The Legal 500

The firm: This renowned City firm advises business and private clients and is well known for its expertise in commercial property, media and IP, banking, corporate, international tax and private client work with a particular focus offshore. Clients range from listed companies to medium-sized enterprises, private individuals and families.

Types of work undertaken: The commercial and residential property department acts for institutional investors, occupiers, private entrepreneurs and professional landlords. It has extensive experience representing major corporate occupiers particularly in the hotel, leisure, nursing home and franchised business sectors. The media and intellectual property department handles contentious and non-contentious issues, including licensing and assignment of IP rights, registration of trademarks, passing off claims, infringement and royalty disputes.

The IT and e-business group deals with issues relating to the internet and e-commerce, domain name disputes, web development, data protection and privacy, software development, licensing and procurement. The company and commercial department advises businesses from start-ups to stock exchange flotations on joint ventures, management buy-outs and institutional buy-ins, company financing and restructuring, venture capital investment, acquisitions, sales and purchases. The corporate recovery group advises on all aspects of insolvency, corporate recovery, restructuring, insolvency and turn-around situations representing companies, individual creditors and other stakeholders. The banking department advises on secured and unsecured corporate lending and security arrangements, merger and acquisition financing, refinancing and development funding, financial restructuring and venture capital. The commercial litigation department handles civil disputes including employment, commercial contracts, banking, IP rights, contested probate, insurance, landlord and tenant, debt recovery, emergency injunctions and international arbitration.

The private client department advises substantial individuals, families and entrepreneurs with business interests in the UK and worldwide with a particular specialisation offshore. The employment and immigration department acts for individuals and companies from appointment to dismissal, boardroom disputes, TUPE transfers, redundancy, compromise agreements, employee rights and employment contracts. The tax group advises banks, hedge funds, asset managers, property companies, funds, trust companies and owner-managed businesses and the tax aspects of UK and international estate planning for individuals and families. The firm has also set up a specialist tax dispute and controversy service designed to assist clients with HMRC tax investigations, domicile, residency and offshore issues. The financial crime and regulatory team advises on money laundering, fraud, bribery and complex UK and cross-border tax investigations.

International: The firm undertakes a significant proportion of international and offshore work.

Number of UK partners 7
Number of other UK fee-earners 19