The Legal 500

Within Financial services, tier 5

Mishcon de Reya’s Adam Epstein is noted for contentious work. The team advised Schneider Foreign Exchange in respect of a dispute with Icebank, involving spot trades and an FX swap involving over €35m.

Within Flotations - small and mid-cap, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya advised ACP Mezzanine on its €80m secondary fundraising, while other clients include Cubus Lux and Metric Group. Ross Bryson is recommended.

Within M&A - lower mid-marketdeals, £50m-£250m, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

The ‘dynamic’ team at Mishcon de Reya acted on seven deals £50m-plus deals in 2008, often with a property sector emphasis. Helical Bar and Quotient Bioscience are active clients. Jonathan Berman, Nick Davis and Richard Tyler are the leading contacts.

Within Fraud - commercial and regulatory investigations, Mishcon de Reya is a second tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya’s fraud practice is considered a ‘serious rival’ to the Magic Circle firms, with Kevin Gold and Kasra Nouroozi in particular enjoying an ‘excellent reputation’. A highlight of 2008 was the representation of HM Treasury Solicitors following the forgery of a million-pound will.

Within Licensing, gaming and betting, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya’s practice is historically rooted in online betting and gambling. Active clients include PKR.com and Smarta Enterprises, and Agora Games is a new client. Susan Breen is noted as a ‘go-to’ lawyer.

Within Commercial litigation, tier 6

James Libson’s team at Mishcon de Reya forms a critical part of the firm’s offering. As well as being top notch for commercial disputes, the team is especially well regarded for commercial fraud, financial services and trust litigation. Recent highlights include successfully representing American Express Bank in the Court of Appeal in a demand guarantee dispute, which formed part of a US$130m contract for the supply of electricity in Bangladesh. Other active clients include Peugeot and the recruiter, Hays.

Within Defamation and privacy, tier 4

Mishcon de Reya’s clients include BDO Stoy Hayward. James Libson and Ramona Mehta are ‘strong and decisive’, and the group as a whole is recommended for its ‘no-nonsense, level-headed and commercial’ approach.

Within Investment funds, tier 6

Also recommended are: Baker & McKenzie LLP; Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP; Burges Salmon LLP Bristol; CMS Cameron McKenna LLP; DLA Piper UK LLP; Denton Wilde Sapte LLP; Dundas & Wilson LLP; Katten Muchin Rosenman Cornish LLP; Latham & Watkins; Maclay Murray & Spens LLP; Mishcon de Reya; O’Melveny & Myers LLP; Olswang; Osborne Clarke; Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (Europe) LLP; Reed Smith; Speechly Bircham LLP; Taylor Wessing LLP; Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Withers LLP.

Within Employment, tier 5

The ‘brilliant’ team at Mishcon de Reya was instructed by Tradition Group on the widely reported Fariad & Fariad v Tradition Securities and Futures SA case, involving race, sex and religious discrimination claims. Joanna Blackburn displays ‘excellent awareness, experience, common sense and quick thinking’, and the team is a ‘credit to her’. The NUS is also a client.

Within Immigration, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya’s immigration practice-spanning business immigration and appeals cases - is praised for its ‘wide international understanding’ and ability to ‘progress unusual matters’. Acting for a client base including numerous high-net-worth individuals and various multinational companies, it maintains its reputation in appeals cases and particularly specialises in cases examining the rights of individuals and families. Practice head Kamal Rahman has ‘excellent industry knowledge’.

Within Professional negligence

Within Contentious trusts and probate, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya’s practice has a ‘high reputation among practitioners’ and is led by Tony Morton-Hooper. The team includes Mark Keenan, who ‘has a practical outlook and is able to step back and see the bigger picture’, and Henry Frydenson, who demonstrates ‘great experience’ and ‘a positive attitude’. The team assisted Dr Christine Gill in the widely reported case Gill v RSPCA.

Within Family, Mishcon de Reya is a second tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya has a strong market reputation for assertive litigation and a direct approach. It is regularly instructed on high-profile ancillary relief cases, often for individuals from the entertainment industry. Sandra Davis heads the team, and recently acted for Thierry Henry in divorce proceedings, as well as for Matt Lucas, in the first same-sex divorce to reach the courts. Barbara Reeves ‘has a clear mindset and is able to sort the wheat from the chaff’.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, tier 5

Mishcon de Reya’s private client team assists a number of established clients in the media and entertainment sphere. The two-partner group, led by Andrew Goldstone, regularly advises international clients in the UK, and recently assisted an Indian billionaire on creating Cayman Island purpose trusts.

Within Commercial property, tier 4

Mishcon de Reya attracts some top-end clients, and has earned a reputation for excellent property advice. Highlights on the investment side included advising Capital & Counties on the £108m purchase of the Empress State Building from Land Securities, while on the development side the team was kept busy acting for Vinyl on a central London regeneration. Nick Doffman leads the team, in which Susan Freeman, Daniel Levy, Daniel Lipman and Ian Paul are all respected practitioners. Clients say the whole team has ‘excellent technical skills and use these together with commerciality’.

Within Planning, tier 5

Versatile barrister Oliver Goodwin at Mishcon de Reya advises on large developments and regeneration schemes. Recent highlights include assisting new client Barwood LaSalle Land in an urban regeneration plan spanning 175 hectares, and advising Poultry Developments in the redevelopment of a landmark building into the City of London’s first six-star hotel.

Within Property finance

Within Property litigation, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya acts for a number of institutional landlords and has a strong entrepreneurial client base. It advised on a £10m-plus dilapidations claim concerning South Bank office buildings. Daniel Levy is recommended.

Within Intellectual property, tier 5

Mishcon de Reya has taken 'invaluable', 'intelligent, confident and professional' trade mark and brands specialist Simon Tracey from Davenport Lyons. He joins a practice which has also recently been boosted by the promotion of Adam Morallee to the partnership. Jeremy Hertzog is recommended for soft IP litigation, and Martyn Hann for patents.

Within Intellectual property, tier 5

Davenport Lyons has lost Simon Tracey to Mishcon de Reya, but hired litigation and trade mark prosecution partner Adam Glass, formerly in-house at News International.

Within Overview,

The move of John Olsen and his team is only one manifestation of a high degree of lateral movement of partners in the market. Other high-profile moves include that of trade mark partner Simon Tracey, who joined Mishcon de Reya from Davenport Lyons, and David Stone, who is now a trade mark partner at Simmons & Simmons, following his move from Howrey LLP.