The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Bristol, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

‘Still undisputedly at the top’, Osborne Clarke advised Tribal Group on its £12m disposal of Nightingale Architects; and RWE npower on the acquisition and disposal of combined heat and power plants. Other instructions came from Babcock Marine, UNITE Group and new client Inflexion Private Equity. Alisdair Livingstone and Lara Burch jointly head the team.

Within Corporate tax, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s service is ‘practical, to the point, technically sound and prompt’. Carphone Warehouse Group and TalkTalk instructed the team on their £2bn demerger, and the firm also represents Lloyds Development Capital, including advising it on the management buyout of United House. Michael Bell is a ‘very good listener’ and an ‘excellent adviser on reorganisations’.

Within EU and competition, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

The ‘very responsive’ Simon Neill at Osborne Clarke ‘gives clear and commercial advice on difficult issues’. He handled two appeals for TalkTalk, and advised Nutricia on restructuring its wholesale distribution networks. Dell is a competition compliance client, and the team also regularly advises Mulberry.

Within Commercial litigation: Bristol, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s ‘tenacious and efficient’ team, headed by Peter Clough, is ‘accommodating to clients ’ demanding ways of working’. The group acted for Cable & Wireless UK in a claim against European Technology Group for unpaid fees, and for THQ in a claim against French credit insurer COFACE. Clare Robinson displays ‘business acumen’, and Tim Boyce ‘identifies important issues and takes the case forward with incisiveness’.

Within Banking and finance, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke has a ‘regionally based but national practice’. It acted for a club of five banks led by HSBC as agent on a £135m facility for Smiths News plc, and for Tribal Group on its £40m corporate facilities refinancing. Santander Corporate Banking and UNITE are new clients. Omar Al-Nuaimi heads the team.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s joint practice heads Nigel Boobier and David Wright provide ‘appropriate advice at a realistic price’ and are supported by an ‘excellent team’. The group advised Lloyds and Deloitte on a development restructuring with £90m bank debt, and represented PwC on the Alitalia airline case, involving a range of cross-border issues.

Within Employment: Bristol, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s practice is ‘very professional, very responsive’. Julian Hemming advised the directors of Cadbury on its takeover by Kraft, while practice head Paul Killen acted for Motorola on the planned spin-off of its mobile devices business.

Within Health and safety, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Richard Bretton heads Osborne Clarke’s busy team, whose clients include Marks & Spencer and Western Power Distribution. The group also acted for RWE npower in a health and safety prosecution.

Within Pensions, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s team is led by the ‘very bright and extremely experienced’ Jonathan Hazlett. It recently advised on the pension funds of Imperial Tobacco and the National Museum of Wales. Paul Matthews is ‘conscientious and knowledgeable’.

Within Professional negligence, Osborne Clarke is a third tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s ‘first-class’ team of ‘national big hitters’ has experience in lenders’ claims against valuers and solicitors. Clare Robinson is ‘fearless and has great judgement, and clients love her direct and uncompromising approach’.

Within Regional review, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke remains the fellow leading firm in the South West, and acts for a host of high-profile clients including Dell, Carphone Warehouse, Cable & Wireless UK, and Mulberry. Areas of strength include TMT – it has excellent IP/IT and media capabilities – and energy, where clients include British Gas.

Within Agriculture and estates, Osborne Clarke is a third tier firm,

Osborne Clarke witnessed a shift from acting for traditional estate owners to representing corporate vehicles becoming involved in agricultural land. Clients include NatWest and the NFU. This ‘excellent’ team acted for Rotch Property Group on the sale of the Duxhurst Estate in Sussex. Kathryn Almond heads the department, in which Robert Drewett is ‘persistent and effective’.

Within Charities, Osborne Clarke is a second tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s ‘first-class’ team advised the Book Trust on a proposed merger with a major national trust, and assisted the University of Pretoria with its plans to establish a subsidiary branch in the UK. Other clients include Colston’s Girls’ School. Alexandra Casley and team head Mark Woodward are recommended.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s ‘first-class’ team recently acted for a major investment bank in reviewing all English law trusts for which the client acts as investment manager. It also advised on a complex intestate estate, where the deceased was a Czech/UK national. Mark Woodward and practice head Sandra Brown are recommended.

Within Energy, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s Alan John has a ‘clear customer focus’ and is ‘top of his field in the UK’; and David Ferris is noted for his commercial approach. The practice advises British Gas regarding charges for energy recovery, and acted for Western Power Distribution on its low carbon network funding application.

Within Private Finance Initiative (PFI), Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s ‘excellent’ team, under Chris Wade, ‘pulls in expertise rapidly to address issues’. Highlights included acting for Campus Living Villages as sponsor of an on-campus university accommodation deal, and MITIE on a combined heat and power facility.

Within Commercial property: Bristol, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke is ‘excellent on all fronts’. The team advised Unite on the acquisition of a £30m student bed scheme, and DTZ Investment Management on the acquisition of the £96m Cobalt portfolio. Ian Wilkinson ‘instils confidence’; David Powell is ‘the model for good client contact’; and Simon Speirs also attracts high praise from clients.

Within Construction, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke has a ‘serious offering’, which advised Eurostar on modifications to its Temple Mills depot, and Gazeley on an 800,000sq ft retail distribution centre. Rotary and AWE are also clients. Jonathan Brooks and team head Philip Davies are recommended.

Within Environment, Osborne Clarke is a second tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s ‘highly responsive’ team has a ‘clear customer focus’, and practice head Alan John has ‘great knowledge of business requirements’. St Regis Paper was advised on a Crown Court prosecution brought by the Environment Agency, and BNRG Renewables and Hills Waste are new clients.

Within Planning, Osborne Clarke is a second tier firm,

Osborne Clarke is Associated British Ports’ sole planning and environmental adviser for all its UK ports. The team also advised Asda on planning applications for its new store programme. Brian Greenwood has a ‘clear understanding of client needs’, and ‘very good industry knowledge’.

Within Property litigation, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke offers ‘real industry and client understanding’, and gives ‘refreshingly clear and concise’ advice. The team successfully acted for Centaur Services in defending a claim for rent; and is Vodafone’s primary adviser for landlord and tenant disputes. Leona Briggs is ‘superb’: ‘fast, commercial and calm’.

Within Intellectual property, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s high-profile clients include Marks & Spencer, Mulberry Group, Microsoft and new gain Toni & Guy. The team advised Eurostar on the IP aspects of its rebranding. Clare Robinson heads the practice, with Sean Jauss leading on the non-contentious side.

Within IT and telecoms, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

James Mullock heads an eight-partner practice at Osborne Clarke, which won new clients including British Gas to add to the likes of Hewlett-Packard and Motorola. The team advised Wales and West Utilities in appointing a systems integrator for the procurement of gas distribution networks software. The team is ‘commercial and attentive’, with ‘well-tuned business antennae and industry experience’.

Within Rail, Osborne Clarke is a second tier firm,

Laura Burch’s team at Osborne Clarke displays ‘great strength’. It acted for Eurostar International on outsourcing its catering logistics operation, and for London and North Western Railway Co regarding environmental issues. Arriva UK Trains is another client. Simon Spooner is also recommended.