The Legal 500

Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP

41 LOTHBURY, LONDON, EC2R 7HF, ENGLAND
Tel:
Work 020 7661 5300
Fax:
Fax 020 7661 5400
Web:
www.bingham.com
Email:

What we say about the firm's legal practice in London

Corporate and commercial

Within Corporate tax Corporate tax

Within EU and competition EU and competition

Within Financial services, Bingham McCutchen LLP is a second tier firm,

A ‘go-to’ firm for contentious financial regulation, particularly for retail matters, Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP can draw on practical expertise gained from in-house FSA experience. Peter Bibby is ‘always on top of whatever he does’, and Helen Marshall is ‘very good’.

Within M&A: lower mid-market, £50m-£250m, tier 6

Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP acted on transactions totalling $2.25bn in 2010, including advising the bid vehicle controlled by a hedge fund consortium in relation to the €750m acquisition of Wind Hellas, the Greek telecoms company. Vance Chapman and John Clark are the partners of note.

Dispute resolution

Within Banking litigation: investment and retail, Bingham McCutchen LLP is a third tier firm,

Outstanding litigator’ Natasha Harrison heads a niche practice at Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP specialising in banking and finance disputes, distressed debt and restructuring litigation, and regulatory matters. The team has ‘real litigation savvy plus a great awareness of how structured finance documents work’. Harrison led a team representing bondholders of Elektrim SA in 11 successful judgments before the English courts, concluding in a total recovery of over €700m.

Finance

Within Corporate restructuring and insolvency, Bingham McCutchen LLP is a first tier firm,

Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP, which moves to the top tier this year, provides an ‘all-around excellent level of service’ and ‘goes above and beyond the call of duty’. Acting predominantly for bondholders and creditors, and landing roles on some of the largest and most complex restructurings, the firm recently acted for the holders of private placement notes issued by Thomson and played an integral role in negotiating the terms of its €2.83bn debt-to-equity conversion under the safeguard procedure in France. The firm has also attracted a number of instructions out of the Iceland crisis, including representing holders of more than $24bn in bonds issued by Glitnir, Landsbanki and Kaupthing. The ‘best insolvency lawyer in London’, James Roome comes highly recommended alongside Barry Russell, who has a ‘great personality for dealing with emotional and diverse creditor groups’.

Within Debt capital markets, tier 6

Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP’s Barry Russell advises institutional investors in private placements. Sarah Smith’s arrival from Sidley Austin LLPadds a huge dimension’ to the practice.

Within Investment funds Investment funds

Within Overview,

US firms also continue to feature prominently, in the corporate restructuring, acquisition finance and high yield rankings in particular. White & Case LLP can lay claim to having the broadest finance offering, while other firms featuring in multiple rankings include Weil, Gotshal & Manges, which recently picked up a four-partner investment funds team from Clifford Chance; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP; Kirkland & Ellis International LLP; and Shearman & Sterling LLP. Other strong performers are Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP, which moves up to the top tier for corporate restructuring in recognition of its market-leading bondholder practice; and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, which excels in leveraged finance, advising the likes of KKR and Blackstone.


Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • HOUSING

    In Nzinga Maswaku v Westminster City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 669 the Court of Appeal clarified that in offering a homeless person with alternative temporary accommodation the local authority is obliged to point that if the offer is refused it has discharged its Part VII duties under the Housing Act 1996.
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  • COUNCIL TAX

    In Harrow LBC v Ayiku [2012] EWHC 1200 (Admin) Sales J held that the word “or” in the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, art 3 Class N, had a disjunctive meaning, therefore it was sufficient for the non-British spouse of a foreign student to satisfy one or other of the two conditions, namely being prevented from taking paid employment or being prevented from claiming benefits, in order to qualify as a “relevant person” who was exempted from liability to pay council tax.
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  • QUEEN’S SPEECH

    Bills already introduced pursuant to the Queen’s Speech on 9 May 2012 include Local Government Finance Bill and Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, both accompanied by Explanatory Notes, which in each case address ECHR compatibility.
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  • Standards

    In R (Calver) v Adjudication Panel for Wales [2012] EWHC 1172 (Admin) Mr Calver was a member of Manorbier Community Council who successfully challenged the decision of the Panel to dismiss his appeal against a decision by Prembrokeshire County Council Standards Committee censuring him for a number of comments or blogs posted by him on a website he owned and controlled.
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  • A justified retrospective

    Clive Sheldon - QC debates the pros & cons of retrospective tax legislation
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  • Public Sector Equality Duty (“PSED”)

    In R (Greenwich Community Law Centre) v Greenwich LBC [2012] EWCA Civ 496 the Court of Appeal held that the Council had had “due regard to the PSED when making changes to its funding of community legal advice services”. At para 30 Elias LJ said:
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  • Public Sector Equality Duty

    Surrey County Council conducted a review of its Library Service. This culminated in a Report to the Council’s Cabinet. The Recommendations in the Report included that there should be consultation about a community-partnership approach at selected Libraries.
    - 11KBW
  • Judicial Review

    The Judgment of Lindblom J in The Manydown Co Ltd v Basingstoke and Deane BC [2012] EWHC 977 (Admin) repays attention. The Claimant sought to challenge by judicial review 2 decisions of the Council: (1) the Council’s refusal to reconsider its position on the development of a site that it owns (and is the subject matter of a Joint Development Partnership Agreement with the Claimant); and (2) a decision of the Council’s Cabinet approving a selection of sites for development which did not include this site.
    - 11KBW
  • The Health and Social Care Act 2012: impact on adult social services

    After its torrid passage through Parliament, the Health and Social Care Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012. The Act deals principally with healthcare reform, but it also contains some amendments to the legislative framework for social care. It will come into force on a day yet to be appointed by the Secretary of State.
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  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue: