The Legal 500

Within Commercial contracts, tier 5

At Trowers & Hamlins LLP, public sector commercial team head Helen Randall has ‘great knowledge of the law but also great understanding of the client’, and corporate partner Riccardo Abbate has outsourcing and technology expertise. The team advised West Midlands Police and Surrey Police on the procurement of back and middle office functions, and acted for Alliance Homes in the procurement of photovoltaic panels to be retro-fitted to the roofs of social housing.

Within Corporate tax Corporate tax

Within Flotations: small and mid-cap, tier 4

Trowers & Hamlins LLP provides ‘first-class service from an experienced international team of a strong calibre’, and is known for its partner-led work for corporates and NOMADs. Richard Hildebrand, Charles Wilson and Nick Harrisingh are recommended. Deals included Oracle Coalfields’ AIM listing.

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s eight-partner corporate team advised on 19 transactions in 2011 with a combined value exceeding £2bn. Highlights included advising GI Partners on its £28m acquisition of Advanced Childcare from Bowmark Capital. Riccardo Abbate is noted for his ‘commercial knowledge, client management skills and adaptable approach’, and Tony Poole has ‘superb technical knowledge’.

Within International arbitration International arbitration

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP handles mid-market murabaha and other real estate and commodities transactions. Sarah Gooden advised Gatehouse Bank on a $53m shari’ah-compliant facility for Kuwait Finance House to purchase industrial property in Glasgow. Other clients include Dar Capital, QIB (UK) plc and new gain ABC International Bank. Practice head Nicholas Edmondes and Manama-based Neale Downes are recommended.

Within Employment: employers and senior executives, tier 7

The expertise of Trowers & Hamlins LLP in the housing, charity and care sectors attracts large employers with complex issues. Among a talented team, Emma Burrows has ‘excellent legal knowledge’, and Richie Alder and Tania Tandon are also recommended.

Within Pensions, tier 6

The pensions team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP is ‘very knowledgeable and responds efficiently and quickly’. Diane Preston and Martin McFall continue to advise clients in the public and private sectors, among them Surrey County Council and The Guinness Trust.

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

Although Trowers & Hamlins LLP saw the departure of Robert Brodrick to Payne Hicks Beach, Jamie Atwell remains, and counts several landed estates among his clients.

Within Charities and not-for-profit, tier 5

Trowers & Hamlins LLP is well respected for its ‘very strong’ advice, with Ian Davis’ governance advice especially valued. The firm has a strong presence in the care, housing, and leisure sectors. In 2011, it advised the Brandon Trust in relation to its merger with Odyssey Care Solutions for Today.

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP will miss the expertise of the ‘extremely bright’ Robert Brodrick, who moved to Payne Hicks Beach in April 2012, but it remains a firm that ‘easily holds its weight’. Jamie Atwell heads a team which conducts an impressive range of work, from advising agricultural estates to handling shari’ah-compliant matters in the Middle East.

Within Infrastructure, tier 4

Trowers & Hamlins LLP remains a robust presence in both PFI and PPP. The firm has a very strong transport disputes practice, particularly in rail, and among several instructions is representing BAM Nuttall in relation to its claim against Cambridgeshire County Council regarding the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway.

Within Oil and gas, tier 6

Standing out for its Middle East expertise, Trowers & Hamlins LLP continues to advise on a variety of corporate matters and projects in the region, with the London team working closely with counterparts in Oman, Cairo and Dubai.

Within PFI and PPP, tier 4

Well known for its impressive coverage on domestic waste, social housing and regeneration projects, Trowers & Hamlins LLP has also been advising Middle East clients on importation of the UK PPP social infrastructure model. James Hawkins has ‘an exceptional understanding of public procurement processes’.

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

Middle East specialist Trowers & Hamlins LLP has ‘a deep knowledge of the local law and practices’ in the region. London team head Martin Amison is advising Jordan’s National Electric Power Company on the development of an oil shale-fired IPP.

Within Water, tier 5

Trowers & Hamlins LLP has a strong record on Middle East waste water treatment projects, recently acting on several major PPPs for corporate and government clients.

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP is ‘very strong on procurement and commercial issues’, and ‘provides excellent cover across all fields’, including contentious and non-contentious matters. Malcolm Iley and Manchester-based Michael Mousdale provide ‘practical, pragmatic solutions to commercial problems’, and are ‘very dependable’. Lucy James and Helen Randall are also recommended; the latter is advising the London Borough of Barnet on a large-scale outsourcing of regulatory services.

Within Education: schools, tier 4

Trowers & Hamlins LLP is excellent for school infrastructure projects. Amardeep Gill, Assad Maqbool and team head Helen Randall are recommended.

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP, which provides ‘a superb level of service’, has recently advised on various acquisitions. Lynn Aglionby leads the ‘excellent’ team, which advises clients including Cambian, Mears and Heritage Care. Rosemary Hart retired.

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

‘Pre-eminent’ local government practice Trowers & Hamlins LLP is acting for Hammersmith and Fulham Council on its Tri-Borough Mutual Pathfinder for School Support Services. It also advised Oxfordshire County Council on a £525m energy from waste PPP agreement. Major regeneration projects handled include Margate’s Dreamland site as well as the Canning Town and Custom House scheme. Council homes self-financing specialist Ian Doolittle led on the establishment of East Kent Housing, and co-heads the practice with Helen Randall. Malcolm Iley is ‘at the head of his field’.

Within Overview,

The Administrative and public law table ranks claimant and commercial firms together. Of the City firms, Herbert Smith LLP, Hogan Lovells International LLP and Baker & McKenzie LLP provide strong representation of commercial clients, while Bindmans LLP and Leigh Day & Co remain leaders on the claimant side. The latter two also have market-leading human rights and civil liberties practices, where other renowned firms include Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, Tuckers Solicitors and the newly merged Deighton Pierce Glynn. Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP and Eversheds LLP each have recognised expertise in public inquiries, and Trowers & Hamlins LLP and Clifford Chance are among the leaders for public affairs work.

Within Commercial property, Trowers & Hamlins LLP is a third tier firm,

Trowers & Hamlins LLP is valued for its ‘superb service and technical know-how’. Clients include major investors such as Aegon UK Property Fund, and property companies. The practice has excellent Middle Eastern connections, and recently advised Bahrain-based Meritas on its £120m acquisition of the North Wharf Gardens development at Paddington Basin. Jeremy Joiner heads the team, which includes Philip Peters, Michael Higginson and the ‘excellent’ Sangita Unadkat.

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP’s ‘strong’ procurement team provides ‘thoughtful’ and ‘well-considered’ advice to clients including the Ministry of Justice and Vinci, as well as social housing clients such as London Borough of Greenwich. The ‘astute’ Anthony Yates is ‘a leader in his field’, and David Mosey is recommended for non-contentious matters.

Within Overview,

In environmental matters, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP and Linklaters LLP lead the way, while Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP and Herbert Smith LLP field the top planning practices. Trowers & Hamlins LLP, Devonshires and Winckworth Sherwood stand out on the social housing side.

Within Property litigation, tier 4

Michael Donnellan heads the team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP, which represents institutional investors including AXA and Hermes. Nicholas Levy handles property management cases, and Paul Marco handles a mixture of commercial and public sector litigation.

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP ‘concentrates on the brief’. It advised Brighton & Hove Seaside Community Homes on funding the modernisation of 500 empty homes; assisted Sovereign Housing Group in restructuring its loan portfolio; and oversaw a £200m bond issuance for Peabody. Anna Clark and practice head Adrian Carter are recommended.

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

Trowers & Hamlins LLP has strong governance expertise, with particular strength in arm’s length management organisations (ALMOs). The firm acted on Affinity Sutton’s group restructuring and Red Kite Community Housing’s tenant-led stock transfer from Wycombe District Council. Sara Bailey has ‘dynamism’, associate Rebecca Wardle has ‘superb technical skills’, and Andrew Barnard has ‘the gift of making the complex simple’. Scott Dorling and department head Ian Graham are also recommended.

Within IT and telecoms, tier 5

Trowers & Hamlins LLP advises public sector customers and private sector suppliers on IT procurement matters. Riccardo Abbate is ‘personable and always approachable’.

Within Rail, tier 6

Known for its expertise in advising contractors in disputes relating to UK rail projects, the team at Trowers & Hamlins LLP is ‘highly experienced and effective at delivering tightly drafted legal submissions that are also technically sound’. John Linwood heads the team, and is recommended for his litigation and arbitration experience.