McDermott's London Office Highlighted in the Legal 500 UK 2009 with Recognition for 17 Partners and 14 Practices
LONDON (14 September 2009) – The London office of international law firm McDermott Will & Emery LLP has been ranked in 14 practice areas of The Legal 500 UK 2009 and several partners have been recognised.
The Firm is particularly strong in the energy sector, and this was recognised in three separate categories this year. Firstly, in the Finance area, the London office is newly ranked in Commodities and Futures and noted as an "energy focused practice with related M&A and corporate capability." In particular, partner Prajakt Samant is acknowledged for his "good knowledge about commodities trading and regulation."
Secondly, in the Projects, Energy and Natural Resources listings the Firm is ranked under both Infrastructure and Power. In the Infrastructure listing projects head Andrew Watson is commended for his "analytical thinking and ability to address complex issues and provide solutions," and both he and partner Cam Brockie are recommended. The Moreas Group Greek motorway work is highlighted.
In Power: Electricity, Nuclear and Renewables the hire of renewables specialist partner Stefan Schmitz is noted, whilst a “major highlight” was his advice to the German developer Juwi Holding, on all aspects of its pipeline of US wind projects.
The practices surrounding Intellectual Property are major strengths for the Firm, and this was recognised in the 2009 edition with an increased ranking for the London IP team under the Technology, Media & Telecoms listing, following the hire of partner Gary Moss as the London head of IP, bringing with him an associate and clients including Visto Corp. Other partners individually recognised include Hiroshi Sheraton, "skilled" and "analytical," whilst Justin Hill is described as "extremely impressive" and "one of the pre-eminent patent prosecution attorneys in the EU, with a phenomenal grasp of even the more complex and obscure patent issues." In addition the team is recognised for expertise within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, in particular Gary Moss for patent litigation, Hiroshi Sheraton for regulatory matters and partner Rohan Massey who is active in clinical trials.
The Sports law practice is also ranked under the TMT listings.
The Firm’s EU & Competition group was ranked and highlighted as "first class and show a keen understanding of clients’ businesses."
In the Dispute Resolution ranking, the International Arbitration practice was noted for being "good on all levels." The Commercial Litigation practice was ranked.
In the Corporate & Commercial listings the London Corporate Tax expertise is ranked for its "good capability in group reorganisations, debt restructuring and transaction tax offering." Peter Nias is "highly regarded by his peers" and is recognised as a leader in his field.
Under M&A the London office was ranked in the 2nd tier with the Honeywell instructions highlighted and the acquisition of Luxottica. Hugh Nineham is noted as European practice head.
The breadth in Derivatives and Structured products is recognised and the hire of Pierre Brochet from White and Case is noted. The practice now encompasses structured products ranging from cash and synthetic asset-backed instruments to derivatives and structured credit. The Securitisation practice is also ranked.
In the Human Resources listings, the Employment practice was ranked and highlighted as a "supremely responsive" team, recommending "fantastic" partner Alison Wetherfield. The "widely reported" Switalski case was noted and the team’s work for Dresdner Kleinwort on its sale to Commerzbank and the subsequent restructuring was highlighted. Both partners Alison Wetherfield and David Dalgarno are ranked as leaders in their field.
The Legal 500 UK directory is recognised as one of the leading authoritative and independent guides to the legal profession now in its 22nd year. It provides a detailed qualitative review of the leading law firms with independent unbiased commentary and rankings based on extensive research.
McDermott Will & Emery is an international law firm (amongst the top 20 both in the United States and globally) with more than 1,000 lawyers who practice from the Firm's offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Düsseldorf, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Rome, San Diego, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., and a strategic alliance in Shanghai with MWE China Law Offices.
