Profiles
E&W - London
Simmons & Simmons is a leading international law firm with fully integrated teams working from offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm’s strategy is designed to ensure it provides clients with high-quality advice and delivers value through new ways of working.
The firm: Simmons & Simmons applies considerable expertise to all business sectors but focuses on energy and infrastructure, financial institutions, life sciences, and technology, media and telecommunications (TMT). It acts regularly on the most innovative cases, deals and transactions in its chosen areas of specialism and receives recognition for the quality of its work from clients and others within these industry sectors.
In 2010 Simmons & Simmons was named ‘Best Law Firm’ at the HFM European Hedge Fund Services Awards and ‘Legal Firm of the Year’ at the Global Investor 10th Annual Awards. It was named ‘UK Corporate Law Firm of the Year’ by Corporate International magazine and won ‘Law Firm of the Year’ at the World Independent & Junior Oil and Gas Congress. The firm was also a winner in ‘Legal Innovation in Dispute Resolution’ in the FT Innovative Lawyer Awards. Simmons & Simmons was highly ranked in the Legal Week Client Satisfaction Report, ranking second among all international firms. The report recognised its service delivery and responsiveness, and rated the firm highly for the quality of its relationships. Clients said they liked its all-round professionalism, international presence and creative thinking.
The firm’s commitment to corporate responsibility is well recognised, and Simmons & Simmons was the highest ranked law firm in Stonewall’s ‘Workplace Equality Index’ 2011. The firm takes pride in its people and welcomes the best candidates seeking a career in a leading international City law firm.
Types of work undertaken: Four sector teams are drawn from the core practice areas of: corporate, dispute resolution, EU, competition and regulatory, employment, pensions and employee benefits, financial markets, IP, projects, real estate, information, communications and technology, and corporate tax.
Recent major transactions handled by the firm include advising: Telefónica Europe on its disposal of Manx Telecom (having also advised on the disposal of the Airwave business); HMV Group on its acquisitions of MAMA Group and 7digital; Alcatel-Lucent on the sale of its vacuum worldwide business to Pfeiffer; biotech company Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics on a successful equity raising; Commercial Bank of Qatar (Commercialbank) on its $1.6bn inaugural global bond offering (named ‘Debt and Equity Linked Deal of the Year’ at the IFLR Middle East Awards 2010); major apparel company Renown Incorporated on its sale of the world-famous Aquascutum brand; Essent on one of the largest-ever Dutch energy deals, worth €9.3bn; and the dealers on Qtel’s groundbreaking $5bn global medium term notes programme. The firm also advised the arranger in the landmark transaction by which McDonald’s Corporation launched its Renminbi (RMB) bond offering in Hong Kong (the first such RMB bond issue by a multinational in Hong Kong).
Simmons & Simmons has also advised on major aspects of the financial crisis, from the collapse of Lehman Brothers through to the effects on its clients of the ensuing regulatory, enforcement and litigation requirements, and is known for its work on landmark financial litigation matters and appeals. The firm has one of the largest full-service dispute resolution practices of any City firm, covering financial markets litigation, contentious regulatory, corporate crime, professional and product liability and international arbitration, as well as insurance, IP and employment disputes.
Firmwide, it has over 200 partners and a total staff of around 1,500, of whom more than half are based in its 17 offices outside the UK.
For further information, please visit the firm’s website: www.simmons-simmons.com.
Other offices: Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Brussels, Doha, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Funchal*, Hong Kong, Jeddah**, Lisbon*, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome , Shanghai, Tokyo (*Sociedade Rebelo de Sousa in association with Simmons & Simmons, **Hammad, Al-Mehdar & Co in alliance with Simmons & Simmons)
Number of UK partners 112
Number of other UK fee-earners 290
London
The firm
Simmons & Simmons is a leading international law firm with fully integrated teams working through offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm’s strategy is designed to ensure it provides its clients with high-quality advice and delivers value through new ways of working.
The firm applies considerable expertise to all business sectors but focuses on asset management and investment funds, energy and infrastructure, financial institutions, life sciences, and technology, media and telecommunications (TMT). Simmons & Simmons acts regularly on the most innovative cases, deals and transactions in its chosen areas of specialism and receives recognition for the quality of its work from clients and others within these industry sectors.
In 2011, for example, Simmons & Simmons was named a top tier law firm in the ‘Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Report’ 2011 and was a winner in the Dispute Resolution and Anti-bribery and Corruption categories; named Leading Law Firm 2011 at the ‘Hedge Fund Journal’ Awards; named European Law Firm of the Year for Life Sciences and Contentious IP (Netherlands) at the ‘Managing Intellectual Property’ (MIP) Global Awards 2011; awarded European Law Firm of the Year 2011 at the ‘HedgeWeek’ Awards; and winner of the Excellence in Training Award at ‘The Lawyer’ HR Awards 2011.
The firm’s commitment to corporate responsibility is well recognised. Simmons & Simmons was the highest ranked law firm in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2012 in the UK for the fourth year running and was also ranked in ‘The Times’ Top 100 Graduate Employers 2011.
Areas of practice
Five sector teams are drawn from the core practice areas of: corporate, dispute resolution, EU, competition and regulatory, employment, pensions and employee benefits, financial markets, IP, projects, real estate, information, communications and technology, and corporate tax. Recent major transactions handled by the firm include advising: BlueCrest on the acquisition by its partners of Man Group’s 25.5% stake in the BlueCrest group for a total consideration of $633m; Kier Group plc on its successful appeal against the size of its fine, following an investigation by the OFT; HMV Group plc on the sale of Waterstone’s to A&NN Capital Fund Management Limited; Amundi Investment Solutions in relation to the introduction of its ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) to the UK market; Plukon Royale B.V. on the merger of Friki Germany and the Stolle Group; energy supplier Argos Oil on its merger talks with energy supplier North Sea Group (the creation of the largest independent player on the North-West European market); advised on the first ever issue of convertible bonds in the offshore renminbi market (Simmons & Simmons advised manager Sun Hung Kai Investment Services Limited on an RMB 100m convertible bond issue by Hong Kong juice company Garden Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Beverage); the UK Ministry of Justice on two groundbreaking procurement competitions to provide Prisoner Escort and Custody Services throughout England and Wales and Custodial Services at four prisons; and Chinese state-owned enterprise, Sinochem Group, on an agreement with Netherlands based DSMAnti-Infectives, to form a 50/50 global anti-infectives joint venture.
Simmons & Simmons continued to advise on all major aspects of the financial crisis, from the effects of the collapse of Lehman Brothers through to the effects on its clients of the ensuing regulatory, enforcement and litigation requirements, and is known for its work on landmark financial litigation matters and appeals. The firm has one of the largest full-service dispute resolution practices of any firm headquartered in the City of London, covering financial markets litigation, contentious regulatory, corporate crime, professional and product liability and international arbitration, as well as insurance, IP and employment disputes.
Firmwide, it has more than 210 partners and a total staff of around 1,500 of whom more than half are based in its 18 offices outside the UK.
Other offices
Abu Dhabi
Amsterdam
Beijing
Brussels
Doha
Dubai
Düsseldorf
Frankfurt
Funchal*
Hong Kong
Jeddah**
Lisbon*
Madrid
Milan
Paris
Rome
Shanghai
Tokyo
*Sociedade Rebelo de Sousa in association with Simmons & Simmons
**Simmons & Simmons is in alliance with Hammad & Al-Mehdar
Number of lawyers 737
at this office 357
Above material supplied by Simmons & Simmons LLP.