The Legal 500

Within Commercial contracts, tier 4

Osborne Clarke is ‘very cost-effective and capable’, with ‘good breadth of expertise’ across its London and regional network. In 2010 it advised Eurostar International Limited on the outsourcing of its catering operation to Rail Gourmet UK, and, in a reflection of its cross-border capability, advised Indian outsourcing company Patni on a series of transactions with European public sector service providers to supply onshore and offshore services ranging from IT operations to research and development. Adrian Bott heads the practice.

Within EU and competition EU and competition

Within Flotations: small and mid-cap, Osborne Clarke is a third tier firm,

‘Very cost effective and capable’, Osborne Clarke has the ‘commercial and pragmatic’ Ray Berg and Patrick Graves, who is also recommended. In 2010, Jonathan King advised Evolution Securities as NOMAD and broker on the £70m IPO of Argos Resources on AIM, and also Digital Barriers on its admission to AIM and £25m placing. TalkTalk Telecom, French Connection and Tribal Group are also key clients.

Within M&A: lower mid-market, £50m-£250m, Osborne Clarke is a second tier firm,

Led by Adrian Bott, Osborne Clarke’s M&A team chalked up some impressive client wins in 2010, among them Cable & Wireless, French Connection and Topps Tiles, along with a panel appointment by Investec. The team garners plaudits for its ‘responsive, practical advice’, and Ray Berg ‘is an excellent partner who leads transactions in a sensible, practical way’. Indicative of its ability to handle work beyond its mid-market comfort zone, the team recently advised on the £2bn demerger of Carphone Warehouse’s fixed-line telecoms and retail distribution businesses.

Within Partnership Partnership

Within Private equity: transactions , tier 7

Paul Cooper at Osborne Clarke is ‘experienced and commercial’.

Within Venture capital, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke provides a ‘highly responsive service’ across its offices in the South West and South East, advising both investors and investees. As well as continuing to act for longstanding clients including Motorola Ventures, Imperial Innovations, NESTA and Encore Ventures, the team has successfully grown its client base to include VCs such as ProFounders Capital, which it advised on its £2.5m funding into the online trading company Made.com. Matthew Lewis has a focus on renewables and cleantech, and jointly heads the team with the ‘responsive and willing’ Rob Wood. Also recommended is the ‘creative and dependable’ Greg Leyshon.

Within Fraud: civil , Osborne Clarke is a third tier firm,

Osborne Clarke is ‘really starting to compete with bigger practices for the big-ticket fraud cases’. Work highlights included acting for a high-profile Nigerian banker in an alleged £780m fraud. Ed Crosse is a ‘class act and fantastically cool-headed, even under the greatest pressure’. Adrian Lifely ‘constantly challenges the received wisdom in his approach to working on cases’.

Within Gaming and betting, tier 4

Osborne Clarke’s gaming team, headed by Nick Johnson, has particular expertise in the online gaming and payments sector, and acted for UC group/Secure Trading in relation to a software development agreement.

Within Commercial litigation, tier 5

Osborne Clarke ‘does a fantastic job of positioning itself as a credible and top-level alternative to even the biggest commercial litigation groups’. The practice saw a surge in activity in the areas of financial services and cross-border matters, particularly CIS-related work. Team head Adrian Lifely has ‘good instincts’, and Ed Crosse is a ‘talented litigator’. Senior associate David Kendell is ‘a rising star’.

Within Investment funds, tier 4

Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP’s investment management group is ‘excellent – advice is to the point and very commercial’. Best known for its superb real estate funds practice, it has added capability across other fund classes. Recent instructions include closing new private equity funds for Duet; acting for Aviva Investors, Blackrock, LaSalle and Hermes on real estate funds; handling listed funds including the LSE-listed GCP Infrastructure Fund; and retail and hedge fund work for clients such as Barclays Wealth. Antony Grossman is recommended for real estate funds, and is the new practice head, replacing Tim Simmonds, who moved to Osborne Clarke in June 2011. Kate Binedell was promoted to partner in 2010. The excellent Peter McGowan, a real estate and hedge fund expert, joined Proskauer Rose LLP in June 2011.

Within Employment, tier 4

Osborne Clarke delivers ‘Magic Circle advice for a lot less money’. The team has assisted Greene King, Betts, and Gaz de France Suez on numerous senior executive terminations; and has experience in complex whistleblowing and discrimination cases, including for Credit Agricole in the Court of Appeal – a matter which will provide guidance on long-term compensation for discrimination. David Cubitt is ‘outstanding – you would want him on your side, or at least off limits to the other side!’

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

Osborne Clarke has seen a rise in demand for assistance on compliance with legislation, recently assisting Tata Technologies and Imperial Tobacco. The team has also assisted with prosecutions relating to fatalities. Clients include ROK, RWE npower, and Eurostar.

Within Pensions, tier 5

Osborne Clarke rises a tier this year in the non-contentious table, and also enters the disputes table. Recent work includes advising Imperial Tobacco Pension Fund in relation to a £125m investment into a fund of hedge funds focusing on investment in commodities and commodity-related strategies. Jonathan Hazlett is ‘very bright and a first-class communicator’; and Paul Matthews is ‘very approachable and easy to understand even on complex matters’.

Within Mining and minerals, tier 4

David Ferris’ team at Osborne Clarke acted for Liberum Capital on London Mining’s £200m admission to AIM. Other representative clients include RAB Capital, CD Capital and Hanson UK.

Within Oil and gas, tier 7

Osborne Clarke is representing British Gas at the High Court in an energy portfolio trading act dispute with Guardian Industries.

Within Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables) , tier 5

Osborne Clarke is ‘far better value than City firms but with an equivalent level of service and ability’. Western Power Distribution instructed the firm on several matters in 2010.

Within Private finance initiative (PFI) , tier 6

Osborne Clarke’s team is led by Chris Wade, and recently advised Campus Living Villages as sponsor on the Bedfordshire university accommodation project.

Within Water, tier 4

Osborne Clarke has ‘outstanding and in-depth knowledge of the utilities sector’. Litigation is a strong area of focus for the team, which recently represented Thames Water in a large group action.

Within Healthcare, tier 5

Osborne Clarke advises clients such as Priory Healthcare Group, and St Monica Trust. Former practice head Kevin Gibbs recently joined Beachcroft.

Within Commercial property, tier 4

Osborne Clarke ‘provides concise, accurate advice even on a very tight timescale’. The group acted for longstanding client Eurostar on various transactions, while the top-quality retail team advised Polo Ralph Lauren Group on a new-concept flagship store in Central London. Nick Simpson, Colin Kearney and Nadine Strahl are ‘all excellent – showing very strong attention to detail with great client service’, and Dolf Darnton is ‘commercial and switched on’. Associates Hannah Bambury, William Gay and Stuart Cleak are ‘personable and efficient’.

Within Environment, tier 4

Osborne Clarke advises on renewables projects, contaminated land issues, and regulations. Highlights included acting for BNRG Renewables on photovoltaic power projects; ABP and Western Power on regulatory matters; and Castle Cement and St Regis Paper Company on Environment Agency prosecutions. Brian Greenwood and practice head Alan John are recommended.

Within Planning, Osborne Clarke is a third tier firm,

Osborne Clarke provides ‘good practical advice’, and understands clients’ needs. It continues to act for ABP on its UK ports matters, including advising on proposals for a terminal to service offshore wind farms. It also secured consents for and defended challenges against South Hook LNG’s Milford Haven terminal. It represented Asda and The Co-operative in contentious matters, and acted for Unite Group on UK student accommodation developments. Brian Greenwood is ‘client focused, commercial and pragmatic’.

Within Property finance, Osborne Clarke is a third tier firm,

Osborne Clarke provides ‘excellent service, fully understands the client’s requirements, and ensures matters are dealt with in an appropriate timescale’. It won new panel appointments, acted on over £500m of financings and saw a surge in restructurings. Andy Clayton and Ian Wilkinson are recommended.

Within Property litigation, tier 4

Osborne Clarke provides ‘succinct advice that is well measured, and always looks to suggest alternative options’. Clients include Gazeley and Unite. Gary Lawrenson, Patricia Mellody and Bristol-based Leona Briggs are recommended.

Within Brand management, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke is defending Marks & Spencer in ECJ proceedings in respect of Google AdWords. Stephen Groom, who has particular strength in online advertising, and Nick Johnson, who heads the marketing and advertising practice, advised Amazon on the UK launch campaign for its Kindle e-book reader. Expedia is a new client. Advertising agency clients include Bartle Bogle Hegarty. The group lost Phil Lee to Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, but hired Tom Harding from Olswang and Clare Nicholson from Linklaters LLP.

Within Franchising Leading individuals

Within Intellectual property, tier 4

Osborne Clarke’s Theo Savvides is advising News International on issues arising from its introduction of a paywall, and Marks & Spencer in the Google AdWords case. Transactional work included assisting Toni & Guy in splitting its core brands into separate salon and hair-care businesses. The team also saw an increase in cleantech instructions. Tom Harding joined from Olswang.

Within IT and telecoms, tier 4

Angus Finnegan heads Osborne Clarke’s cross-departmental group, and has handled ‘weighty commercial projects’, notably advising Eurostar on IT outsourcing and procurement. Ray Berg provides ‘well-structured and well-thought-through advice’. The team advised Redstone on its £8.5m placing and appointment as IT contractor for the Birmingham BSF contract. IT clients include Dell, Facebook and new client Digital Barriers. Telecoms clients include Motorola, TalkTalk and Viacloud.

Within Media and entertainment, Osborne Clarke is a first tier firm,

Osborne Clarke’s digital media practice won a number of new clients in 2010, including Flying Brands plc and Cable and Wireless. The team also advised Facebook regarding its establishment in numerous jurisdictions, and provided regulatory and contractual advice to Nintendo. Motorola and News International are also clients. Head of interactive entertainment Paul Gardner and head of digital business Mike Turner are recommended. Nick Johnson is noted for advertising, marketing, sponsorship and digital marketing advice, while Ray Berg heads the publishing team, which represents numerous clients in magazine, periodical and newspaper publishing. Phil Lee joined Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP.

Within Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, tier 4

Osborne Clarke’s practice is headed by the ‘pragmatic, knowledgable and approachable’ Janita Good, who is advising Mitsubishi Pharma Europe. It also advised Quintile on its first UK public sector tender for Phase 1 clinical trials. The team, which is noted for its ‘good industry knowledge, responsive, and value for money’, is advising NVM Private Equity on its life sciences portfolio, and recruited patent litigator Clare Nicholson from Linklaters LLP.

Within Rail, tier 4

Osborne Clarke has historically acted for train operators such as Arriva UK Trains, First Capital Connect and Eurostar, which the group advised on its reorganisation and outsourcing of its catering logistics operation. It also increasingly acts for infrastructure and open-access players such as Amey and Grand Central. Lara Burch heads the practice.