Makarim & Taira. Hooton is due to join the firm shortly.

The Netherlands has produced plans for a special court to rule on disputes over corporate control. This marks the first step to dismantling anti-takeover devices. By Christian Huiskes of Derks.Star Busmann.Hanotiau, Utrecht

US securities authorities are issuing guidance for broker-dealers on the use of new technology in their business. This article summarizes that guidance in five key areas. By Morris Simkin of Winston & Strawn, New York

Changes to financial regulation in the UK bring into focus the challange of boundaries in the legal framework. By Andrew Marsh of Sidley & Austin, London

US firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has poached structured finance specialist Christopher Lewis from the Hong Kong office of UK firm Simmons & Simmons.The appointment confirms the IFLRev report in the December 1997 issue, where the firm also stated its intention to build an English capability in London. Lewis will be based in Tokyo where Orrick opened an office in 1997. Lewis' loss will be a blow to Simmons & Simmons in a field where specialists are few and the pool of firms with the experience to document new investment banking products is limited. The techniques of structured finance and asset repackaging may be one of the few funding options open in the region. "Although the current financial problems in Japan and Asia are well documented, likely solutions include acceleration of the deregulation process and the development of new financing techniques," says Lewis.

As predicted in the December 1997 issue of IFLRev, New York's Debevoise & Plimpton is opening an office in Moscow. For further information see the country survey.