The Legal 500

Within Commercial contracts, tier 5

Mishcon de Reya combines its contentious and non-contentious commercial expertise to provide bespoke commercial contracts advice. Typical mandates range from multi-party collaboration and licensing agreements to agency and distribution agreements for clients across the life sciences, financial services, sports and digital/IT sectors. Lewis Cohen heads the team, and Martyn Hann ‘thinks outside the box’.

Within Corporate tax Corporate tax

Within Financial services, tier 4

Mishcon de Reya attracts FSA enforcement work, and acts in cases involving alleged mis-selling of investment products. Adam Epstein is highly rated by peers.

Within Flotations: small and mid-cap, tier 4

At Mishcon de Reya, energy and mining expert Saul Sender is ‘very highly rated and enjoyable to work with’; and Ross Bryson has an ‘excellent understanding of the intricacies of dual-listed companies’. The team has ‘great empathy, a wide knowledge base and very strong international understanding’. Its AIM and main market clients include DHX Media and Lonrho.

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

Mishcon de Reya further strengthened its corporate offering in 2011 with the hire of Andrew Rimmington, who joined from an in-house position at Affinia Group; Saul Sender, from Reed Smith; Michael Bardell, from Travers Smith LLP; and Gray Smith, from Appleby. Deal highlights included advising the principal shareholder of beatthatquote.com Limited on its $61.5m disposal to Google.

Within Partnership Partnership

Within Fraud: civil, Mishcon De Reya is a second tier firm,

Kasra Nouroozi heads the team at Mishcon de Reya, which successfully acted for an Isle of Man entity, Blue River, and its general partner, Ross River, establishing at trial that the joint venture partners had unlawfully diverted monies away from the joint venture. Gary Miller ‘cuts to the chase’.

Within Fraud: corporate crime, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya fields a ‘highly effective team’, in which Kasra Nouroozi is the main contact.

Within Fraud: white-collar crime Leading individuals: Fraud

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

Demonstrating ‘an excellent knowledge of the sector and regulations’, Susan Breen leads the team at Mishcon de Reya. The firm provides an ‘expert, excellent, timely and professional’ service, and acts for clients including PKR.com. Kiran Sandford is also recommended.

Within Banking litigation: investment and retail, tier 5

At Mishcon de Reya, Adam Epstein is praised for his ‘ability to deal with very intensive regulatory litigation’. Head of the finance and banking group Masoud Zabeti is also recommended. The firm recently represented American Express in proceedings before the Court of Appeal involving issues of consumer credit law.

Within Commercial litigation, tier 5

Mishcon de Reya’s practice is driven by fraud cases. The team successfully represented Bain Capital and the Ideal Standard group in declaratory proceedings brought by Strategic Master Fund, arising from Bain’s $2bn acquisition of Ideal. Kasra Nouroozi heads the group, which includes well-respected litigators Gary Miller, Jeremy Hertzog and Rowena Herdman-Smith. James Oldnall joined from Clyde & Co LLP .

Within Defamation and privacy, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya received a boost with the arrival of Charlotte Harris from JMW Solicitors LLP in Manchester. Harris is acting for Carina Trimingham, partner of Energy Minister Chris Huhne, in a privacy claim following a series of articles in the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday. Other instructions included a phone hacking claim against News Group Newspapers on behalf of Skylet Andrew. The firm also represents corporate clients such as Tata Group. James Libson heads the practice.

Within Investment funds Investment funds

Within Employment: employees/unions Leading individuals: Employment

Within Employment: employers and senior executives, Mishcon de Reya is a first tier firm,

'Litigation powerhouse’ Mishcon de Reya acts for high-profile companies and individuals, such as Gucci Group, Bank of Ireland, Gordon Ramsay and Krista Bates van Winkelhof, advising the latter on her whistle-blowing and discrimination case against Clyde & Co LLP. Joanna Blackburn is ‘intellectually sophisticated’, and leads a ‘creative’ team that includes Sarah Keeble, who ‘fights like a caged tiger’, and ‘ferociously hardworking rising star’ Daniel Naftalin.

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

Leveraging the firm’s strength in private client, Mishcon de Reya immigration team provides bespoke advice to high-net-worth entrepreneurs and political figures from Russia and the Middle East. Team head Kamal Rahman assists clients with applications for naturalisation and indefinite leave to remain, as well as visa applications following long-term bans from the UK.

Within Overview,

The pressure on fees has been to the benefit of employment boutiques, where former partners of leading City firms can offer their expertise at a lower price, with the added bonus of being conflict free. Firms such as CM Murray LLP, Doyle Clayton Solicitors and Stewarts Law LLP are strong choices for senior executives needing expert muscle to challenge major institutions, as are broader, more established firms such as Farrer & Co, Mishcon de Reya and Withers LLP. The latter three lead our new Senior Executives ranking, alongside the mighty Lewis Silkin LLP.

Within Professional negligence Professional negligence

Within Art and cultural property, Mishcon de Reya is a first tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya’s Karen Sanig is a pioneer in art law. In one recent highlight, the firm handled the range of heritage and art issues in advising the Church Commissioners on the sale of Auckland Castle, an intricate matter involving the disposal of heritage chattels, and thirteen Zurbaráns. The firm also advises new art investment vehicles, art funds, collectors and artists. Daniel Farrand and Jade Chalmers are active on the property side in respect of Grade II listed property.

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

Tony Morton-Hooper heads the team at Mishcon de Reya, whose experience includes cutting-edge cases such as will validity case Gill v RSPCA. The firm also advises on matters with shari’ah elements.

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

Mishcon de Reya acts for ultra-high-net-worth entrepreneurs, professionals, and media figures. In 2011, the highly rated Sandra Davis negotiated settlement of complex financial arrangements on behalf of a prominent hedge fund manager, a matter worth £950m. In another highlight, Barbara Reeves advised the wife of an heir to a significant family fortune, successfully setting aside a prenuptial agreement.

Within Overview,

Art law sees firms involved across a variety of contentious and non-contentious disciplines, ranging from IP and construction, to contractual agreements between funds and galleries, to fraud and criminal matters. Lawyers plough niche terrain: Farrer & Co and Forsters LLP’s specialise in Old Masters artworks, while Withers LLP’s focus is on living artists. Mishcon de Reya is also a pioneer in the art law field.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, tier 5

Mishcon de Reya was bolstered by the arrival of Kassim Meghjee from Steptoe & Johnson. Clients of the firm include Minerva Trust, Herald Trust, and Christine Gill. Andrew Goldstone heads the team.

Within Commercial property, Mishcon de Reya is a second tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya is ‘prepared to give you the hard commercial view of a legal problem’. Highlights included advising on Capco’s multibillion-pound regeneration of Earls Court, and, on the investment side, advising the joint venture of Delancey and Qatari Diar on the £557m purchase and management of the Olympic Village. Nick Doffman heads a growing team that includes Susan Freeman; Nick Minkoff (‘commercial, dedicated and smart’); Stephen Hughes, whose ‘knowledge of property law is unsurpassed’; and Ian Paul, in whose abilities clients have ‘complete faith’.

Within Planning, tier 4

Mishcon de Reya enhanced its credentials by hiring former Nabarro LLP partner Wesley Fongenie as a consultant. The practice was involved in a number of major transactions, including advising the Delancey/Qatari Diar joint venture on the real estate and planning permission aspects of the £557m purchase and post-games management of the Olympic Village.

Within Property finance, tier 4

‘The depth of experience is very impressive’ at Mishcon de Reya, which acted for PPP developer Cathedral Group and Development Securities on the acquisition and £250m redevelopment of London Gate Business Park. Nick Strutt heads the team.

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

Mishcon de Reya’s ‘very strong’ group had a buoyant year for trial work, representing prominent entrepreneurs and blue-chip developers in high-level disputes. ‘Solid performer’ and practice head Daniel Levy assisted Capital & Counties Properties plc through a judicial review relating to its Earls Court redevelopment; and also assisted Millennium & Copthorne Hotels in a rights of way dispute at the Court of Appeal. The team recruited Richard Anyamene from Jones Day in January 2012.

Within Brand management, tier 4

Mishcon de Reya acts for leading brand owners and rights holders in the fashion, retail, sports and entertainment sectors. Simon Tracey leads the team, which hired trade mark attorney Rebecca Davis from Harbottle & Lewis LLP and Lewis Cohen from Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP.

Within Intellectual property, Mishcon de Reya is a third tier firm,

Mishcon de Reya acts for media, entertainment, technology and life sciences clients, and is particularly recommended for anti-counterfeiting matters, an area in which Jeremy Hertzog recently advised Pfizer. Simon Tracey represented the rights owner of musician Lady Gaga in a trade mark action against the owners of online game Moshi Monsters, which created a character called Lady Goo Goo. Adam Morallee acted for Gucci in a design right dispute.

Within Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, tier 4

Mishcon de Reya has been particularly busy assisting clients with commercial and IP licensing arrangements. Practice head Martyn Hann has also been representing Clasado in a regulatory challenge, and continues to act for the defendants in a patent infringement case brought by Orasure regarding a wart and verruca treatment. Other clients include Pfizer, Perrigo Group and Generics UK.

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

Mishcon de Reya is ‘excellent in every respect, showing a detailed understanding of the sporting legal, commercial and PR environment’. It focuses on contentious and non-contentious representation of clubs and individuals, particularly in football, but also across snooker, darts, boxing, golf, and rugby union. Clients include Matchroom Sport, Leyton Orient FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC. Practice head Adam Morallee is ‘a star partner in the litigation team, and is very good at giving concise and commercial legal advice’. Jonathan Berman provides ‘really good strategic commercial advice’. ‘Hardworking, talented and dedicated’ associate Liz Ellen doubles as a registered agent, and consultant Selwyn Tash remains head of Spurs’ legal department.

Within Trade mark attorneys, tier 4

Mishcon de Reya has a seven-strong trade mark team, handling international portfolio management and prosecution matters. New instructions have come from Fox Networks and Speedo, among others.