The Legal 500

Comparing RPC with one of Britain’s most famous and respected entrepreneurs, The Lex 100 2010/11 described the firm as ‘savvy and forward thinking, calm and collected’. This comparison reflects the commitment to commerciality that underpins RPC’s approach to creating legal solutions to business issues and the straightforward way it delivers these to clients. In a recent survey of 903 businesses, RPC was ranked 2nd out of 73 law firms in terms of client satisfaction. RPC offers a full business law service to UK and international clients, who include some of the world’s best-known companies. Around 30% of its work is international, and it is the only English member of international legal network TerraLex.

Types of work undertaken: Commercial disputes: the full scope of dispute resolution, whether in the High Court in London, the appeal courts, arbitration or tribunals. Experienced at negotiation and mediation.

Construction, engineering and projects: advises from inception to completion on domestic and international projects, including procurement, risk management, OJEU procedures, development finance, collateral warranties and other securities, live project advice, adjudication, arbitration and litigation.

Corporate insurance: specialist commercial and corporate advisory and transactional work for all insurance market participants.

Corporate/M&A: full range of transactional and advisory work, including M&A, private equity investments, refinancing, restructurings and joint ventures. Corporate finance work covers IPOs on the Official List and AIM or secondary offerings.

Employment, pensions and incentives: TUPE advice in relation to M&A and outsourcings, discrimination claims, dismissals, redundancies, compliance matters, policies and procedures, training programmes, High Court litigation concerning infringement of restrictive covenants and team moves; contentious and non-contentious pensions advice.

Finance: non-contentious – corporate lending and security, acquisition finance, property/development finance, asset and receivables financing; contentious – acts for institutional investors against large investment banks; particular expertise in capital markets.

Insurance and reinsurance: specialist teams focusing on claims involving accountants, brokers, directors and officers, financial institutions, reinsurance, construction and engineering, environmental, health and safety, lawyers’ liability, property, subrogated recoveries, EL/PL, medical negligence and product liability. Advises on policy wording and provides loss adjusting services.

IP, technology and outsourcing: transactional and dispute resolution, including franchising, trade marks, patents, confidential information, design rights and copyright, e-commerce, data protection and competition. Outsourcing ranges from simple service contracts to complex offshore arrangements.

International trade and arbitration: complex multi-jurisdictional litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution. Clients include commodities suppliers, charterers, insurers and energy companies.

Media: defamation, privacy, contempt, copyright, data protection, reporting restrictions and freedom of information, predominantly for media defendants. Provides pre-publication advice and advice on jurisdictional challenges in media claims. Advises on promotions, acquisitions, e-publishing, publishing agreements and digitisation agreements.

Real estate: advises on property investment, development and finance, regeneration projects, and landlord and tenant matters for property holding companies and institutional investors, developers or corporate occupiers, including acquisitions, disposals, leases and portfolio management.

Regulatory: advises on issues businesses face regarding the regulatory and prosecuting authorities. Particular expertise in the insurance sector; acts for one fifth of the agents in the Lloyd’s Market.

Restructuring and insolvency: solvent schemes, business transfers, restructuring debt facilities, alternative risk transfers and run-off. Particular expertise in insurance insolvency.

Tax: contentious and non-contentious; pre-emptive advice on tax risk issues; enquiries, investigations and litigation. Non-contentious advice includes corporate taxation, property tax, employment and benefits and VAT and stamp duty.

Number of UK partners 65
Number of other UK fee-earners 184