The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Manchester , Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP provides ‘excellent, comprehensive and well-judged advice‘, and Simon Masters’ ‘stamina and judgement are exceptional‘. Recent highlights include acting for Bodycote on the for £417m disposal of its testing business to a US private equity fund. Clients also include Barclays Private Equity, Kellogg’s, and London Scottish Bank plc. Edward Pysden leads the practice, and Alistair Cree is also singled out for praise by clients.

Within Corporate tax, Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Eversheds LLP runs a Northern tax team, with Deneze Hastings the lead partner in Manchester. Strengths include private equity.

Within EU and competition , Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Leeds-based Adam Collinson heads Eversheds LLP’s northern competition practice. Investigatory work has dominated this year, spanning cartels, abuse of dominance and market enquiries. The group has also handled merger control work, including obtaining clearance for Dairy Crest in its acquisition of East of England Cooperative’s milk business. Clients also include Centrica, and Transport for London.

Within Licensing, Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Eversheds LLP’s head of licensing, senior associate Ed Farrelly, advises major gaming, e-gaming and betting companies, and gaming machine manufacturers. The team recently obtained a new casino gaming licence for Stanley Casinos Limited despite strong objections.

Within Commercial litigation: Manchester , Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP’s impressive client list includes Kellogg’s, BAE, Manchester City Council, and Phones 4 U. The team’s expertise spans commercial disputes, financial services work, inquiries and defamation cases. Michael Clavell-Bate is highly rated by competitors, and Jonathan Crook is also recommended.

Within Banking and finance, Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Eversheds LLP augmented its standing through the hire of the ‘proactive‘ and ‘knowledgeable‘ Simon Prendergast and a team from DWF LLP in April 2008. Prior to the market downturn, the firm closed two major buyouts, including advising the banks on the £75m buyout of Advanced Travel Partners, before turning its sights on refinancing and restructuring; it advised Holidaybreak on its £275m refinancing. Nigel Dale heads the department, which is described as ‘practical‘, ‘responsive‘, and ‘communicative‘.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Eversheds LLP continues to be instructed on many of the headline insolvencies in the region and nationally. Having worked on the administration of Kwik Save in 2007, it advised the administrators of BS Construction and Sleep Depot in 2008. David Gray leads the team.

Within Employment, Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP’s ‘superb‘ employment practice receives high praise from clients. Naeema Choudry is ‘highly commercial and approachable‘, ‘demonstrates high credibility and respect‘, and is ‘a strong negotiator‘. An impressive client list includes Akzo Nobel, BAE Systems, Maplin Electronics, and British Gas. The team has ‘differentiated itself through its cultural understanding, flexibility and customer-focused approach‘. Michael Thompson is the lead partner.

Within Health and safety, Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP’s team is ‘very knowledgeable on all matters of health and safety and has great experience of how these cases are developed, which means they advise clients on how best to prepare and/or defend them‘. Elizabeth Shepherd is highly recommended.

Within Pensions, Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP’s team ‘takes the time to clearly understand the support needed by the client‘. David Griffiths is ‘pragmatic, yet conclusive and comprehensive‘, and Ele Lovering is ‘bright, quick to grasp and understand the points at issue, and good at explaining them‘. Lead partner Ronald Graham is ‘knowledgeable, with a depth of experience‘.

Within Professional negligence, tier 4

Paul Davison heads Eversheds LLP’s team.

Within Regional review, Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP’s public sector practice receives extremely high praise in the market. The commercial practice has been involved in some headline deals, including acting for Bodycote on the £417m disposal of its testing business to a US private equity fund.

Within Private finance initiative (PFI), Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Eversheds LLP has an excellent track record advising public sector clients. Practice head Michael Mousdale has acted for Greater Manchester Police Authority on the single biggest Home Office PFI scheme. Recent highlights include the team’s appointment to the Manchester City Council Commercial and Regeneration panel.

Within Education , Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP’s education team receives praise from competitors and clients alike; it ‘does not sit on the fence, but gives clear direction and inspire confidence‘. The team, led by John Boardman, regularly advises on mergers in the sector.

Within Health , Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Eversheds LLP assists a client base of 300 organisations and recently attracted a number of new clients such as NHS Direct and Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. Bill Gilliam heads the team.

Within Local government , Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP advised the London Borough of Croydon in relation to its procurement of a private sector partner for their urban regeneration vehicle. Michael Mousdale is the partner contact.

Within Commercial property: Manchester, Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP impresses with its development and regeneration expertise, with notable strength in procurement and competitive dialogue processes. The team is acting for the London Borough of Lambeth on the £75m Future Clapham regeneration project, and for London and Thames Gateway Development Corporation on a number of developments. NWDA is a key local client. Nancy Brown heads the department, which includes regeneration specialist Peter Winnard and investment expert Sue Edwards.

Within Construction, Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Well known for its expertise in further education work, Eversheds LLP demonstrated its breadth of expertise in 2008 by advising Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority on the construction elements of two substantial PFI waste projects as well as Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority on another significant project. The team has a good balance of ‘skill‘ and ‘experience‘, and Simon Chamberlain is ‘strategically astute‘.

Within Planning and environment, Eversheds LLP is a first tier firm,

Eversheds LLP is consistently acknowledged as the ‘industry leader‘ in the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) environment on a national basis. Richard Lloyd is ‘extremely knowledgeable‘ and ‘practical‘. In 2008, the team advised English Cities Fund on the £850m generation of Central Salford and continued to represent the London Development Agency on the CPO aspects of the Olympics development. Environment partner Elizabeth Shepherd has an excellent reputation for waste PFI schemes.

Within Property litigation, Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Eversheds LLP’s James Batham has a ‘great reputation‘ and is frequently engaged by some of the most influential regional and national organisations such as the NWDA, which it advised on a series of cases relating to the CPO of a major part of the Ancoats area in Manchester. The team is also strong in the retail and education sectors.

Within Intellectual property and information technology, Eversheds LLP is a second tier firm,

Clients appreciate Eversheds LLP’s ‘straightforward, no-nonsense style‘. The group was recently bolstered by the arrival of trade mark and design filing specialist Brian Clayton, who ‘is a safe pair of hands and doesn’t bother clients with the details‘. The team recently won Kurt Geiger as a new client, and will handle all its global trade mark work. Comet, easyJet, and Yorkshire Television are also clients. Antony Gold is ‘very easy to work with‘.