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The European Investment Bank (EIB) has split its legal department into three parts as the institution looks to improve its internal coordination. The move comes as Eberhard Uhlmann, general counsel of the EIB's legal affairs directorate, assumes added responsibilities after also being appointed as secretary general of the bank.

Share repurchasing has been employed as an instrument of financial policy by German stock corporations since a reform of the German Stock Corporation Act in 1998. It essentially requires the shareholders' meeting to authorize the management board to repurchase shares up to a total volume of 10% of the share capital for a period of 18 months. Furthermore, the shareholders' meeting fixes the highest and lowest price for the shares to be acquired but it is at liberty not to specify the purpose of the share repurchase. The share repurchase can serve various objectives: procurement of shares as acquisition currency, distribution of excess liquidity with unchanged dividend level, increase of income per individual share and, not least, giving positive signals to the capital markets.

Henry Morgenbesser, Marina Casani and Felicity Gemson of Allen & Overy report on the American companies rethinking their policy on options for staff

A new EU regulation has been introduced with the stated objectives of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of insolvency proceedings with a cross-border element and avoiding the incentive for parties to transfer assets or proceedings within the EU in an attempt to forum-shop. The new regulation, Council Regulation (EC) No 1346/2000 on Insolvency Proceedings Within the EU (except Denmark), came into force on May 31 2002.

Clifford Chance has advised France Telecom on the latest part of its disposal programme, which has seen the company selling its transmission tower business Télédiffusion de France (TDF) to a private equity consortium for €1.9 billion ($1.8 billion). Ashurst Morris Crisp advised the consortium, which consists of Charterhouse Development Capital, CDC Ixis Equity Capital and Caisse des Dépôts, the French bank. Clifford Chance advised France Telecom and White & Case and Linklaters advised the banks.

Ira Schacter and Alexandra Scheibe of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft explain how the Act could damage the relationship between lawyers and their clients

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised Deutsche Bank on two securitizations, building on the firm's relationship with the bank for structured finance work in Europe. The first of the two deals, for the Buhrmann Group, was one of the few structures so far to securitize trade receivables originated by different subsidiaries in different jurisdictions, financing them using both commercial paper and medium-term funding.

Lukoil has proved that a Russian company can cope with international standards of disclosure by becoming the first Russian issuer to successfully list on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The Russian government postponed the privatization of 5.9% of its stake, citing poor market conditions, but the company went ahead with the London listing.

Minter Ellison is advising the Australian-led consortium that has won a contract worth up to $14 billion to supply liquefied natural gas to the Guangdong LNG Project in southern China. The decision to award the contract to the North West Shelf Venture – which comprises Woodside Energy, BHP Billiton, BP, ChevronTexaco, Shell and Japan Australia LNG – creates Australia's largest-ever single export deal.

Use of special purpose companies By Gavin Lowe, Maples and Calder