The Legal 500

Within Corporate tax

Within EU and competition , tier 7

Bird & Bird LLP is recommended for IP/competition cases, and for its work in the pharmaceutical and life sciences, and utilities sectors. Department head Richard Eccles is a celebrated figure whose key clients include Royal Mail and the FA.

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

Bird & Bird LLP has a good name in the cleantech and renewables sectors, and enjoys a close relationship with Seymour Pierce. Simon Allport and Alistair Crellin are recommended.

Within M&A - lower mid-marketdeals, £50m-£250m, Bird & Bird LLP is a third tier firm,

Neil Blundell and Mark Pinder are the co-heads of Bird & Bird LLP’s 16-partner corporate group, which is active on mid-market and upper mid-market cross-border deals for clients such as EADS, Northrop Grumman, Sun Microsystems and Symantec. Advising Hellman & Freidman Capital Partners on the European aspects of its US$2.4 billion acquisition of Getty Images stands out.

Within Outsourcing and procurement, Bird & Bird LLP is a first tier firm,

The ‘unique depth of industry expertise running through the team’ has helped Bird & Bird LLP apply its prowess in the IT space to large commercial projects. Although the lead partners have continued to reinforce the reputation of the practice in the public sphere, including recently acting for the Environment Agency on outsourcing its IT infrastructure, it has also made up ground on its rivals in the private sector. Graeme Maguire’s advice to Mobile Broadband Networks on outsourcing, following last year’s role in its formation as a joint venture, was a particular highlight. Group head Mark Leach ‘can always be relied on to make the best use of resources to give exceptional service’, and Chris Holder’s practice is ‘second to none’.

Within Overview,

New to the chapter this year is the Outsourcing and procurement section, which spans both private and public sector work and covers business services outsourcing in addition to more traditional IT and telecoms work. Baker & McKenzie LLP, Bird & Bird LLP, DLA Piper UK LLP, Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP and Pinsent Masons LLP have set the bar as the firms to beat.

Within Venture capital, Bird & Bird LLP is a second tier firm,

Traditionally strong in company IP and technology, Bird & Bird LLP’s growing funds practice under partners Angus Miln and Simon Fielder is rated for its ‘24/7, straightforward, fast and excellent advice’. Existing clients include Index and Tate & Lyle Ventures, while new clients for 2008 included Hellman & Friedman and Khosla Ventures.

Within Commercial litigation, tier 6

Bird & Bird LLP’s ‘excellent, proactive’ team rises a tier following its merger in October 2008 with boutique firm Lane & Partners, which brought with it among others the ‘first-rate’ Colin Hall, Peter Knight and ‘savvy litigator’ Ludovic de Walden, who now co-heads the team with Jane Player. This enhances the firm’s capabilities in areas such as fraud, construction and engineering, adding to its already strong TMT, IP and commercial disputes practice. Clients recommend the ‘very affable, charming’ Allan Sanderson and the ‘extremely professional’ Sarah Walker. Active clients include PayPal, easyJet, Thames Water, Macquarie Bank and Lenovo.

Within International arbitration

Within Mediators, Bird & Bird LLP is a third tier firm,

Jane Player of Bird & Bird LLP is a highly experienced commercial litigator with a longstanding commitment to mediation. While strong on legal and commercial analysis, she ‘excels at winning the trust and confidence of the parties, which enables her to be tough without making the client feel victimised’.

Within Asset finance and leasing, tier 5

Bird & Bird LLP’s merger with Lane & Partners gave its commercial aviation practice a significant boost, and it also strengthened its finance practice with the hire of Simon Chamberlain from Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP. Led by Paul Briggs, the team advises clients such as Bayern Landesbank on acquisitions and leasing matters, and recently advised National Air Services on the sale and leaseback of multiple aircraft. Clients rate the team’s ‘in-depth but practical knowledge of the aircraft leasing business’.

Within Asset finance and leasing, tier 5

Despite the loss of Simon Chamberlain to Bird & Bird LLP, Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP maintains an active presence in the corporate jet and yacht finance market, recently advising JPMorgan on the pre-delivery financing of a Gulfstream G550 aircraft. Andrew Evans and Jon Fife head up the practice.

Within Bank lending - investment grade debt and syndicated loans , tier 5

Bird & Bird LLP offers a flexible, ‘very responsive’, partner-led service to an impressive roster of banking clients including Black Sea Trade & Development Bank, Clydesdale Bank, and Fortis Bank, with the ‘proactive and very reliable’ Andrew Hallgarth recommended.

Within Employee share schemes, tier 5

Colin Kendon is recommended at Bird & Bird LLP, which has launched a website covering international share scheme and tax issues.

Within Employment, tier 5

Providing ‘excellent, proactive and well-thought-through advice’, Bird & Bird LLP has advised big-name clients in the financial services sector on large outsourcing projects, and has built a strong practice advising on the appointment of senior individuals. Clients include internet entrepreneur Tariq Kerim and several household name corporates. Ian Hunter heads the team, and 2008 saw the ‘extremely competent’ Elizabeth Lang promoted to partner.

Within Immigration, tier 5

Also recommended are: Bird & Bird LLP whose clients include Evolution Group; the ‘brilliant’ and ‘clever’ David Webb at DJ Webb & Co who is ‘a real star’; Matthew Davies at Fox Williams LLP; sole practitioner Gulay Mehmet at Gulay Mehmet; the ‘efficient and timely’ Andrew Osborne at Hammonds LLP; and Karen Sturtivant at Sturtivant & Co.

Within Insurance and reinsurance litigation, tier 7

Peter Knight heads the group at Bird & Bird LLP and has particular experience in the power, energy and water sectors and counts Thames Water and Zurich as clients.

Within Private finance initiative(PFI) , tier 5

Bird & Bird LLP ‘takes the long-term client strategy, not the quick buck’. Technology-related contracts are a major strength, and the firm is also advising the Government of India on a range of education PPPs. Team head Peter Elliott ‘has an eye for detail’.

Within Education - schools, tier 4

With expertise on higher education projects both in the UK and abroad, Bird & Bird LLP’s team is ‘highly responsive and provides a fast turnaround’. Practice head Peter Elliott is ‘proficient and commercially aware, and balances his legal opinions with a clear understanding of the real world’.

Within Commercial property, tier 6

Bird & Bird LLP enjoyed some significant property work for several major telecoms clients, including advising Ericsson on the real estate aspects of 3’s £3bn UK network outsourcing. Jonathan Baker’s team is also noted for advising Wolf Minerals on the property aspects of mining and mineral rights acquisitions. Andrew Stobbart and Linda Fletcher are recommended.

Within Construction, tier 4

Bird & Bird LLP’s capabilities in this area are owed to its merger with construction and aviation boutique Lane & Partners LLP, whose entire construction team made the move across. ‘Tenacious and determined’ duo Colin Hall and John Wright lead the group, which focuses predominantly on contentious matters and is ‘efficient, approachable, flexible and robust’. It acts on claims relating to time and money, quality and performance, and procedure.

Within Property finance, tier 4

Bird & Bird LLP acts for an impressive number of banks, with recent client wins including Alliance & Leicester and Bank Hapoalim. Russell Dellar advised the former on a multimillion-pound development facility for an offshore company. The group also has notable experience in shari’ah-compliant real estate transactions. Jonathan Baker leads the practice.

Within Brand management, Bird & Bird LLP is a first tier firm,

Bird & Bird LLP’s Felicity Reeve heads a market-leading sponsorship practice which ‘does a great job’, and whose flagship clients include leading UK rights holder the Football Association, and the Rugby Football Union, which it advised on the renewal of its lead sponsor agreement with O2. Justin Walkey led advice to the Lawn Tennis Association on a deal with pensions company AEGON, the first time the client had taken on a major sponsor. Reeve also advises clients on comparative advertising, as does Peter Brownlow.

Within Intellectual property, Bird & Bird LLP is a first tier firm,

Bird & Bird LLP is consistently active in pan-European IP litigation, and its London office has recently promoted patent litigator Patrick Kelleher to the partnership. The highly respected Morag Macdonald co-heads the team together with former engineer Katharine Stephens, who is active on electronics patents, and ‘very good with technical arguments’. Patent litigator Trevor Cook is ‘at the top of his profession’, while Jane Mutimear - who is ‘excellent at a strategic level’ - and Gerry Kamstra acted for flagship client Nokia in defending a patent infringement claim by InterDigital. Commercial IP partner Sally Shorthose is ‘very switched on in new media’, while soft IP partner Peter Brownlow successfully acted for lastminute.com in European Court of First Instance proceedings.

Within IT and telecoms, Bird & Bird LLP is a first tier firm,

The ‘outstanding’ Bird & Bird LLP successfully augmented its substantial base of ongoing work - which includes advising BT on the NHS National Programme and a series of mandates for Becta - with a raft of new instructions. New roles include advising EADS Astrium on the acquisition of Surrey Satellite Technology, and Airwave Solutions on its deal to provide radio services to the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. ‘Able to apply his vast experience with precision’, Roger Bickerstaff heads the IT practice, while telecoms practice head David Kerr is ‘one of the only lawyers you can trust to bring in on the high-stakes deals’. The ‘truly excellent’ Graeme Maguire is recognised particularly for his regulatory telecoms expertise, while Graham Smith is known for his ‘unmatched knowledge of e-commerce law’.

Within Media and entertainment, Bird & Bird LLP is a second tier firm,

Bird & Bird’s computer games practice, headed by the universally respected Howard Rubin, benefits from the firm’s international reach, advising new clients Take-Two Interactive and Southpeak Games, and longstanding client Codemasters. Games financing is a growing area of business. Media group head Matt Dennis handles sports TV rights transactions, notably for the FA. Felicity Reeve advises sports rights holders and broadcasters. The group advised Yahoo! on the launch of Yahoo! Connected TV in ten European jurisdictions. Peter Brownlow advises new client Vivendi.

Within Overview,

Bird & Bird LLP has the largest IP practice and more top-tier rankings than any other firm in this section, and its recent high-profile public sector mandates include advising BT on its work with the NHS. Like Bird & Bird LLP, Taylor Wessing LLP has a very strong European IP practice, and is a market leader for trade marks and brand management. Bristows is a significant force for patent litigation and has a significant presence in the pharmaceuticals sector. The firm has also hired IT and telecoms of counsel Christopher Millard from Linklaters LLP. Of the boutique TMT practices, those that genuinely compete with the top-tier firms in terms of understanding the cutting-edge issues affecting the industry include Powell Gilbert LLP and Howrey LLP for patent litigation, Rouse Legal for soft IP, and Kemp Little LLP for IT and telecoms.

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

Bird & Bird LLP patent litigator Trevor Cook is also active on regulatory and data protection issues in the sector, and is ‘an extremely good and knowledgeable person to go to with a difficult question’. Gerry Kamstra specialises in advising life sciences clients on EPO opposition proceedings, and has also been advising Retroscreen Virology on clinical trials. The life sciences competition practice, of which Richard Eccles is the leading light in London, has also been boosted by a lateral hire in Paris. Corporate partner Matt Dennis has been advising life sciences private equity and venture capital investor Apposite Capital.

Within Sport, Bird & Bird LLP is a first tier firm,

This section focuses on regulatory, disputes and commercial work for clients in the sports sector. The UK’s two leading sports practices are well matched, with Bird & Bird LLP and DLA Piper UK LLP both fielding recognised specialists in each of these three key areas.

Within Sport, Bird & Bird LLP is a first tier firm,

Led by Justin Walkey, Bird & Bird LLP’s market-leading sports group acted on a slew of major sponsorship deals, advising the LTA on its £25m sponsorship deal with Aegon, and Six Nations Rugby on its title sponsorship agreement with RBS - the largest in rugby history. The team also advised the FA on its overseas broadcasting arrangements, represented The Football League in defence of a high-profile claim by Leeds United FC, and advised UK Sport on the establishment of a new National Anti-Doping Organisation. New client wins include the International Basketball Federation, Cricket South Africa and the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association. Commercial specialist Felicity Reeve and disputes expert Max Duthie - who also heads the firm’s ticketing practice - are both highly recommended, while regulatory guru Jonathan Taylor is hailed by one client as ‘the best lawyer out there, bar none’. Senior associate Richard Hawkins is ‘a real star of the future’.

Within Aviation, Bird & Bird LLP is a second tier firm,

Bird & Bird LLP made substantial headway in the aviation field thanks to the merger with aviation boutique Lane and Partners LLP, bringing into the fold heavyweight figures like ‘regulatory guru’ Richard Venables and William Morton. The firm also hired Simon Chamberlain from Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, who brings 28 years of regulatory and transactional expertise, and a ‘thorough understanding of the industry’, to the team. Highlight work includes representing easyJet in its application for judicial review of the CAA’s decision on airport charges at Gatwick airport, as well as continuing to act for an aircraft leasing company on a multi-party international arbitration against a Mexican insurer. The team has also seen an increase in repossession work as a result of the turbulent market conditions, receiving new instructions from BAE Systems. Paul Briggs heads the practice.

Within Overview,

The aviation industry was hit by a combination of surging oil prices and a flatlining economy, and has seen a number of high-profile bankruptcies, most notably in the low-cost carrier market. This - coupled with M&A activity as airlines look to absorb some of their weaker competitors, and the Competition Commission’s requirement that BAA sell three of its seven airports in the UK - has ensured a steady flow of activity for firms with strong regulatory practices. Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP and Beaumont & Son - Aviation at Clyde & Co continue to dominate the sector with their focus on both the regulatory and insurance sides of the business. Historically an industry that supports boutique practices among broader-based corporate firms, recent years have seen a number of high-profile mergers, most recently with boutique firm Lane & Partners merging with Bird & Bird LLP. There are a number of boutique firms still carving an aviation niche, notably Gates and Partners and Clark Ricketts LLP. Firms have reported growth in the Brazilian and broader Latin American markets, with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP opening an office in the region to handle the influx of regulatory and insurance work.