The Legal 500

This City firm provides a wide range of services to business and charitable clients. It has notable expertise in insolvency, services to mortgage lenders, leisure and property management.

The firm: Since its establishment in 1984 by David Sprecher and Ian Grier, the practice has expanded to 21 partners, with a broad spectrum of clients, including international household names, professional partnerships, listed companies, investment banks and mortgage lenders. It also provides services to privately owned businesses and third sector organisations. It has recently strengthened its property, employment and construction law departments.

Sprecher Grier Halberstam LLP has established a reputation for providing a fast and effective service. The various specialist departments share a common, proactive philosophy, and a profound understanding of the inner workings of the corporate world. The firm provides regular seminars and can provide in-house training by arrangement.

Types of work undertaken: Charities/not-for-profit: the creation, corporate governance and winding up of organisations in the third sector. The group has experience of acting for funders, umbrella organisations, national and international charities, and trust funds.

Commercial litigation: banking litigation, defamation, IP, professional negligence, service contracts, disputes involving employment agencies and recruitment consultants, and property-related actions.

Commercial property: acquisition and disposal of business premises, investment and development sites, commercial lease transactions, secured lending. A wide client base includes financial institutions, insolvency practitioners, property developers, dealers and high-net-worth individuals.

Construction: the team offers a one-stop-shop for construction clients – large or small, commercial or residential. Its clients range from developers and construction firms to institutional investors with large property portfolios. It advises developers on their procurement strategy, construction companies on their contractual negotiations and financing options, and banks on monitoring the drawdown process for development funds. The team is also active in dispute resolution.

Corporate advice: the corporate group handles all forms of acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures, including complex reconstructions. Work includes M&A, MBOs, MBIs, AIM listings, private equity and corporate finance, setting up LLPs, shareholder and partnership agreements, banking and security documents, licensing agreements, and advice on a wide range of commercial matters.

Employment: collective restructures/redundancies, drafting and changing terms and conditions of employment, TUPE advice, tribunal and High Court representation, industrial relations disputes, claims for breach of contract, restrictive covenants, advising construction business regarding NAECI issues, implementation of bonus and share option schemes.

Professional negligence and fraud: the litigation team has developed this area of litigation practice as a strong speciality. The firm acts for both claimants and defendants. It also has many years of experience in acting for lenders against solicitors, valuers and brokers.

Property litigation: a leading specialist in this area, the group represents some of the leading players in the leisure sector. The team advises on both landlord and tenant cases, forfeitures, rent review arbitrations, rights of light/rights of way, enforcement and construction of lease covenants, nuisance claims, planning/judicial review and EU competition law.

Recruitment agencies: advising both employers and recruitment agencies and providing standard terms of conditions governing the recruitment relationship. Litigation services include collection of debts from customers, recovery of overpayments to contractors, disputes dealing with ‘temp to perm’ fees, and disputes with employees over post-termination restrictions in their employment contracts.

Restructuring and insolvency: a leader in this field, the group’s main focus is advising insolvency practitioners on their work in relation to administrations, liquidations, bankruptcies and voluntary arrangements, and also advising on corporate restructuring, turnaround and directors’ disqualification.

Services to lenders: this group has been active in the lending market for over ten years and has a high level of expertise in mortgage possession and related work, acting for some of the largest banks, building societies and sub-prime lenders.

Breakdown of work %
Leisure, construction, real estate and property management 22
Services to mortgage lenders 20
Insolvency/corporate turnaround 18
Commercial litigation 17
Employment 8
Corporate 7
Other 8

Number of UK partners 21
Number of other UK fee-earners 44