The Legal 500

Within Commercial contracts, tier 4

Clients are quick to highlight Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s ‘responsive and flexible’ approach, and particularly value its ‘contribution of knowledge and experience from other relevant scenarios to assist in formulating approaches and strategies’. The commercial practice draws on the firm’s strong public sector capability, advising on outsourcing and procurement matters for local councils and government bodies. Helen Randall heads up the public sector commercial team. Paul McDermott is recommended for his ‘ability to translate difficult and specialist terms into layman’s language’.

Within Corporate tax Corporate tax

Within Flotations: small and mid-cap, tier 5

Richard Hildebrand at Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a ‘very good communicator’.

Within M&A: lower mid-market, £50m-£250m, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a third tier firm,

The ‘exceptionally professional’ and ‘very commercial’ team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP saw a good line in work from existing clients in 2010. Richard Hildebrand and James Lyons advised Western Coal on its takeover of AIM-listed Energybuild, which valued the company at £56m. Practice head Michael Pattinson is the key figure.

Within International arbitration International arbitration

Within Islamic finance, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a third tier firm,

Trowers & Hamlins LLP has a ‘good and reliable team’, particularly for real estate and projects. It advised Gatehouse on commodity murabahas for UK property acquisitions worth over £100m; advised QIB (UK) plc on a tawarruq facility for a site purchase; and represented Arabian Sugar Company on a $63m istisna’a and ijara to develop a refinery. Other clients include Arcapita, Dar Capital and Kuwait Finance House. Practice head Nicholas Edmondes is recommended, as is Manama-based Neale Downes and his ‘knowledgeable and helpful’ Bahrain team.

Within Employment, tier 7

Trowers & Hamlins LLP has significant experience in the housing, charity and health sectors on dismissal claims and contractual disputes, particularly in relation to transfers of personnel. Emma Burrows and Tania Tandon are both ‘excellent in terms of customer focus and legal knowledge’.

Within Pensions, tier 6

At Trowers & Hamlins LLP, ‘customer care is excellent, knowledge levels are strong, and advice is very sound’. Clients include Essex County Council and The Trustees of the Anglo American Steel Fabricators Pension Scheme. Diane Preston and Martin McFall are recommended.

Within Agriculture and estates, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a third tier firm,

Robert Broderick at Trowers & Hamlins LLP counts a significant number of landed estates among his clients.

Within Charities and not-for-profit , tier 5

Ian Davis heads the team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP, which serves the firm’s corporate charity client base. It advised Careers Development Group on governance, dispute resolution, employment and pensions matters.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a third tier firm,

The ‘well-connected and commercial’ Robert Broderick heads the team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP, which handles complex tax and trusts structuring for landed estates, non-doms and a significant client base of high-net-worth Middle Eastern clients. Jamie Atwell is ‘thoughtful and accomplished’.

Within Infrastructure, tier 4

Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s London team works alongside the firm’s extensive Middle East network, specialising in advising governments and sponsors on major infrastructure projects. The firm is advising Bahrain Airport Company on the expansion and redevelopment of the airport.

Within Oil and gas, tier 5

Trowers & Hamlins LLP continues to advise the government of Jordan on the concession agreement and project structure for Shell’s proposed development of an oil shale project in Jordan. Martin Amison is recommended.

Within Overview,

Norton Rose LLP draws admiring glances for its market-leading renewables and mining practices, and is working to become the pre-eminent name for energy work. SNR Denton and Trowers & Hamlins LLP field strong Middle East practices, which work alongside London teams to offer excellent global coverage.

Within Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables) , tier 4

Trowers & Hamlins LLP maintains a pre-eminent reputation for Middle East power projects, and acted for the government of Jordan on its second wind IPP at Fujeij. Martin Amison is the principal London contact.

Within Private finance initiative (PFI) , tier 4

Domestically, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is known for public sector work, where it is considered ‘best in breed’. Internationally, it has an extensive Middle East network that ensures a varied diet of complex pathfinder PPPs. Highlights included advising Essex County Council on its £1bn BSF project.

Within Water, tier 4

Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s London office works in conjunction with the firm’s strong Middle East network to advise on major water projects including sewage treatment plants.

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP acts for 220 local authorities, and over half of the firm’s clients come from the public sector. ‘Very accessible and flexible’ litigator Lucy James advised KPMG in defending a statutory appeal, and also recently represented The Crown Estate Commissioners in the proposed sale of four residential housing estates comprising 1200 tenancies. Recent work for the team includes advising Newham Council and West Ham FC on its successful bid to lease and operate the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 games, and it was also appointed to advise the London Borough of Barnet on the outsourcing of public services. Helen Randall is praised for non-contentious work. Malcolm Iley is recommended, and Paul McDermott ‘goes the extra mile’.

Within Education: schools, tier 4

Helen Randall’s team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP acted on a number of complex BSF projects in 2010, for clients such as Blackpool City Council. Mike Mousdale recently joined from Eversheds LLP.

Within Healthcare, tier 4

Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s ‘highly responsive’ team is praised for its ‘unparalleled knowledge of the local authority marketplace’. In 2010 the team handled M&A transactions and judicial reviews for public and private clients such as The Cambian Group and the National Society for Epilepsy. Lynn Aglionby and Rosemary Hart lead the team.

Within Local government, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a first tier firm,

Trowers & Hamlins LLP demonstrates ‘a high level of specialist knowledge’. The team represented the London Borough of Newham and West Ham FC in their successful bid to lease and operate the Olympic Stadium following the 2012 games. It also advised the London Borough of Barnet in its innovative, high-profile outsourcing of the authority’s regulatory and development functions, and advised Canterbury City Council, Dover District Council, Shepway District Council and Thanet District Council on their joint ‘super-ALMO’. The ‘excellent’ Helen Randall co-heads the team with Ian Doolittle. The ‘passionate’ Scott Dorling, the ‘innovative’ Michael Mousdale and Malcolm Iley are also recommended.

Within Overview,

In local government, there is a significant focus on regeneration, planning and procurement projects, with transportation, waste and renewables coming to the forefront through plans for proposed railway links, wind turbines and food waste recycling as an alternative energy source. The Local Government Act 2010 and the pending Localism Bill relating to the powers of local authorities and their structure are also having an impact. There has been a marked increase in the outsourcing of local authority and public services, and to combat the cuts, councils have also started sharing departments and managers as part of a shared services initiative. Eversheds LLP and Trowers & Hamlins LLP remain the forerunners in the area, although there is plenty of competition in the market.

Within Commercial property, tier 4

At Trowers & Hamlins LLP, ‘the quality and commitment of the practice remains consistent regardless of transaction value’. The team advised Gatehouse Bank on the £40m acquisition of BT’s Leeds headquarters. Jeremy Joiner, Michael Higginson and Philip Peters are recommended.

Within Construction, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a third tier firm,

Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s lawyers ‘understand clients ’ business needs’, ‘do not waste time on minor issues and give regular updates on costs’. The practice has a strong public sector client base, and is particularly expert in procurement and projects. This large team recently advised Amey Ventures on sub-contract issues on a waste-to-energy PFI project in Yorkshire. Litigator Anthony Yates is ‘calm, thorough and particularly good on client service’, and David Mosey is recommended for non-contentious matters.

Within Property litigation, tier 4

Trowers & Hamlins LLP mainly represents institutional investors and public sector bodies. The practice, led by Michael Donnellan, advised Nuffield Health in a rent review for one of its private hospitals.

Within Social housing: finance, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a second tier firm,

Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s ‘strong’ and ‘sensible’ team advised London & Quadrant Housing Trust on its £300m bond issue. The Housing Finance Corporation Limited exclusively instructs the team in relation to its loan portfolio and funding arrangements. Practice head Adrian Carter is highly regarded, and is recommended along with Ralph Picken. Anna Clark joined from Winckworth Sherwood.

Within Social housing: local authorities and registered providers, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a first tier firm,

Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s ‘excellent’ team has ‘great industry knowledge’, and provides a ‘very proactive and innovative service’. It advised Golden Gates Housing Trust, Bolton at Home, First Choice Homes Oldham and Tristar Homes on all LSVTs in the first multiple local authority ‘super ALMO’. The team is co-headed by the ‘practical’ Ian Graham and the ‘charismatic, energetic’ Ian Doolittle. Catherine Hand, Sara Bailey and senior partner Jonathan Adlington are also recommended, as is Scott Dorling, who ‘delivers on what he says’.

Within IT and telecoms, tier 5

The ‘approachable, knowledgeable’ Riccardo Abbate at Trowers & Hamlins LLP acts for local government and other public sector clients, as well as suppliers including Agilisys and Tribal.