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Jointly headed by the ‘pragmatic and experienced’ Matthew Lewis and the ‘responsive and client-focused’ Rob Wood, Osborne Clarke’s seven-partner team provides a ‘very practical’ service to an investor-based client list active across sectors including digital business, online gaming and energy. Wood recently advised Imperial Innovations and Invesco Perpetual on their £40m investment in Nexeon. The ‘creative and dependable’ Greg Leyshon and Mike Turner, who ‘has excellent knowledge of the digital business sector’, are also recommended. Clients include Foresight, Bridges Ventures, and Amadeus Capital Partners.

Although SJ Berwin LLP recently lost key partner Perry Yam to Reed Smith, it has a long-established reputation in the industry, acting for both investors and investees. Ylan Steiner now heads the team and has been at the forefront of its most significant deals, including its representation of RIT Capital Partners as lead investor in newly launched company Tamar Energy. Other clients include Seedcamp, Atlas Ventures and Kennet Capital.

Led out of London by the ‘very pragmatic and accessible’ Simon Walker and drawing on resources in Cambridge and further afield, in the firm’s pan-European network, Taylor Wessing LLP’s team is well positioned to handle significant mandates. It has expertise across sectors including technology, life sciences and cleantech, and recently advised Enecsys, a leader in long-life solar micro inverter systems, on securing a £25m investment to fund global growth. Howard Palmer and Cambridge-based David Mardle are recommended.

‘One of the “go-to” firms for VC work in London’, Bird & Bird provides an ‘excellent level of service’ to investors and investees active in the technology, life sciences and cleantech sectors. The team has advised Index Ventures on a range of investments, including a £2.5m Series A financing of Funding Circle and a £11.4m Series B funding of Farfetch.com. ‘As sharp as he is smooth’, team head Angus Miln ‘exhibits a rare combination of business acumen and a meticulous eye for detail’. Struan Penwarden has an excellent reputation in the venture debt market, and is a key figure in a team that welcomed cleantech and renewables specialist Matt Bonass from SNR Denton and Geraint Lloyd from Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP.

Brown Rudnick LLP has longstanding and deeply entrenched ties with the venture capital industry in the UK and US, and is well positioned to advise investors and investees on domestic and cross-border mandates. Tina Baker is ‘capable and knowledgeable’, and Mark Dorff is ‘excellent’.

Its hire of a life sciences corporate team from Morrison & Foerster LLP in 2011 has transformed Covington & Burling LLP’s venture capital practice. James Gubbins is ‘one of the leading corporate lawyers specialising in healthcare in the UK industry’. Louise Nash focuses on cross-border mandates, and has advised SR One in a number of deals including its investment (as part of a consortium) in Austrian and UK-based biotech company FStar. Paul Claydon and James Halstead are also recommended.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (Europe) LLP is particularly accomplished in advising investee companies in the hi-tech sector, where it is able to leverage the expertise of the firm’s high-profile US Silicon Valley practice. Christopher Grew is ‘very active within the tech space’, and acts for a range of investees and investors including Astley Clarke, XMOS and Accel Partners.

Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP focuses on investors active in the energy, healthcare and IT sectors. It continues to receive regular instructions from Albion Ventures, including in relation to its £750,000 investment in Abcodia. The group saw the departure in May 2012 of team head Geraint Lloyd to Bird & Bird.

Led from London and with resources in Sheffield, Nabarro LLP’s team provides ‘very commercial and practical’ advice to clients ranging from early-stage companies through to the largest European tech venture capital funds. Team head Andrew Wigfall continues to advise Accel Partners and Balderton Capital on their investments in Blacksquare Investments and Circle Health respectively. Other clients include Octopus Investments, Wonga.Com and Enterprise Ventures.

Headed by Stephen Rosen in London and aided by a strong presence in Berlin and Madrid, Olswang’s team is well placed to handle domestic and pan-European deals in the tech and life sciences sectors. Rosen has handled a raft of work for new biotech client Autifony Therapeutics, including advising on its acquisition of certain clinical assets from GSK and a £10.4m Series A fundraising. Other clients include ViewPoint Capital and Heptares Therapeutics.

Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP’s venture capital work is largely focused on investee companies in the tech and media sectors; clients include BBC Worldwide, Packet Exchange and Peerless Ventures. Tim Bee is recommended.

Headed by Tony Littner, Harbottle & Lewis LLP’s team focuses on the media, communications and technology sectors. Active for an increasingly balanced portfolio of investee and investor clients, the team regularly combines with the firm’s broader IP and technology teams. Highlights included advising PROfounders Capital on its investment into easyCar’s ‘Car Club’ concept. Other clients include Seraphim Capital, Brandwatch and goodypass.com.

‘Excellent for smaller deals’, Marriott Harrison LLP’s ‘responsive and well-organised’ team provides ‘commercial and efficient advice’ to an investor-focused client base that includes Alcuin Capital, Foresight Group and Ingenious. Duncan Innes has ‘good people skills and an excellent legal mind’, and recently represented Matrix on its investment in contract car valeting specialist Motorclean. Dee Sian is ‘knowledgeable and experienced’, and newly promoted partner Jonathan Leigh-Hunt is ‘commercial, knowledgeable and efficient’

At Speechly Bircham LLP, Chris Putt heads a three-partner team that advises across a swathe of matters affecting growth companies, including working closely with the firm’s well-regarded tax team to provide structuring advice. Putt has strong ties with leading debt provider Kreos Capital.

As part of its broader private equity practice, Wragge & Co LLP provides an ‘excellent’ venture capital service to clients in a range of sectors. Particularly strong in life sciences, team head Ian Piggin recently advised GSK on the creation of spin-out business Autifony Therapeutics.

Arnold & Porter (UK) LLP is well suited to handling deals in the life sciences and technology sectors, and was recently bolstered by the arrival of Anna Buscall from Allen & Overy LLP. Team head Jeremy Willcocks advised Numerex on its investment in UK-based telecoms company Arkessa.

Headed by Andrew Betteridge, Ashfords LLP provides ‘solution-focused and pragmatic advice’ to an investor client base that includes Eden Ventures and Swarraton Partners.

Burges Salmon LLP’s Mark Shepherd ‘strikes the right balance between mitigation of risk and achieving the commercial objective’. Clients include Albion Ventures and QIB.

At CMS Cameron McKenna LLP, David Bresnick regularly handles work for clients such as Octopus Capital and Core Capital.

Dorsey & Whitney’s Frances Doherty has a focus on clients in the tech and pharma sectors. Roger Gregory recently advised Chrysalis VCT on its investment in KnowledgePool.

Increasingly visible in the market, Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP advises investors and investees on matters ranging from early-stage seed capital to larger transactions, with the technology sector an area of particular strength. Team head David Ramm represented online luxury fashion retailer My-Wardrobe.com on a £3m Series B fundraising.

At Jones Day, Adam Greaves is an ‘excellent operator’.

Praised for its ‘partner-led approach’, Kemp Little LLP’s small team provides ‘very commercial advice’ and a ‘real understanding of the legal nuances’, in particular to investee companies in the technology and digital media sectors. Team head Charles Claisse is ‘very focused and brings a good, pragmatic and commercial approach to negotiations’.

Headed by Justin Starling, Manches LLP advises a range of investee companies on VC-funding transactions; names include Nexeon, Helvet and We7.

Strengthened by the relocation of Mark Walker from the firm’s Frankfurt office, Mayer Brown International LLP’s team provides a ‘very personal service and the ability to draw on wider expertise from the larger firm as required’. It is active in both the primary and secondary markets, for clients such as Azini Capital Partners, Unilever Ventures and Herald Ventures. The practice is jointly led by the ‘commercial and pragmatic’ David Bates and Stephen Beales.

Headed by Zickie Lim, Mills & Reeve LLP in Cambridge has a good reputation for advising investors on matters including fund formation, investments and exits. Clients include North West Fund, IQ Capital Fund and Mercia Technology Seed Fund.

Of counsel Sophie McGrath is recommended at Morrison & Foerster LLP. The firm advised Novo as lead party in the €100m investment in Danish biotech company Symphogen.

WilmerHale has ‘a number of bright lawyers who quickly get to the heart of the commercial issues’. Joe Pillman heads the team, and recently promoted partner Timothy Corbett has a ‘non-aggressive negotiation style that serves clients well’.

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