The Legal 500

Within Commercial contracts, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons handles a broad range of commercial work, encompassing multi-jurisdictional supply chain work and outsourcing projects in the firm’s core areas of financial services, TMT, life sciences, and energy and infrastructure. It also has a strong consumer product focus, and provided advice to HMV on ticketing arrangements with Ticketmaster relating to HMV’s merger with MAMA Group. It also advised Virgin Media on the outsourcing of its UK-wide warehousing and logistics function to Kuehne + Nagel. Mark Dewar heads the practice, and the ‘superb’ Sophie Lessar draws praise for her consumer and retail finance expertise.

Within Corporate tax, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons’ tax team is ‘very strong’, with ‘powerful business acumen’. Specialisms include hedge fund work, and the team recently acted for BlueCrest Capital Management on the reorganisation of its business in Switzerland and Guernsey, with UK tax implications. The team also acted for British Land on its proposed construction of new headquarters for UBS on the Broadgate estate. Martin Shah is appreciated for his ‘strong legal analysis’, and Nick Cronkshaw is also recommended.

Within Equity capital markets: UK capability, tier 5

Simmons & Simmons represents banks including Investec, UBS, HSBC and Deutsche Bank. Highlights included advising RBS Hoare Govett on CQS Diversified Fund’s £75m IPO, and JP Morgan Cazenove and Panmure Gordon as joint bookrunners, managers and sponsors of RPC Group’s £88m rights issue. The ‘very good’ Chris Horton leads the international equity capital markets group, and Colin Bole, who joined from Allen & Overy LLP in 2010, is a ‘very safe pair of hands’.

Within EU and competition , Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons has a broad practice and solid experience across the board. Cutting-edge work included acting for Hynix in several appeals to the EGC regarding a complaint against Rambus and related commitments offered by Rambus to the European Commission. The team is also acting in a number of High Court damages claims; and advised Schlumberger Limited on its $12bn acquisition of Smith International. Team head Martin Smith, and Tony Woodgate are both well regarded; and Oliver Heinisch was promoted to partner. Jenny Block left for Postcomm.

Within Financial services, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ client base spans the whole institutional market, and the firm represents several leading private banks. Its consumer finance practice is noteworthy, as is its cross-border regulatory work. Charlotte Stalin, Darren Fox, Sarah Bowles and Jonathan Melrose are key contacts. On the contentious side, the firm advised on controversial regulatory issues arising from hedge funds. Richard Sims is recommended.

Within Flotations: small and mid-cap, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons fields a ‘very good’ team featuring the highly recommended Chris Horton. It has a depth of expertise advising NOMADs and brokers, acting for Evolution Securities and RBS Hoare Govett. In 2010 the team advised Powerflute Oyj on a £25m placing and rights issue.

Within M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, 250m+, tier 7

Simmons & Simmons saw a strong line in energy-related M&A in 2010, thanks to its sector focus. It advised Cheung Kong Infrastructure on its £211.7m acquisition of BG Group’s stake in Seabank Power, and also handled deals for Veolia Water and Elliott International. On the financial institutions side, there were impressive mandates for Gartmore, and The Takeover Appeal Board. The 17-partner team, headed by the well-respected Mark Curtis, saw the departure of Gavin Weir at the beginning of 2011 to White & Case LLP.

Within Private equity: transactions , tier 6

The ‘responsive and knowledgeable’ team at Simmons & Simmons includes Gideon Sharp, who ‘handles complex technical issues with an effective, commercial approach’; and the ‘extremely capable’ Arthur Stewart.

Within VAT and indirect tax, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ team has ‘strong business acumen’, and acts for a range of clients including Aon, Barclays, and JP Morgan. It acted for British Land on the VAT and indirect tax implications of its construction of new buildings at Broadgate. The practice also includes a very broad range of outsourcing, VAT consultancy, and contentious advice. Paul Hale, an investment funds expert, and Martin Shah are recommended.

Within Fraud: civil , Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons is praised for its ability to seamlessly co-ordinate large cases. Team head Nick Benwell ‘knows all there is to know about frauds’; and Richard Bunce is ‘punchy, focused and with the results to prove it’. Louise Delahunty and Robert Turner are recommended. Gavin Bacon left to join Farrer & Co.

Within Fraud: corporate crime, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons has extensive experience in working with the full range of regulatory authorities in high-profile criminal and regulatory investigations. The team, led by the highly respected Nick Benwell, has been advising a company in relation to the SFO’s investigation into the UN Oil for Food Programme.

Within Fraud: white-collar crime , Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons is acting for several senior individuals in ongoing joint investigations by the DOJ and SFO into alleged corruption. The highly respected Louise Delahunty is also representing a director in a multi-jurisdictional price-fixing investigation involving multiple regulators. Nick Benwell is highly recommended.

Within Banking litigation: investment and retail, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons attracted a number of new high-profile clients in 2010, including Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Kaupthing Bank, while new litigation panel appointments included Citigroup and Lloyds TSB. Recent work includes advising on contentious issues relating to asset recovery arising from the insolvency of Lehman Brothers International (Europe). The team is ‘innovative and in tune, and able to deliver in all circumstances, and blends individual focus with broad capability’. Colin Passmore, Marc Thorley and Robert Turner are all highly recommended.

Within Commercial litigation, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons focuses on financial institutions, energy and infrastructure, TMT and life sciences disputes. The team successfully represented Shell in the Court of Appeal regarding losses suffered following the Buncefield oil terminal explosion. Ian Hammond is international practice head, and Colin Passmore leads the litigation team. Nick Benwell, Christopher Braithwaite, Richard Bunce, Caroline Hunter-Yeats and David Sandy are all well-respected practitioners.

Within International arbitration, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons is known for its energy, infrastructure, construction and financial services expertise, and also acts in multimillion-dollar arbitrations in the life sciences and TMT sectors. A growth area was the Middle East, with the team seeing a proliferation of disputes in both property and energy, and arbitrations across Africa also increased. Simon Morgan and David Sandy are highly rated.

Within Acquisition finance, tier 6

Simmons & Simmons is known for its work for hedge funds in their role as lenders, and also continues to develop its core banking practice. It has strong relationships with a number of Scandinavian banks, including Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken and Nordea. Simon Middleton and Richard Hughes are recommended.

Within Asset finance and leasing, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons’ team is ‘responsive, and has in-depth knowledge’ across a broad swathe of aviation finance matters. Team head Christopher Boresjo handles mainstream big-ticket commercial aviation deals, and recently advised AerCap on several aircraft portfolio sales and purchases. The ‘very pleasant and balanced’ Mark Moody ‘specialises in ECA work’, and has been particularly active handling South and Central American deals flowing from the firm’s inclusion on the ECA panel. Kim Walkling has a niche in military aircraft finance and leasing, regularly handling work for the MoD.

Within Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans , tier 4

Headed by James Bresslaw, Simmons & Simmons advises a number of Scandinavian banks on syndicated financings, recently acting on a €775m facility granted to Volvo Treasury. On the borrower side, Simon Middleton advised the HMV Group on a £240m revolving credit facility. Clients include Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Standard Bank, and Thomas Cook Group.

Within Commodities: derivatives, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a first tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons is ‘an excellent firm, with excellent service from huge talents’, and ‘a leading firm in commodity futures’. The team includes regulatory experts Jonathan Melrose (‘just brilliant’), the highly rated Darren Fox, and Charlotte Stalin. Also of note are André Allee, for advice to buy-side clients; and Martin Stewart-Smith, for his energy trading expertise. The firm advises a host of trading houses and banks.

Within Corporate restructuring and insolvency, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons’ Peter Manning is ‘proactive, and able to get to the point directly’. The firm’s ‘more than capable’ team also includes new recruit Alan Gar, who is ‘very responsive’ and has a creditor-focused practice.

Within Debt capital markets, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons has well-respected partners such as the ‘no-nonsense’ Jonathan Hammond; Charles Hawes, who advised JP Morgan Chase as arranger on a $65bn EMTN programme; David Roylance, who is experienced in hybrid bonds; and Ian Sideris, who recently represented Dong Energy on a €700m issue. ‘For high-end complexity deals, the practice is good value for money, and has excellent industry knowledge.’

Within Derivatives and structured products, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Prominent in derivatives, regulatory advice, repacks and post-Lehman litigation, Simmons & Simmons is ‘very good for structured products’. It advises both sell-side and buy-side clients, often on equity and credit derivatives. Allan Yip recently advised an investment bank on swaps in a multi-currency financing for a $1.3bn loan portfolio; and he and André Allee act for a number of fund managers in relation to new collateral structures. David Roylance advised UBS on a synthetic securitisation of a €1.5bn derivatives portfolio. Sean Bulmer and Jonathan Hammond (‘price focused and good value for repackagings’) are highly regarded. Associate Craig Bisson, who joined from Eversheds LLP, is ‘one of the best young derivatives lawyers in the City’.

Within Emerging markets, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons is a ‘“go-to”’ firm on export credit agency supported transactions, and is ‘valued for its overall service’. Clients include Standard Chartered, Credit Suisse, Banco Santander and Citibank. The firm advised AES Corporation in connection with the financing for the €500m Kribi and Dibamba IPPs in Cameroon. Philip Abbott is recommended.

Within Investment funds, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a first tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons provides ‘an excellent service, very good value for money, convincing industry know-how, and a business-oriented approach’. Its premier UK hedge funds practice is advising Old Mutual on a new managed futures fund, and other clients on the launches of BlueCrest FX Arbitrage Fund, Lansdowne European Long Only Feeder Fund and Lansdowne Global Long Only Fund. The firm also has prominent listed, retail and private equity funds practices. In private funds, it advised Gartmore on the £4.1bn merger with Hermes to create Hermes GPE, and Acuity Capital on a new $100m renewable energy infrastructure fund. It advised RBS as sponsor on the LSE listing and launch of CQS Diversified Fund; and acted for F&C Management Limited and Altima Partners on respective UCITS umbrella platforms with sub-funds. The highly regarded Steven Whittaker is an expert in hedge and closed-ended funds, and the ‘extremely diligent and capable’ Ian Meade and ‘very sensible’ Timothy Pearce are also recommended for hedge funds. Private equity specialist Noel Ainsworth is ‘technically very good, and impressive in terms of business sense and client focus’. The ‘very responsive’ Neil Simmonds is an expert in retail and hedge funds.

Within Islamic finance, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

‘Very good and very accommodating’, Simmons & Simmons advised HSBC Bank Middle East Limited on a $175m syndicated Islamic financing to RAK Ceramics, and represented Dubai Islamic Bank as lead arranger on Saudi Binladen Group’s $842m syndicated credit facility for a campus development. Muneer Khan in Abu Dhabi is ‘able to understand the bigger picture’, and ‘flexible’, and ‘provides prompt and timely advice’.

Within Overview,

Instructed by a swathe of FTSE 100 corporates, Slaughter and May is the premier borrower-side practice in the market, and scores highly for bank lending and restructuring matters, where it continues to excel in government-led work. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is also very accomplished on the borrower side, in investment grade lending and acquisition finance, where it acts for an oustanding roster of private equity sponsors, and also in more esoteric areas such as derivatives, where it moves to the top tier this year. High-ranking practices outside the Magic Circle include Hogan Lovells International LLP, which moves up in the asset finance ranking having hired Simon Gwynne and Robert Fugard from Linklaters LLP, and also has a strong showing across restructuring, investment funds, and Islamic and trade finance; Ashurst LLP, across acquisition finance, investment funds, securitisation and derivatives; Norton Rose LLP, in asset finance, Islamic finance and emerging markets; SJ Berwin LLP, in investment funds; and Simmons & Simmons, in hedge funds and derivatives. As well as having strong asset finance practices, Clyde & Co LLP, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP and Reed Smith all feature in the top tier of the commodities (physicals) ranking.

Within Securitisation, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ Simon Schiff advised Singer Asset Finance on a £260m equipment lease deal, and Lloyds TSB on restructuring a $4bn RMBS. Ian Sideris acts for a UK bank on the synthetic securitisation of ABS exposures, and David Roylance represented UBS as arranger on the synthetic securitisation of a €1.5bn derivatives portfolio. The practice has also seen a growing number of private placements.

Within Employee share schemes, tier 5

Monica Ma at Simmons & Simmons is ‘professional, responsive and a pleasure to work with’.

Within Employment, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a first tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons is the adviser of choice for a raft of investment and asset managers, and hedge funds. The bulk of the team’s work is contentious; in 2010, instructions included a range of disputes over bonus payments, high-value discrimination actions and whistleblowing claims. Practice head Simon Watson is ‘outstanding – strategic, commercial and very client friendly’; and newly promoted partner Andrea Finn is ‘very smart, and a very able litigator’. The team ‘combines its legal knowledge with a strong commercial perspective’, and its ‘strategic approach and the depth of its bench set it apart’.

Within Health and safety, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ cross-departmental group provides support on corporate transactions and projects; policy guidance; and advice on regulatory matters and contentious situations. ‘Pragmatic’ associate James Taylor leads on advice to SanDisk, the Ministry of Defence, and various major players in the oil and gas and banking sectors.

Within Overview,

One area which has continued to show a high level of activity is litigation, in both the High Court and the employment tribunals. The number of trials relating to team moves, restrictive covenants, bonus schemes, and all kinds of discrimination has increased, with employees striving to maintain scarce jobs, and employers taking action to stem the flood of claims. Firms such as Linklaters LLP; McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP; Herbert Smith LLP; Farrer & Co; Fox Williams LLP and Simmons & Simmons have been at the forefront for finance houses and executives, and have witnessed the development of a new thread of litigation – data breaches and privacy issues in defections to competitors. Discrimination in all its forms has also been in the spotlight, with notable cases being fought by Leigh Day & Co; Bindmans LLP; and Russell Jones & Walker.

Within Pensions, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons provides ‘technical expertise of the highest quality’. The group is currently advising on the UK pensions issues on BASF’s €3.1bn acquisition of Cognis. Michael Wyman has ‘a real eye for detail and an ability to interpret and “read between the lines”, which ensures his advice addresses issues both on and below the surface’; and Monica Ma ‘stands shoulders above her competitors’. Ian Hammond and Caroline Hunter-Yeats deal with contentious matters, and have specialist expertise in actuarial negligence cases.

Within Insurance and reinsurance litigation, tier 5

Simmons & Simmons advises on insurance matters including coverage policies, D&O, product liability, financial institutions, professional liability and reinsurance. The team continues to advise on coverage issues arising from the Madoff Ponzi fraud. James Pollock, Christopher Braithwaite, William Rodger and Caroline Hunter-Yeats are recommended.

Within Product liability: defendant, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons primarily acts for consumer goods, telecommunications and retail clients, including Orkla, Lantmannen, and Polaris. Mark Dewar leads the practice.

Within Professional negligence, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons’ highly regarded group maintains ‘excellent personal relationships’ with clients, and acts for insurers and professional firms, with a focus on legal, accountancy, IT, construction and brokers. It acted for a leading firm of brokers, Lockton, in the defence of a third party claim for negligence brought in the Commercial Court by Barbon Insurance Group. Colin Passmore and Caroline Hunter-Yeats are recommended along with James Pollock, who heads the eight-partner team.

Within Infrastructure, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons’ team is led by Juliet Reingold, and includes Richard Dyton, who is singled out as a ‘strong commercial lawyer with a strong understanding of risk’. The firm acted for the Ministry of Defence on the aborted £12bn Defence Training Review.

Within Mining and minerals, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ team is led by Yves Barratts, and handles project finance and corporate work. Sundance Resources continues to instruct the firm on the development of the Mbalam iron ore project.

Within Oil and gas, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons is establishing a strong record under team head Charles Bankes, who ‘impresses with his skilful and effective probing and steering at meetings with regulatory authorities’; and project finance specialist Patrick Wallace, whose ‘charming and quintessential “British gentleman” style is a great asset in difficult negotiations’. The firm continues to advise the project company on the complex €8bn Nabucco gas pipeline project.

Within Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables) , Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ is winning some high-profile instructions on the alternative energy side, such as advising Holmen on the Workington Mill Biomass CHP Plant in Cumbria. Team head Charles Bankes is an ‘outstanding regulatory lawyer’.

Within Private finance initiative (PFI) , tier 4

Simmons & Simmons is a ‘trusted adviser’ and provides an ‘excellent level of service’, with areas of specialism including defence work. Juliet Reingold advised the Ministry of Defence on the £12bn Defence Training Review PFI project. Richard Dyton is an ‘innovative thinker’.

Within Water, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons’ Charles Bankes heads a team that specialises in regulatory and litigation matters but also has experience in IWPPs and desalination projects.

Within Administrative and public law, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

‘Big in energy’, Simmons & Simmons advised a German energy-from-waste company in judicial review proceedings in 2010. It is also advising on the Kolwezi copper tailings project and the Nabucco Gas Pipeline. The firm also has experience in the life sciences, TMT and financial services sectors, and acts for Cephalon and Tfl. Philip Vaughan is recommended. Jenny Block left the firm in 2010, joining postal regulator Postcomm.

Within Commercial property, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons’ real estate practice adopts a ‘highly professional and commercial approach’, and focuses on financial institutions, energy and infrastructure, TMT and life sciences. It advised Deka Immobilien Investment, one of Germany’s largest property funds, on transactions totalling over £190m during 2010. Nick Jones is ‘a complete pleasure to work with’, and Tim Barnard, John Sirs and Carol Hewson are also recommended.

Within Construction, tier 5

Simmons & Simmons demonstrates ‘wide and deep knowledge of construction’, and has ‘surprisingly reasonable hourly rates’. The practice recently advised the Ministry of Defence on a £12bn PFI project for armed forces training facilities. Group head Richard Dyton is recommended along with James Pollock, who ‘goes the extra mile and is very client focused’.

Within Environment, tier 4

Recent work for Simmons & Simmons includes advising on energy-from-waste projects. It also advised Deka on regulations affecting a site acquisition at Greenwich Peninsula. Environmental campaigner Tony Juniper, Blackfield Land, InSource Energy and Veolia Water are also clients. Practice head Steven McNab is well regarded.

Within Overview,

There has been some movement among firms, notably Jon Vivian’s move to Irwin Mitchell LLP, along with three other partners, to build a London presence. Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP recruited James Knox from Linklaters LLP and Michael Metliss from SJ Berwin LLP, but also lost three property finance partners to Simmons & Simmons.

Within Property finance, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP has ‘immense market intelligence and contacts: it has done virtually every deal out there’. It advised J.P. Morgan Asset Management on a loan from a syndicate of six German banks to finance the £557m purchase of Bishops Square. Practice head Laurence Rogers is ‘excellent technically with a winning personality’, and Naveen Vijh, Andrew Flemming, Jo Solomon are Jo Anand are ‘all good partners, very experienced with some excellent support staff’. The team will miss Richard Hughes, Simon Kildahl and Mark Waghorn, who joined Simmons & Simmons.

Within Property litigation, tier 4

Simmons & Simmons recently advised a major lender in a professional negligence case relating to mortgage fraud. Carol Hewson is the main contact.

Within Social housing: finance,

Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP advises on ‘a wide range of issues’. It acted for the HCA on mezzanine finance facilities for the Clapham One project, and advised Notting Hill Housing Association on private sector guarantor and joint venture provisions. Former practice head Simon Kildahl moved to Simmons & Simmons in May 2011.

Within Brand management, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ brands practice, led by Adrian Smith and David Stone, wins praise for its ‘remarkable efficiency, appropriate advice and utmost courtesy’. Lisa Ritchie is ‘a rising star’. The group handles trade mark portfolio management for Coca-Cola, Bacardi and Abercrombie & Fitch, and advises on new product launches, advertising and promotions. Michael Gavey advises on sponsorship.

Within Franchising, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ combined licensing and commercial practice advises on a diverse range of complex international franchising arrangements. The ‘practical, pragmatic and commercial’ Adrian Smith advised a group of 150 language schools in 50 countries on its global franchise. Richard Binns advised Network Rail (CTRL) on the renegotiation of its operator agreement with HS1 governing Network Rail’s operation of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Within Intellectual property, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ team is acting for Bayer HealthCare and Bayer Schering Pharma in three high-profile cases through its integrated UK, German, Dutch and Italian offices. Rowan Freeland and Scott Parker are ‘a tremendous litigation duo’, and Marc Döring has ‘excellent communication skills, and understands what the client needs’. Adrian Smith and David Stone head the trade mark filing team, which represents Bacardi and Coca-Cola. New client wins include Procter & Gamble, Ascendis Pharma and British American Tobacco. The ‘committed, thorough, proactive’ team was boosted by the arrival of Marjan Noor from Howrey LLP.

Within IT and telecoms, tier 4

Michael Sinclair, ‘a true expert in IT law’, leads Simmons & Simmons’ ‘cutting-edge’ team. Andrew McMillan assisted Telefónica O2 on the sale of Manx Telecom, and Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group and Telesat Canada on the procurement of Vietnam’s second communications satellite, VINASAT-2. The team also advised the Ministry of Justice on major procurement matters, including ICT shared services outsourcing. Clients include Virgin Media and Scripps Networks Interactive. Tom Wheadon is a ‘telecoms guru’, and Alexander Brown is an ‘invaluable source of knowledge’.

Within Media and entertainment, tier 5

Simmons & Simmons’ ‘responsive, efficient and well-versed’ team advised NBC Universal on acquiring independent television producer Monkey Kingdom in 2010. It also advised new client Fox Entertainment on trade marks and passing off. Other clients include HMV and the English National Ballet. David Stone is ‘excellent’.

Within Overview,

In life sciences, Covington & Burling LLP hired four partners from Morrison & Foerster (UK) LLP; Howrey LLP’s Marjan Noor joined Simmons & Simmons; Paul Inman joined Wragge & Co LLP; and Claire Tunstall and her patent litigation team joined Pinsent Masons LLP from Roiter Zucker Solicitors.

Within Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a first tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ ‘brilliantly reliable, accessible’ team was strengthened by the arrival of former Howrey LLP partner Marjan Noor, who, together with Scott Parker, is representing Bayer in a patent revocation action against Genentech. Marc Döring advised Bayer Schering Pharma on patents for its blockbuster female oral contraceptive products. London life sciences sector head Charles Mayo advised Chinese state-owned Sinochem Group on its global joint venture with Netherlands-based DSM. Michael Gavey has ‘great depth in assessing risks.’

Within Aviation, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a third tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons is best known for its aircraft finance work, but also handles a significant volume of related contentious matters. The group covers repossession work worldwide, and has a good reputation of acting for military clients such as the Ministry of Defence. The group advised AerCap on its claim for breach of a sale agreement for two Boeing B757s; acted for the MoD on phases three, four and five of the UK Military Flight Training System; and obtained an injunction to detain and repossess a B737 for Volito. Kim Walkling is rated for his work for the MoD, while Nick Benwell has notable litigation expertise. Clients are ‘extremely impressed with the service’.

Within Rail, Simmons & Simmons LLP is a second tier firm,

Simmons & Simmons’ work for Network Rail keeps the team involved in some of the largest projects in the market, and has seen the firm advise in relation to HS1, Thameslink, the West Coast Main Line upgrade project, the East London Line project, and the Chiltern Railways Evergreen project. Carol Hewson is ‘positive, supportive, strong willed and knowledgeable’, and Juliet Reingold is also recommended.