The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Manchester, Gateley is a second tier firm,

Gateley’s ‘very knowledgeable’ practice head Charles Glaskie advised ITIS Holdings on its £36.9m takeover by INRIX Holdings; Paul Jefferson acted for Inspired Energy on its IPO and takeover; and Rebecca Grisewood acted for Palatine Private Equity on the MBO of Moneyplus Group. Nigel Brown has experience acting for Chinese companies on public listings.

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Within Corporate tax, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley’s Bernard McIIroy advised Palatine Private Equity on structuring its MBO investment in Moneyplus; and Fiona Sutherland advised both ITIS Holdings and Inspired Energy on share scheme arrangements.

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Within EU and competition, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley’s Jonathan Moakes advises in relation to commercial, IP and IT agreements and corporate deals.

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Within Commercial litigation: Manchester, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley continues to build a strong reputation, with a team of ‘strong associates in the wings’. Sarah Sabin heads the team and focuses on corporate and contractual disputes as well as surety claims. Representative clients include Nuvia, Chartis, the British Medical Association, and Manchester City FC.

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Within Banking and finance, tier 4

Gateley acts for both banks and corporate borrowers, with recent matters including advising on Varenna Holdings’ £40m debt facility agreement from Bank of Scotland, and Santander’s £3m financing for Equity Solutions & Partners. Rick Sealy heads the team, and Susan Molloy focuses on project finance and corporate lending.

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Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley acts for IPs, finance groups, banks and corporates. Practice head Andrew Buchanan is ‘solution driven, and prepared to give robust advice’, and recently acted for various investors acquiring assets of insolvent businesses.

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Within Employment, Gateley is a first tier firm,

Michael Ball heads the team at Gateley, which is ‘very experienced in the retail sector’, with major clients including Mothercare and Edinburgh Woollen Mill. Notable work included assisting in relation to collective consultation exercises, and major acquisitions and restructurings. Chris Thompson is recommended.

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Within Pensions, Gateley is a second tier firm,

Gateley has a strong pensions team which is mainly focused on non-contentious work. Patrick Kennedy and Ian O’Toole are both recommended.

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Within Regional overview, Gateley is a second tier firm,

Gateley is taking steps to cement its market position in the North West, and its Halliwells inheritance provides a broad offering across corporate, IP, real estate, dispute resolution and HR. It has been particularly active in corporate finance mandates, recently advising private equity group Infinity on a multimillion-pound fund formation.

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Within Family, Gateley is a second tier firm,

Gateley’s ‘client care is second to none’. Practice head Elizabeth Hassall is ‘extremely knowledgeable and professional’, and deals with high-value ancillary relief cases, often involving international elements.

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Within Project finance and PFI, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley’s Neil Wilson has advised on PFI/PPP projects across the public sector, energy and infrastructure sectors.

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Within Commercial property: Manchester, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley advises on developments, large-scale regeneration schemes, property finance and real estate management matters. It acted for the management of Betfred on the property aspects of its Tote acquisition, and advised Consolidated Property Group on acquiring a Bristol retail park worth £52m.

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Within Construction, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley provides a ‘professional, well-tailored service’, and has expertise in bond and surety matters. The team includes the ‘client-focused and commercial’ Karen Spencer; Emlyn Hudson, who ‘strives to deliver the best results for a client’s business’; and David Vayro, ‘works with clients and is realistic with his advice’). Clients include Manchester City FC, National Museums Liverpool, and Western Power Distribution.

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Within Planning and environment, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley’s Andrew Piatt is ‘a very approachable, knowledgeable, experienced and skilled planning lawyer who is also a strong advocate’. Highlights included advising The Co-operative Group in judicial review proceedings, and acting for the promoter of a new sports stadium development for the Wakefield Wildcats, including advice on a public inquiry.

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Within Property litigation, Gateley is a third tier firm,

At Gateley, senior associate Gary Bird handles real estate disputes.

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Within Intellectual property, Gateley is a second tier firm,

Gateley’s knowledge is ‘second to none’. Practice head Jonathan Moakes is highly recommended for IP litigation, recently acting for Pendle Metalwares in a design right infringement claim. John Burns carries out brand licensing work for high-profile clients. Peter Budd is ‘fantastic’. Other clients include Manchester City FC and Legal & General.

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Within IT and telecoms, Gateley is a second tier firm,

Gateley’s Peter Budd is ‘excellent’ and ‘extremely responsive’. The firm advises on a variety of domestic and cross-border IT matters, including outsourcing and procurement deals. Clients include Legal & General and Stanleybet.

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

Gateley’s John Burns is recognised as a leading figure in the field. He recently worked on various agreements for RareBreedMusic, covering management, co-production and licensing issues.

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Within Sport, Gateley is a third tier firm,

Gateley’s John Burns is highly recommended. The practice acts for football, rugby and hockey clients, and agents, and has a particular focus on licensing matters. It was recently appointed to the newly established Sport England panel.

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