The Legal 500

Within International arbitration International arbitration

Within Employment, tier 7

Kennedys’ ‘impressive team’ is a strong choice for heavily unionised industries. The ‘tenacious and sensible’ Allan Finlay, and Fiona Morgan have ‘great depth of knowledge’; and Matthew Leake is ‘a fantastic lawyer’.

Within Health and safety, Kennedys is a first tier firm,

Kennedys has an outstanding practice defending companies and directors against regulatory prosecutions and criminal charges. The team, headed by the ‘doyen of serious health and safety work’ Richard Crockford, handled some 55 fatal incident investigations in 2010, including representing a national railway company in the Potters Bar inquest, and a senior fire officer in a manslaughter prosecution involving four firefighters. Crockford, Daniel McShee and David Wright are ‘through-and-through health and safety lawyers, who stand out on the compliance and technical side’.

Within Overview,

The most significant aspect of the change of government for health and safety lawyers came with the Young report and the 35% cut in the Health and Safety Executive’s budget, leading inevitably to less regulation in the area. However, the passing of the first custodial sentence for a workplace death, together with the potentially bankrupting level of fines which the first corporate manslaughter prosecution (defended by Pinsent Masons LLP) demonstrated, should mean that teams at firms such as Bond Pearce LLP, Kennedys, DLA Piper UK LLP, and Eversheds LLP remain in demand.

Within Clinical negligence: claimant Leading individuals

Within Clinical negligence: defendant , Kennedys is a first tier firm,

Kennedys’ ‘strong’ and ‘constructive’ team has a broad practice that includes defending the NHSLA, the Medical Protection Society, the Medical Professional Liability Company, and numerous private clients. Practice head Janet Sayers is ‘exceptional in her field’, and ‘very approachable’; Christopher Malla is ‘very dedicated to client service and is passionate about healthcare law’; and Robert Tobin is ‘one of the best up-and-coming lawyers’.

Within Insurance and reinsurance litigation, Kennedys is a first tier firm,

‘One of the market leaders’, Kennedys’ ‘very customer-oriented’ group is extending its reach in the insurance space, with teams in Sheffield, Lisbon and Miami. The team acted in various multimillion-pound direct and reinsurance coverage cases. Christina Macgregor and Chris Langford are complimented as ‘the best lawyers encountered at property major loss level’, and Trevor Davies has ‘huge experience in the field’. Nick Williams is a ‘brilliant tactician’; Matt Andrews is ‘shrewd and clever’; and Carole Vernon is ‘bright, enthusiastic and hardworking’.

Within Personal injury: defendant, Kennedys is a second tier firm,

Following a series of mergers over recent years, Kennedys now fields a robust team of established experts. Practice head Mark Burton is ‘exceptional’, and ‘particularly impressive’ because of his ‘holistic view of litigation’. Rachel Moore is ‘hardworking, well informed, sensible and reliable’, and up-and-coming solicitor Mark Skinner is recommended for his ‘sound advice on technical issues’. Joe McManus, Charles Martin, Roger Jones and Tim Wilson are also recommended.

Within Product liability: claimant Leading individuals

Within Product liability: defendant, Kennedys is a second tier firm,

‘A dynamic firm’ that is ‘going places’, Kennedys combines ‘professional competence’ and ‘humanity’. The team has achieved considerable growth over recent years, and in 2011 recruited Anne Ware from Covington & Burling LLP. Recent highlights include acting for Rolls-Royce’s insurers in relation to a failure of propulsion units which led to high-profile litigation in Florida and England. Other clients include GE, which retains the firm for product matters. Trevor Davies and practice head Shane Sayers are recommended.

Within Professional negligence, Kennedys is a third tier firm,

Matt Andrews heads the 28-partner team at Kennedys, which has an ‘excellent reputation for defence work’, and is ‘technically very good’. Its expertise spans the legal, financial, and construction sectors. Sue Plumb and the ‘excellent’ Simon Gibson are recommended.

Within Commercial property, tier 7

Kennedys handles prime and secondary investment property portfolios. Sally Morris-Smith is ‘passionate about what she does and makes connections among her clients for their benefit’.

Within Construction, tier 4

Kennedys is particularly strong in contentious matters, and recently advised a joint venture of Amec and Carillion in a £13m claim against WS Atkins relating to the defective design of the second runway at Manchester Airport. Clients appreciate practice head Geoff Lord’s strategic awareness, and the group’s collegial approach.

Within Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology,

Covington & Burling LLP recruited Paul Claydon, Natalie Diep, James Gubbins and James Halstead from Morrison & Foerster (UK) LLP, and compliance specialist Robert Amaee from the Serious Fraud Office, strengthening the group’s ‘comprehensive life sciences offering’. The practice is supported by a broad international footprint and strength in IP and data protection. ‘Strong advisers’ Grant Castle, Richard Kingham and Mike Kingston are advising Merck and Schering Plough on post-merger integration. A ‘tenacious, practical adviser’, Daniel Pavin advised biopharmaceuticals company UCB on a strategic partnership agreement with Synosia Therapeutics, and the ‘thorough, pragmatic’ Lucinda Osborne is also recommended. Product liability specialist Anne Ware joined Kennedys, and Joanna Wheeler joined CMS Cameron McKenna LLP.

Within Rail, tier 5

Kennedys largely handles contentious work for major rail players, and is noted particularly for health and safety matters. ‘There isn ’t much about rail legislation that is unknown’ to Richard Crockford or Daniel McShee, and Andrew Gilbert has ‘unparalleled knowledge of rail contracts’.

Within Shipping , tier 6

Kennedys’ team, led by Martin Watson, largely focuses on cases involving hull and machinery insurance, acting for clients such as ACE, AXA and Charterers Club. The firm provides ‘a high level of service on every piece of correspondence/advice’.