The Legal 500

Within Corporate tax, tier 4

Reflecting the firm’s wider strengths, the ‘professional’ team at Olswang is strong in film finance, real estate and transactional tax work for media companies. It advised on the tax structuring of the latest Bond film Quantum of Solace; other clients include RDF Media and the Guardian Media Group. Mark Joscelyne is ‘technically rigorous and creative’, and Stephen Hignett is also recommended.

Within EU and competition , tier 7

Olswang’s impressive run continued through 2008; it representied SIS in High Court proceedings against Turf TV, and is also advising parties in the construction and air cargo cartel investigations. Howard Cartlidge and Alasdair Balfour are the London partners.

Within Flotations - small and mid-cap, Olswang is a second tier firm,

At Olswang, Adam Fenner’s team advised Investec and Kaupthing on a £15m fundraising for Leather Holdings. Max Audley and Paul Blackmore are recommended.

Within M&A - lower mid-marketdeals, £50m-£250m, Olswang is a second tier firm,

Olswang is distinguished by its strength in depth, with 24 partners in its team. The media sector is a central focus, accounting for a significant number of the 65 deals that the firm completed in 2008 (averaging £22m). Stephen Hermer, David Roberts and Simon Morgan are well known.

Within Outsourcing and procurement, Olswang is a third tier firm,

Olswang’s growing practice, under Nigel Swycher, has continued to broaden, recently adding TCS, Nasdaq and Global World Check as clients. Highlights included representing the Post Office on its procurement of a biometric identity capability service, and ongoing work advising the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Within Partnership, tier 4

The ‘extremely commercial’ Julia Palca is recommended at Olswang.

Within Private equity , tier 6

Praised for its ‘responsiveness, deep knowledge and good value’, particularly in TMT, Fabrizio Carpanini’s ‘very commercial’ team at Olswang advised on £1.4bn of transactions through 2008.

Within VAT and indirect tax, Olswang is a second tier firm,

Olswang boasts significant expertise in gambling tax and SDLT as part of a broader indirect practice. It is advising the BBC in connection with VAT issues arising from the implementation of the digital switchover help scheme. MarkJoscelyne is ‘commercial, technically solid and clear’.

Within Venture capital, Olswang is a second tier firm,

Olswang is leveraging its track record in TMT to advise funds such as MVM, ISIS and Seven Spires, while at the same time diversifying into the leisure, retail and healthcare sectors. The ‘very knowledgeable, responsive and commercial’ team includes Tina Cowen and Stephen Rosen. Andrew Peddie has moved to Pitmans.

Within Fraud - commercial and regulatory investigations, tier 5

Olswang successfully defended Winterthur Holdings against a £50.5m fraudulent misrepresentation claim brought by RBS, which settled after a week at trial. Martin Davies is ‘very solid’ and ‘very able’.

Within Licensing, gaming and betting, Olswang is a second tier firm,

Olswang was appointed as Sportech’s principal legal adviser in 2008, and advised it on its contract with 888 and white label arrangements with publishers. The London team also advised Satellite Information services in Turf TV competition litigation. David Zeffman and Luisa Hoffman are renowned on the corporate side.

Within Commercial litigation, tier 6

Olswang’s ‘first-rate’ practice is very well regarded in the market and praised for its ‘very commercial and solutions-focused’ approach. Steven Baker heads the team, which includes ‘superb, client-focused litigator’ Martin Davies. In addition to its strength in TMT-related disputes, it is also recommended on the commercial side. Recent highlights include defending Winterthur Holdings against a £50.5m Commercial Court claim brought by RBS for alleged breach of warranty and fraudulent misrepresentation.

Within Defamation and privacy, Olswang is a first tier firm,

Geraldine Proudler at Olswang is a longstanding adviser to the Guardian, recently advising it on the proceedings for libel and malicious falsehood brought by Tesco, following an article suggesting that it had avoided £1bn corporation tax. Dan Tench attracts very high praise from clients; ‘he is very pragmatic and gets amazing results’. Proudler meanwhile is described as ‘very feisty’, and associate Ashley Hurst as ‘an internet defamation expert’.

Within International arbitration, tier 5

Richard Bamforth heads the well-regarded team at Olswang, which covers general commercial disputes, as well as more specialised fields such as technology and pharmaceuticals, where partners Steven Baker and Michelle Sindler respectively are strong.

Within Tax litigation,

DLA Piper UK LLP has also identified contentious tax work as a growth area and continues to expand its team with two new hires from HMRC. It acted for the claimant in Halcyon Films LLP v Revenue & Customs Commissioners as well as advising RCI Europe on potential double taxation issues, now the subject of a referral to the ECJ. Simon Airey is well respected by clients and peers alike, although Hartley Foster – also highly regarded – has recently moved to Olswang.

Within Corporate restructuring and insolvency, tier 7

Olswang’s Graeme Levy is noted as a ‘very bright guy’.

Within Derivatives and structured products, tier 5

Charles Kerrigan is singled out as an ‘excellent networker and relationship builder’ at Olswang, which is ‘more proactive than many firms’.

Within Investment funds, tier 6

Also recommended are: Baker & McKenzie LLP; Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP; Burges Salmon LLP Bristol; CMS Cameron McKenna LLP; DLA Piper UK LLP; Denton Wilde Sapte LLP; Dundas & Wilson LLP; Katten Muchin Rosenman Cornish LLP; Latham & Watkins; Maclay Murray & Spens LLP; Mishcon de Reya; O’Melveny & Myers LLP; Olswang; Osborne Clarke; Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (Europe) LLP; Reed Smith; Speechly Bircham LLP; Taylor Wessing LLP; Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Withers LLP.

Within Employee share schemes, tier 5

Olswang’s Michael Deeks is noted for his ‘in-depth knowledge’.

Within Employment, tier 4

Olswang’s ‘excellent’ practice head Sarah Keeble acted for RDF Media in its high-profile and successful claim in the High Court against Alan Clements. 2008 also saw the team advising on restructuring, redundancy and reorganisation programmes for clients including Channel 4, eBay and Rightmove plc. Clients praise Daniel Aherne as ‘pragmatic, knowledgeable and extremely professional’.

Within Administrative and public law, tier 5

Olswang covers regulatory and commercial judicial review, particularly for the telecoms sector. Practice head Dan Tench is ‘really outstanding - a very good public lawyer’, while litigator Martin Davies is also prominent. The team acted for Royal Mail and the Post Office in several judicial reviews brought following branch closures, and represented Cable & Wireless, Verizon and others in an appeal against Ofcom on termination rates for mobile phone calls.

Within Commercial property, Olswang is a third tier firm,

Olswang offers ‘very good knowledge of the market and employs a number of highly intelligent individuals with a wealth of in-depth knowledge of the real estate market’. These include the immensely popular David Saunders, Martyn Needham and team head Tim Westhead. The group attracted some of the market’s top-end deals, notably advising REIT Asset Management on its £8.5bn merger with the property arm of F&C Asset Management.

Within Construction, tier 4

Olswang continues to develop its standalone construction department independently of its real estate group, consolidating its contentious offering with the promotion of new partner Nick Lane. Richard Wilson’s team acts for Thornfield Properties on all the construction matters connected with its £2bn development portfolio, while Lane’s clients include AXA Investment Management.

Within Planning, tier 5

Head of planning Richard Keczkes has enhanced Olswang’s reputation, with appointments to the panel of Legal & General and as sole real estate lawyers to Guoman Hotel Group. The practice was instructed by the first businesses to be affected by Crossrail’s threat of compulsory purchase, and achieved the first substantial compensation settlement before the end of 2008.

Within Property finance, Olswang is a third tier firm,

Olswang is known as an extremely proficient and increasingly active player, for mid- to top-end deals. Key deals included advising Orchard Street Situations Fund on a £100m facility from the Bank of Scotland to finance UK commercial property acquisitions. Clients are quick to praise group head Eleni Skordaki.

Within Property litigation, Olswang is a third tier firm,

Olswang’s recent instructions include an £18m damages claim against the owners and operators of the Buncefield Oil Depot. Marcus Barclay ‘does a good job on rent reviews’, and Cameron Lawes led a team acting in a lease renewal concerning a city-centre Tesco store.

Within Brand management, Olswang is a second tier firm,

Olswang enjoys a very strong reputation for brands work. It advises many of the largest names in the agency world, among them M&C Saatchi, Beattie McGuiness Bungay and Red Brick Road, as well as a growing roster of smaller agencies. Clients describe a ‘good, enthusiastic, young, confident, and high-quality firm’. Litigator Joel Barry is a leader in brand-facing advertising work; Iain Stansfield handles sponsorship work, including a shirt sponsorship deal for Tottenham Hotspur FC; and Mark Bertram handles corporate work in the advertising and marketing sectors. The team also regularly advises on betting and gaming issues arising in marketing campaigns.

Within Intellectual property, tier 4

Olswang has a full-service patent filing practice and a major trade mark filing practice. Trade mark head Joel Barry led a team acting for Johnson & Johnson in a complex infringement claim. Co-head Michael Burdon led advice to new client Wake Forest University and its exclusive licensee KCI Inc, a publicly quoted US medical devices company, in major patent litigation. Sarah Wright is a new appointment to the partnership and has a soft IP and fashion practice.

Within IT and telecoms, Olswang is a first tier firm,

DLA Piper UK LLP’s national approach and ‘precise understanding of where the pinch points are on a large IT deal’ contributed to a series of significant roles, most notably in the public sector where it acted for the Pensions Regulator on a multi-vendor IT programme. ‘One of the top legal advisers available’, group head Kit Burden had a strong year, including advising RBS/ABN AMRO on the renegotiation of a large-scale ITO contract. Mark Critchard acts on a range of public projects, as well as advising leading financial services clients and providing ‘extremely competent and dedicated counsel’. However, litigation partner Julian Stait moved to Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP and UK telecoms head Purvi Parekh joined Olswang.

Within IT and telecoms, Olswang is a first tier firm,

Olswang has an IT and telecoms team that pairs ‘sharp technical insight’ with ‘commercial prowess’. Clive Gringras, a partner ‘capable of finding solutions to any technical or legal problem’, recently led the team advising Microsoft on its transaction with BT. Head of technology Nigel Swycher is highly recommended for his ‘excellent understanding of the industry’. ‘Telecoms law guru’ Robert Bratby heads a telecoms practice which has gone from strength to strength, bolstered recently by the arrival of Purvi Parekh, former practice head at DLA Piper UK LLP. 2008 saw the team appointed to Orange’s panel, as well as securing significant roles on telecoms outsourcing for, among others, Telstra. Regulatory engagements remain a feature, and Colin Long’s practice is key to the team’s capability here.

Within Media and entertainment, Olswang is a first tier firm,

Olswang is ‘in a league of its own’ and regularly acts in market-shaping deals. ‘A formidable negotiator’, Selina Potter advised BBC Worldwide on its video-on-demand services. Lisbeth Savill and Jacqueline Hurt, ‘who always picks up the key issues’, advised the Weinstein Company on the financing of films including The Reader. James Kay advised Celador on Slumdog Millionaire. Mark Devereux led a team representing Shine on its acquisition of the Reveille Group and advised on the film Mamma Mia!. David Zeffman has ‘a deep understanding of the TV industry’. Tony Leifer’s publishing team advised LexisNexis on its acquisition of Axxia Systems and represented Reed Business Information on its acquisition of Approved Index. John Enser’s ‘insight and industry relationships are very valuable’. He and his music team ‘provide high-quality, trusted advice’ on anti-piracy, digital and convergence matters and Copyright Tribunal references. Litigator Geraldine Proudler represents the Guardian.

Within Overview,

Olswang is one of the key TMT firms. Well known for its media practice, it has also been successfully growing its pharmaceuticals, and IT and telecoms practice. Lewis Silkin LLP has a leading advertising and general brand management practice, as does Bristol-based Osborne Clarke.

Within Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, Olswang is a second tier firm,

Olswang is strong in patent litigation - where GSK is a new client win - and also licensing and corporate life science work. Clients praise the firm’s transactional work in the sector. New team head Stephen Reese, who is ‘competent and pragmatic’, and delivers a ‘quick turnaround’ for clients, recently advised Dr Reddy’s Laboratories on commercial IP matters, while Michael Burdon advised Boston Scientific Corp on three substantial patent enforcement matters.

Within Sport, Olswang is a third tier firm,

Led by broadcasting ‘guru’ David Zeffman, Olswang primarily acts for governing bodies - such as the RFU, FIFA, LOCOG and the ICC - and broadcasters. Recent highlights include advice to Setanta on its Premier League and FA contracts, while other clients include Tottenham Hotspur FC, Eurosport and new win Fulham FC. Senior associate Luisa Hoffman is also recommended.