The Legal 500

Within Commercial contracts, Wragge & Co LLP is a third tier firm,

The 11-partner team at Wragge & Co LLP provides ‘timely, commercial and relevant’ advice and is ‘a pleasure to deal with’, and acts for clients as diverse as Transport for London, Citibank and NHS Midlands and East. It assisted Marks & Spencer in relation to an array of commercial and IT contracts with an overall value estimated at over £100m per annum. It also advised Premier Foods on a volume of high-value contracts, including supply of goods and distribution agreements, consultancy terms and large outsourcing transactions. Department head and ‘industry star’ David Lowe is ‘pragmatic, commercial and measured in everything he does’; and Sally Mewies is ‘a real people person’ and ‘always delivers on what she promises’.

Within Corporate tax Corporate tax

Within EU and competition, tier 6

Wragge & Co LLP’s team is spread between London and Birmingham. It has traditional strength in merger work, but regulatory investigations, litigation and compliance have all been areas of focus. It acted for Thomas Vale Group in its appeal to the CAT against the fine imposed by the OFT as a result of its investigation into cover pricing in the construction industry. Bernardine Adkins is recommended.

Within M&A: mid-market, £50m-£250m, Wragge & Co LLP is a first tier firm,

Wragge & Co LLP’s transactional practice acts for a strong mix of corporates such as Mercedes Benz and E.ON, as well as private equity and venture capital investors. Highlights for Maurice Dwyer’s team included advising Premier Foods on the £182m sale of its canning division to Princes.

Within Private equity: transactions, tier 7

Headed by Ian Piggin, Wragge & Co LLP has a solid mid-market practice. Clients include Lyceum Capital and LDC.

Within Venture capital, tier 5

As part of its broader private equity practice, Wragge & Co LLP provides an ‘excellent’ venture capital service to clients in a range of sectors. Particularly strong in life sciences, team head Ian Piggin recently advised GSK on the creation of spin-out business Autifony Therapeutics.

Within Commercial litigation Commercial litigation

Within International arbitration International arbitration

Within Mediators Mediators

Within Asset finance and leasing, tier 6

With a team across London and Birmingham, Wragge & Co LLP advises financiers operating in the asset based lending market. Team head Paula Laird is ‘very experienced, practical and results driven’.

Within Investment funds Investment funds

Within Employment: employers and senior executives, tier 6

’Truly a league ahead in terms of customer service’, Wragge & Co LLP’s large national team handles high-value discrimination claims, employee investigations and strategic restructurings, with the London team led by Jane Fielding. Martin Chitty advised a group of senior employees of AIG Banque’s London trading operation in a £10m claim for unpaid retention bonuses.

Within Pensions, Wragge & Co LLP is a second tier firm,

The team at Wragge & Co LLP ‘gives clear and direct advice in a personable and engaging way. It is proactive in maintaining contact to ensure the client is on top of all developments’. It recently advised Rothesay Life in relation to the buy-in transaction with the Uniq Pension Scheme’s trustee; and acted for the representative beneficiaries in the case of Capita ATL Pension Trustees Limited v Gellately. London-based human resources group head Jason Coates is ‘strong technically’. Birmgham-based Richard Black ‘provides very direct and understandable advice’. Paul Feathers is ‘approachable and down to earth, with a sound business brain’. ‘Standout pensions litigator’ Peter Shave and firmwide head of pensions Glyn Ryland, in Birmingham, are also recommended. Pensions litigator Ian Gordon has recently joined the firm from RPC.

Within Product liability: defendant, tier 5

Recent work at Wragge & Co LLP includes High Court litigation in the automotive sector, which is a key area for the practice alongside IT and pharmaceuticals. Andrew Smith and Andrew Litchfield lead the team.

Within Professional negligence, tier 6

The ‘excellent’ 20-partner team at RPC ‘values strong relationships with its clients’, and is ‘approachable, commercial, savvy and clever’. Led by Tim Bull (‘excellent on complex and sensitive matters’), the team focuses on high-value, complex matters across sectors including construction, technology, financial and legal. The ‘incredibly thorough’ Nick Bird has a ‘razor-sharp mind’; Alexandra Anderson is ‘brilliant’; Katherine Rees is ‘excellent with clients’; and Robert Hogarth is ‘impressive’. Paul Castellani is ‘first rate’, and Simon Laird is ‘responsive and very client focused’. Alison Clarke was promoted to partner. The firm recently expanded its professional negligence offering in Bristol, led by the ‘brilliant’ Jeremy Barnes, ex CMS Cameron McKenna LLP. Jane Howard moved to Wragge & Co LLP.

Within Infrastructure, tier 5

Known for its expertise in healthcare, Wragge & Co LLP advised NHS Midlands and East Strategic Health Authority on creating the franchise for the first independently run NHS hospital. Particularly active in the remaining domestic PFI projects, David Fennell continues to advise Amey Ventures on its bids for the Sheffield and Isle of Wight highways projects.

Within PFI and PPP, tier 4

Stephen Kenny heads the team at Wragge & Co LLP, whose clients include Amey plc, the MoD, and the London Borough of Croydon. The firm is currently advising Amey on the Sheffield and Isle of Wight highways projects.

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

Wragge & Co LLP combines project finance and M&A work with a strong regulatory practice. Team head Derek Goodban advised Statkraft as the purchaser on a number of UK renewable energy projects under long-term power purchase agreements.

Within Administrative and public law, tier 6

Wragge & Co LLP’s John Cooper advises on a range of public law issues.

Within Education: institutions, tier 6

Wragge & Co LLP recently advised Birmingham City University on acquiring a site for its new campus.

Within Healthcare, Wragge & Co LLP is a third tier firm,

Bleddyn Rees heads Wragge & Co LLP’s healthcare practice, which has advised Trafford Healthcare Trust and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals on M&A. Robert Breedon, who joined the firm from the Department of Health, leads the commissioning practice.

Within Local government, tier 4

Wragge & Co LLP handles development and regeneration schemes, outsourcing projects, and high-level employment matters. It is advising South London Waste Partnership on a major PPP for the London boroughs of Kingston, Merton, Sutton and Croydon, and acted on the creation of The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership between local authorities and businesses. Practice head Mark Greenburgh is recommended.

Within Commercial property, Wragge & Co LLP is a first tier firm,

Wragge & Co LLP ‘brings the right person to the job each time, and the level of service is extremely high’. The team focuses on high-value and complex investment, private equity and development transactions, with highlights including Blackstone’s £600m acquisition of the Mint Hotel chain. Other clients include St Modwen, Development Securities and AREA. Toby Askin is ‘likeable and approachable, and has deep knowledge of the property sector’, and Huw Roberts is ‘commercially minded and a safe pair of hands’.

Within Construction, tier 4

Wragge & Co LLP has a ‘commercial’ and ‘responsive’ group, providing ‘practical’ and ‘appropriate’ advice on building contracts and disputes with contractors. Simon Baylis heads the team, which includes the ‘invaluable’ Richard Green. Anthony Wilson joined the firm as head of the international practice, and is based in London.

Within Planning,

SJ Berwin LLP provides an ‘outstanding’ service. It advised a number of action groups on objections to the HS2 high-speed rail project, which is subject to judicial review; and also advised Royal Mail Group on the redevelopment of its site within Battersea’s Nine Elms Parkside project. Practice head Simon Ricketts is ‘incisive’, and ‘incredibly knowledgeable’. Duncan Field is now with Wragge & Co LLP.

Within Property finance Property finance

Within Property litigation, tier 4

Wragge & Co LLP saw a rise in rent review mandates from clients including Royal London and Persimmon, and recently advised represented a blue-chip retailer in a break option dispute concerning its UK headquarters. ‘Respected’ team head Anne Waltham is supported by a robust team in Birmingham.

Within Brand management, Wragge & Co LLP is a third tier firm,

Wragge & Co LLP has a comprehensive brand management practice led by Dan Smith, who acts for brand owners, rights holders and agencies. Highlights included advising PowerPlay Golf on the launch of a new game format, including a sponsorship deal with Saab. It also represented Birds Eye and Kingspan in comparative advertising disputes. Other clients include Premier Foods, Chrysler and TfL.

Within Intellectual property, Wragge & Co LLP is a second tier firm,

Wragge & Co LLP’s Paul Inman is ‘exceptional in biotech and pharmaceutical patent litigation, and will stop at nothing to do the best for his client’, and successfully acted for Lundbeck in a High Court patent dispute against Norpharma and Infosint. Alexandra Brodie represented Hasbro in its Play-Doh trademark dispute win. Patrick Duxbury handles commercial IP licensing matters for the life sciences sector. IP litigator David Barron is also recommended.

Within IT and telecoms, tier 4

Wragge & Co LLP provides ‘good-quality advice at very reasonable rates’, recently advising Marks and Spencer plc on a high-value, e-commerce project and the Bahraini Ministry of Health on a £40m outsourcing contract. Department head Peter Hall focuses on IT transactions, and Sally Mewies is an expert in retail and telecoms projects.

Within Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, Wragge & Co LLP is a second tier firm,

Wragge & Co LLP’s ‘excellent’ team, across the firm’s London and Birmingham offices, has been involved in a number of cross-border transactional matters. Kevin Jones advised Astex Therapeutics on its £91m takeover by US-based SuperGen. For patent matters, Paul Inman is ‘a smart, focused lawyer who understands the pharma business and what clients need’. He advised Lundbeck on its patent validity challenge against Infosint regarding anti-depressant drugs. Other clients include Chroma Therapeutics, AstraZeneca and MedImmune. Patrick Duxbury heads the practice.

Within Rail, tier 5

Key clients for the team at Wragge & Co LLP include Eurotunnel, BAA, the Kenyan government, and Prologis. The ‘well-respected’ Michael Whitehouse and David Fennell, in Birmingham, are recommended.