The Legal 500

Founded in 1937, Mishcon de Reya is a law firm with offices in London and New York offering a wide range of legal services to companies and individuals. The firm is committed to achieving its clients’ objectives in the most practical and cost-effective way and always provides its clients with a clear return on their investment.

The firm: Mishcon de Reya’s clients are dynamic and sophisticated and the firm reflects that in its belief in challenging the conventional or accepted ways of working. The firm likes to solve problems quickly. To achieve this consistently, it employs a diverse collection of talented people, from varied backgrounds and with differing perspectives, who are capable of addressing issues in a collaborative, non-hierarchical environment. By looking at a problem from every angle, they can then apply their expertise confidently and decisively.

In every area of the law that it operates, Mishcon de Reya prides itself on providing a best-in-class service to its clients. Specifically, it offers the following services: corporate, dispute resolution, employment, family, private client and real estate.

An entrepreneurial spirit – where candour and involvement are key – characterises the firm’s ability to develop and execute the strategies required to achieve its clients’ goals in all these areas.

Mishcon de Reya New York LLP is headed by James J McGuire. This bespoke litigation practice has a specific focus on white-collar criminal and complex commercial litigation, including regulatory and international arbitration.

Mishcon de Reya has extensive international expertise; a large part of its business is in advising on multi-jurisdictional transactions and disputes. It remains independent, but has established links with overseas practices to best serve its clients’ needs.

In 2011 Mishcon de Reya was named the best law firm to work for according to The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For. Featured for the fourth year in a row, the firm has seen a massive climb up the table of 41 places over the past two years, coming 28th in 2011. Of the five law firms featured, Mishcon de Reya was number one by a significant margin, with only two law firms making it to the top 50.

Additionally, the firm was recognised for it innovative approach to law firm branding, winning the Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Awards’ Innovation in Law Firm Brands category in 2010.

Types of work undertaken: Business: the privilege of sitting alongside clients as their trusted adviser is something Mishcon de Reya values highly. The firm believes that its client relationships should extend beyond the simple facilitation of a transaction, to encompass the role of business adviser, and being part of a deal-making team.

Dispute resolution: disputes are, by their very nature, distracting and, for most of us, stressful. The obvious solution is to solve them as quickly as possible. The law can be a complex beast and otherwise rational people can be consumed by emotion in the midst of a dispute. Mishcon de Reya’s approach is simple: give clear, dispassionate advice from the start. Part of this common-sense thinking is addressing anxiety about costs, which is why the firm has developed Mishcon Protect®, a unique funding and insurance package to keep risk to a minimum.

Mishcon Private™: dealing with an individual, a family business or a family office requires an understanding that sometimes the seemingly small things can be the most critical. The firm offers all the legal services an individual may need, ranging from asset protection to immigration and from probate and succession to reputation management.

Real estate: the firm’s real estate group provides specialist practices that enable it to offer clients a genuine one-stop shop for property services. Clients benefit from the close relationship between the contentious and non-contentious experts in the practice. The firm facilitates deals by bringing people, financial investment and opportunities together via its extensive network of contacts.

Number of UK partners 70
Number of other UK fee-earners 250
Total staff 439