Baker & McKenzie has usurped Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom as the world's largest firm by turnover, reports The Lawyer. With an 8 per cent rise in global revenue for the 2010-11 financial year, Bakers took a total income record of $2.27 billion. The firm's chairman, Eduardo Leite, said Bakers was focusing on the most important metric: client recognition. Bakers' revenue increased across all its geographic regions, particularly in Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Linklaters farewells HR director

Linklaters' HR director Jill King is set to leave the firm in October this year, reports The Lawyer. King, who has been with the firm for six years, is the second senior member of the firm's HR team to depart this year, after London HR head Caroline Rawes left for Taylor Wessing in January. King was previously HR director at Hogan Lovells and has headed HR teams at KPMG, Tesco and Birds Eye.

Bakers and Freshfields win animal merger

Baker & McKenzie and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are advising on Cargill's planned €1.5 billion ($2.06 billion) acquisition of global animal nutrition company Provimi from private equity firm Permira, reports The Lawyer. The proposed acquisition of Provimi, which operates in 26 countries and has more than 7,000 employees, is expected to create a global leader in animal nutrition. London corporate partner Tim Gee led the Bakers team advising Cargill along with competition partner Luis Gomez.

Hogan Lovells mourns loss

The head of Middle East disputes in Hogan Lovells' Dubai office, Stephen York, passed away last week, reports The Lawyer. Partners at Hogan Lovells are mourning the death of the man, who worked at a number of different firms during his career, including Slaughter and May, Pinsent Masons legacy firm Masons, Hammonds and Reed Smith. York specialised in construction and engineering disputes and during his 30-year career spent time in Asia and the Middle East as an arbitrator as well as a litigator.