The Legal 500

Within M&A: smaller deals up to £50m, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a second tier firm,

Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP provides a ‘first-class’ service to its clients, with practice head Mark Tasker described as ‘thorough, prompt and professional’. He joined the firm in 2010 from Fox Williams LLP. The team’s wide range of clients includes Clydesdale Bank, Comme des Garçons, and FinnCap.

Within Partnership, tier 4

Peter Bohm is recommended at Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP.

Within Defamation and privacy, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a third tier firm,

Notable work for the ‘commercially pragmatic’ team at Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP included advising Fairtrade Foundation and Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International in connection with a BBC Panorama broadcast about the West African cocoa trade. It also advises ActionAid, Bill Kenwright Ltd, Citizens Advice, Portman Group, Shelter, and Times Newspapers. Team head Rupert Earle is ‘outstanding’; and Martin Kramer and Sean Egan are also recommended.

Within Professional discipline, tier 4

With an ‘expert level of knowledge’, Melanie Carter heads the team at Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP, which represented the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in the Court of Appeal case Coke-Wallis v The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Dinah Tuck is ‘first rate’.

Within Employment, tier 5

A significant majority of Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP’s instructions are on contentious matters. Volunteer sector specialist and ‘safe pair of hands’ Lucy McLynn acted in volunteer discrimination case X v Mid-Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau, following success in Coleman v Attridge. The ‘formidable’ William Garnett applies ‘great clarity of thought and strategy’ on behalf of employers and senior executives, recently advising eight traders on their move from Merrill Lynch to Schroders. Promoted to partner in 2010, Paul Seath is ‘absolutely excellent in terms of his knowledge of the law and user friendliness’.

Within Immigration, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a second tier firm,

Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP advises corporates and individuals, and provides innovative and robust solutions to business immigration refusals. Clients include Agip and Atlantic Records; charitable foundations; and prominent sports and entertainment industry personalities such as Snoop Dogg. Barrister Shahram Taghavi challenged the legality of Tier 1 and Tier 2 caps in JCWI v SSHD; and won a landmark asylum law decision declaring that the practice of setting out immigration laws in policy documents in PBS cases was unlawful (SSHD v Pankina). Philip Trott and Christopher Randall are ‘outstanding practitioners’; Peter Moss has ‘a knack for spotting winning arguments’; and Ben Maitland is ‘a canny operator’.

Within Overview,

The coalition government’s policy towards immigration led to a bewildering number of rapid changes to Tier 1 and Tier 2 immigration categories, throwing firms such as Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal LLP and Fragomen LLP into frantic lobbying and a whirlwind of updating and appeals.

Within Charities and not-for-profit , Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a first tier firm,

The name Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is synonomous with charity work; the firm fields the largest dedicated charity and social enterprise team in the UK, and acts for over 2,000 charity clients, including Barnardo’s, Christian Aid, the RSPCA, and Samaritans. Julian Blake and Philip Kirkpatrick head the team, and ‘have a strong grasp of the law with a pragmatism which results in the best outcome for clients’. Also recommended are Rosamund McCarthy, who ‘uses her understanding of regulation to shape an environment that works for charities’; Lawrence Simanowitz, who ‘brings clarity to complex situations’; and senior partner Stephen Lloyd, who is ‘innovative, shows strong leadership and continually encourages fresh structures in the voluntary and community sector’. Abbie Rumbold and Thea Longley are also recommended.

Within Administrative and public law, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a third tier firm,

‘Excellent on all counts’ and strong in cases that have both charity and public sector aspects, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP’s team grew substantially in 2010; ‘strong practitioner’ Shahram Taghavi joined from Simons Muirhead & Burton, and Stuart Marchant, who has healthcare experience, joined from Ridouts LLP. The ‘very experienced’ Melanie Carter was appointed as an independent adjudicator for the Marine Stewardship Council in 2010, advising it on the certification of fisheries, among other matters. John Trotter continues to advise the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales, and the ‘intelligent, sensible and consistent’ Rupert Earle advises on freedom of information matters.

Within Civil liberties and human rights,

Simons Muirhead & Burton is active in media cases that involve human rights issues, and in cases of contempt of public law, defamation, and breach of confidence. Litigator Louis Charalambous is recommended. The firm lost Shahram Taghavi to Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP in 2010.

Within Education: institutions, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a second tier firm,

The ‘outstanding’ team at Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP advises higher and further education clients such as King’s College London, the Royal College of Nursing and London Higher, and was recently appointed to three lots on the London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC). Within Julian Blake’s team, head of employment William Garnett is ‘absolutely outstanding, extremely pragmatic and responsive’.

Within Education: schools, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a second tier firm,

Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is ‘consistently excellent on specialist educational expertise’, and provides ‘exceptional value’. The team acts for both independent and state schools, and in 2010 advised on the establishment of the first umbrella body for academies. Practice head Julian Blake is ‘an exceptionally able and deeply committed solicitor ’. Clients include Hammersmith Academy and Canterbury Steiner School.

Within Healthcare, tier 4

Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is noted for its ‘specialist knowledge in regulatory, health and social care law issues’, and acts for clients including Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, the Royal College of Nursing, and Asthma UK. Practice head Stuart Marchant is ‘professional, intelligent and knowledgeable’.

Within Local government, tier 4

Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP continues to advise councils and local authorities in audit matters and third-sector local government involvement. It represented the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association in its successful judicial review against a local authority. It also recently won a tender by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on the ‘Low Carbon Community Challenge’, and was appointed to the Cabinet Office’s pathfinder mutuals programme. The ‘excellent and practical’ Melanie Carter heads the team.

Within Commercial property, tier 6

Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP’s ‘knowledge and experience of the property world is excellent’. Alongside its long-established charity client base, the team’s numerous occupier clients include Amtrust Management Services and GDF Suez. Nick Ivey and Jamie Huard are ‘excellent: always available when needed’.

Within Property litigation, tier 5

Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP’s small but top-flight practice enjoys an excellent reputation with charities and public sector clients; ‘much larger firms do not compare with the attention to detail that the firm provides’. The team ‘takes a real interest in the individual needs of clients’. Lesley Robinson and William Scott are recommended.

Within Brand management, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a second tier firm,

At Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP, ‘intelligent, experienced, sensible’ regulatory practitioner Rupert Earle is representing the ASA in the judicial review applications by Sandown Free Presbyterian Church. Lawrence Simanowitz and Mairead O’Reilly advise on prize promotions and lotteries, notably the Football Foundation/Barclays Community Sports Award. Mike Townley is advising the International Paralympic Committee on its sponsorship agreement with Samsung.

Within Media and entertainment, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP is a first tier firm,

Led by the talented Sean Egan, Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP’s ‘very good’ team is a particularly strong option for theatre and musical clients. In 2010, it continued to advise leading West End producer Bill Kenwright on rights issues; advised the Royal Shakespeare Company on rights agreements concerning its hit production of the musical Matilda; acted for the English National Opera; and received new mandates from the Theatre Royal York. Former film producer Lawrence Simanowitz, who regularly advises on copyright and freedom of information matters and also alternative financing matters, is recommended, as are Robert Oakley and Philip Trott.

Within Sport, tier 4

The ‘excellent’ Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP advises on regulatory issues, including sports governance and anti-doping. Consultant Mike Townley, who co-leads the practice with Thea Longley, advised England Netball on a sponsorship deal with The Co-operative. The LTA and RFU are also clients. Kevin Groome is recommended for his ‘excellent customer service and extensive knowledge of sport’.