Debevoise & Plimpton LLP > London, England > Firm Profile

‘The team led by Lord Goldsmith is formed by outstanding lawyers from different backgrounds with different levels of seniority.’

‘Lord Goldsmith is by far one of the leading lawyers in international arbitration – infinitely knowledgeable and experienced, and a brilliant cross-examiner.’

‘Their knowledge of the law and involvement in the particularities of cases is very unique. They are also flexible with the fee structure, which is praised by clients.’

‘The Debevoise & Plimpton team is almost unrivalled in its experience, expertise, depth and overall performance. They have exceptional lawyers and are not only client oriented, but also results driven, which makes them a go-to firm for international arbitration.’

‘Patrick Taylor – very impressive. Business savvy, extremely smart, and very responsive.’

‘Tony Dymond -is excellent for construction-related disputes.’

‘Samantha Rowe is a brilliant lawyer.’

‘Gavin Chesney handles very sophisticated commercial arbitration issues.’

‘A highly efficient, expert team that still has the human touch and works well with individuals at the Bar.’

‘Continuously demonstrating exceptional legal expertise in public international law and arbitration, as well as professionalism, innovative thinking, and a commitment to client service.’

‘The Debevoise team, comprised of highly experienced and knowledgeable attorneys, distinguishes itself by consistently delivering valuable advice and strategic guidance. Working with them is always truly a pleasure.’

‘Lord Goldsmith KC is highly experienced, service-minded, and dedicated – it is always a pleasure to work with him.’

‘Lord Goldsmith KC’s ability to analyse complex legal situations and find strong and effective legal solutions is remarkable.’

‘Lord Goldsmith KC stands out with his tailor-made advice and his vast wealth of knowledge and experience in arbitration and public international law, in particular as the former UK Attorney General, which makes him an invaluable asset on any team.’

‘Conway Blake – clients are struck by his exceptional legal knowledge, attention to detail, and ability to think outside the box. He is also very practical and gives clear advice.‘

‘Not only is Conway Blake a fantastic legal strategist, he is also a great communicator and never too busy to answer a question or provide guidance.‘

‘The team provides concise and accurate advice. It is rare to find legal counsels who are both commercial and experts in their field. Tom Smith is brilliant! He is always on point and an effective negotiator who is great with giving concise and accurate advice. Daniel Hoborough is one of the best associates I’ve worked. He is detail-oriented, patient and gets things done.’

‘Tom Smith and Alex Bell are excellent. Their attention to detail, prompt action and efficient resolution to queries is impressive.’

‘This team, led by Tom Smith, is extremely knowledgeable on the market, collaborative in their approach, focused on achieving solutions for complex issues for their clients and extremely commercial. Tom Smith is definitely one of the best fund finance partners in the City. He has a collaborative and commercial approach to every transaction. He is very responsive and involved in every aspect of the deal, guides his clients through complex issues and to a position where both sides feel the outcome is fair. Tom intelligently and reasonably walks through issues and is a pleasure to work with.’

‘The Debevoise team deliver quality work in an efficient manner with a focus on providing accurate and up to date advice. Tom Smith is a great partner with deep experience in NAV financing. His leveraged finance background means he brings a different lens to the work than others in the space. Almas Daud is a very strong associate and capable of leading deals.’

‘Debevoise have a great fund finance team. They push to make sure things are done on time and take the much of the pressure off the client. Their knowledge is second to none. Over the last 12 months, I’ve reached out to Tom Smith and Almas Daud on a number of topics. 2023 has been challenging on many fronts and I always appreciate D&P’s commentary and counsel to help navigate these interesting times.’

‘Debevoise & Plimpton has a first-class investment funds finance practice that impresses with its unparalleled knowledge of the industry, solutions focused advice and round the clock service. Our team works with the excellent lawyers Pierre Maugue, Christine Gilleland and Anna Moore, who are sharp, helpful and very user-friendly.’

‘A commercially focused and high quality team that has strong breadth across the associate pool and highly experienced partners. Tom Smith has a track record of being a thought leader in the fund finance space, spearheading new initiatives such as ESG margin ratchets and hybrid facilities. A number of his associates are very strong including Felix Paterson, Gregg Young and Almas Daud.’

‘A very strong team in the NAV and fund financing space, with a renowned reputation in top-of-the market deals. Tom Smith is an excellent lawyer with a strong track record in NAV and fund financing. He is both a good adversary and collaborator in this space and we value his presence in the market.’

‘Competence, innovation and strategic advice.’

‘Debevoise is a truly exceptional firm. Responsive, proactive, creative and with lawyers of the highest quality. I cannot recall a time where I have had any doubts about the quality of their advice and felt that they did not understand what I was trying to achieve when I sought their support. The quality of service is fantastic whether I have worked with them on large, high value matters or on lower value, more routine queries.’

‘Karolos Seeger is a wonderful lawyer with an incredible ability to articulate complex issues clearly and succinctly. He is personable and always responsive, I could ask for no more from my external counsel.

‘Konstantin Bureiko has a seemingly insatiable appetite for work, an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and has constantly delivered what we needed whenever we have worked with him.’

‘The team is a disputes powerhouse. They have broad view and understanding of all angles of the dispute, which allow the team to suggest the most appropriate solutions and best options.’

‘Lord Goldsmith KC – nobody can rival his experience – remains a great advocate and cross examiner. He has built a top team, including another top quality partner, Christopher Boyne. He is also highly thought of and highly recommended.’

‘I work with Christopher Boyne and Hugo Farmer at Debevoise because they drive solutions that work and are the most commercial legal team I have worked with.’

‘Debevoise specialises in a very broad range of extremely high-value, complex disputes. Peter Goldsmith KC’s reputation, and the firm’s reputation in the US, together with their premium place in the market mean that they are exceptionally well-suited to handling very complex, high-value and high-profile disputes of all kinds for clients ranging from ultra high net worth individuals to blue chip companies, state entities and sovereign states.’

‘Christopher Boyne is excellent. He is a trusted commercial advisor to a number of high profile in-house counsel. He is also a brilliant commercial litigator who punches well above his weight in terms of seniority. As well as being super bright and very sensible in his judgment, he is an exceptional team leader who commands loyalty from his juniors and respect from both senior partners and opponents. ’

‘Luke Duggan is an associate to watch: exceptionally smart, diligent and creative.’

‘Top class team capable of handling the biggest and most complex disputes. Well led at partner level and great depth of quality associates who really add value.’

‘Christopher Boyne pays superb attention to detail and clarity in what he writes, often large documents holding together a range of complex information in a tight and readily understandable whole.’

‘Alan Kartashkin combines years of experience doing Russian deals with a strong cross-border background. Alan is super-smart and also gracious which makes for a natural deal-maker.’

‘The emerging markets practice at Debevoise is top-notch. They have a great group of partners and associates who focus on transactions and fundraising in emerging markets, with a special focus on Africa. They are diligent, smart, highly commercial, and problem solving oriented. It’s always great working with them’

‘Debevoise understands the market and do not take a “one size fits all” approach. They have strong relationships with local firms in emerging markets and work well with them in delivering a seamless experience.’

‘Geoffrey Burgess is very well versed with the emerging market and has a deep understanding on how deals are done in these markets. He is practical and gets a deal done in an efficient manner and with the best outcome approach.’

‘Deep understanding of the myriad legal issues as well as the business objectives clients pursue. Emerging markets are incredibly difficult and the firm consistently delivers A advice.’

‘Geoff Burgess is a pleasure to work with. Focuses on key issues and risks.’

‘This practice is exceptional. They are of course subject experts with years of experience in a variety of jurisdictions in the emerging markets. They are agile, flexible, resourceful and very collaborative. Working with them is a pleasure and always and yields great results for the clients.’

‘Geoff Burgess is extremely knowledgeable about Africa and he has a really collaborative approach to working with clients and co-counsel. He is a real stand out for his knowledge and experience but also for his wonderful negotiation and interpersonal skills. I would recommend Geoff to anyone doing business in the emerging markets, particularly in Africa.’

‘The team is commercial, committed, available, responsive and pro-active. They know about our funds, find solutions and engage actively in structuring. They are not ego-driven in negotiations. They work effectively to our prioritisation and resource the team to match – this is done seamlessly and without fuss or pause.’

‘We recommend Matthew Dickman and Kay Hunter. I have not yet come across a problem that Matt cannot calmly find a solution for. His explanations are always clear and commercial.’

‘John Rife is a tremendous transactional secondaries lawyer. He has really made the secondaries market in Europe his own.’

‘Kay Hunter is a dedicated senior associate and a rising star at Debevoise. Very proactive in engaging with issues, constantly available and excellent interpersonal skills when dealing with both clients and counterparties.’

‘An outstanding team displaying superior knowledge across the sector. Very professional approach and a very “can do” attitude. Outstanding creativity, work ethic, commerciality and experience. Very much the team you want in your corner for any negotiation.’

‘The team has a very good balance of strong technical skills and commercial awareness. They are particularly well connected in the Lloyd’s and wider insurance markets. They are very client focussed and you can rely on the quality of the deliverables produced. They are also great fun to work with and are challenging but not unnecessarily confrontational working as part of a deal environment.’

‘Clare is a hugely experienced and very astute lawyer, who is extremely calm even in high pressure situations. She is very strong technically but also very commercially aware. They make a great team.’

‘The team’s ability to work with the regular, complex issues facing an international start-up life insurer is exceptional. Their understanding of the key areas, and quality of advice in navigating complexity, is excellent.’

‘Clare Swirski has provided excellent advice. I would recommend them to anyone operating in our space.’

‘One of the top teams in insurance.’

‘Richard Ward has immense current knowledge in tax and also how the tax code has developed over the years. This is great, as not many firms have senior tax lawyers with this level of knowledge.’

‘This is a very high quality team. They are exceptional at fund formation work and fund investment work.’

‘Richard Ward has deep experience and is a very experienced tax lawyer. He has very good judgment and can be trusted with the most difficult of tax problems. He gets straight to the point and always provides a very pragmatic answer. Jenny Wheater is a superstar.’

‘Richard Ward is excellent.’

‘Sophisticated and commercial advisers with a deep understanding about the needs of private equity firms and their portfolio companies.’

‘It is a fantastic team full of brilliant talent. They are incredibly knowledgeable about both bespoke finance arrangements and also the industry.’

‘The lawyers are incredibly smart and also down to earth.’

‘Tom Smith and Almas Daud in particular are outstanding – experienced and pragmatic’

‘Alan Davies – deep knowledge of the loan markets and current leading edge technology available to sponsors in documents’

‘Pierre is rock solid’

‘Almas Daud -provides sensitive, risk-focused advice always with one eye to the bigger picture. Detail-oriented as needed without losing sight of the broader commercial narrative.’

‘Deep experience in large-scale engineering and construction project dispute resolution in Europe and internationally.’

‘Tony Dymond stands out as an outstanding leader of his firm’s contentious practice in this area.’

‘Intellectual standouts.’

‘Robert Hoose’s brain is like no other, the associates Raeesa Rawal and Laith Najjar are outstanding, and they are led by Tony Dymond, who is an excellent strategist.’

‘High degree of competence regarding complex construction claims. Laser focus on the issues that matter. Partners participate in cases and get to grips with the details early in the piece.’

‘The partners have a depth of experience with complex construction disputes that I have not encountered at other firms. The partners are attentive and incredibly easy to work with.’

‘The Debevoise attorneys that I have worked with are all excellent. They are able to assess complicated matters and present them in a clear and concise manner. They have strong advocacy skills and are very professional, which garners respect from opposing counsel and parties.’

‘Tony Dymond, Robert Hoose, and Laith Najjar are excellent. Their collaborative work, dedication to their client needs and work ethic set them apart.’

‘Great team to work with – agile, committed and smart. They’re also very collegial and fun, while being on point on the legal issues.’

‘Tim McIver is fantastic – a great lawyer, with high standards. I would trust Tim with complex and challenging work. He leads a great team of equally committed lawyers.’

‘Megan MacDonald is super. A talented lawyer, who is easy to work with and highly committed – someone worth watching in this space. I’ve really enjoyed engaging with Megan on a variety of issues.’

‘They have a good knowledge of our shareholder’s structure so we can use their advice seamlessly.’

‘The team have an excellent blend of corporate, M&A, capital markets and EU and US antitrust expertise, and litigation.’

‘Nick Pellicani is extremely knowledgeable about US corporate and capital markets law. He has been very responsive to our requests and provided focused advice to enable us to move forward with our project.’

‘Bill Regner is extremely knowledgeable and has provided robust and reassuring advice.’

‘Ted Hassi provided excellent updates regarding the US antitrust aspects of our matter and has terrific contacts at the FTC which he is able to leverage for our benefit. His insights into the US courts and appeals mechanisms are highly appreciated.’

‘Patricia Volhard is excellent, commercial, committed, helpful and extremely knowledgeable.’

‘John Young is very good.’

‘The regulatory team integrates seamlessly with our funds team, which is very helpful.’

‘The firm has a longstanding focus on the Indian market, including activity in the automotive, technology and chemical sectors. They have a good track record in contractual disputes relating to joint ventures.’

‘They are very approachable and have a can-do approach. They also have good commercial awareness and provide a collaborative approach to help clients navigate their business-critical privacy, data protection and data security issues.’

‘Excellent team, all subject matter experts. It is always great to work with the team. They are always available.’

‘Subject knowledge, commercial understanding of issues, excellent strategy.’

‘Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is an excellent global law firm. They also collaborate very well with local counsel in different markets which I believe is important for growth and effective results. In terms of sector expertise, they are rather well known for their energy sector, investment funds and investment treaty work.’

‘Patrick Taylor is simply outstanding – exceptionally sharp, results oriented and very client-friendly. He demonstrates strong subject matter expertise across the oil and gas, energy and telecoms sectors.’

‘Shreya Ann is a rising star in the firm’s international arbitration practice. Her in-depth knowledge and experience make her an asset that any team would want to have in their team. She is also very easy to work with and is always on top of the matter and the intricate details.’

‘The team is extraordinary. It has a series of people who are very good at what they do and stand out for their work. In addition, it should be noted that each one of them brings vast experience and added value.‘

‘They are very dedicated lawyers with a very high work ethic. In addition, being very technical, they are great strategists and know how to listen.’

‘It is undoubtedly the best or one of the best international arbitration teams in the world. The entire team stands out, but the partners and senior associates are true arbitration specialists and stand out for their intelligence, vast experience, commitment to clients and cases, and excellent service. It is a team that stands out for handling complex controversies very easily, and they have lawyers who speak various languages ​​and have work experiences in other countries (especially in Latin America), which facilitates work with international clients and local firms. I witness that the practice area has recently received accolades for its contribution to diversity.’

‘The entire team stands out from some of its competitors because they work in a very harmonious and organised way, always meeting deadlines and with excellent quality, and this level of very high excellence is uniform among all the lawyers in the team. Several senior partners and associates are among the best lawyers in their field. I highlight a few: 1. Mark Friedman: he is a born leader and an incredibly talented lawyer, as well as being a very warm person. Professionally, he has a great ability to present arguments very solidly and clearly, both in writing and verbally. 2. Dietmar Prager: he stands out for having a deep knowledge of the cases he handles, for his ability to convey the client’s position and interests in the best way, and for his excellent personal quality. He is also an excellent leader, in his case from the Latin American practice. 3. Laura Sinisterra: she is a brilliant lawyer, incredibly talented, always prepared, and an excellent interrogator of witnesses and experts. On a personal level, she transmits a lot of energy and security, and clients praise her great personality and excellent service. 4. Ina Popova: she is a very complete lawyer, extremely intelligent and with all the necessary skills to excel in the field of arbitration. 5. Julio Rivera Rios: despite still being young, he is an associate of the firm who stands out a lot for his intelligence, hard work, great personality, and the excellent preparation he has for interrogations. He contributes tremendously to the team and always maintains an excellent relationship with the client and local lawyers. 6. Nawi Ukabiala: he is an associate of the firm who also stands out a lot for handling very complex aspects of the cases and knowing them in detail and explaining them in a didactic and simple way. He is also involved in various aspects of the cases, including document production, and his work is critical to the success of the team.’

‘Excellent written and oral advocacy. Tenaciously building and pursing a case. Collegial and diverse team. Extraordinary Spanish language skill. Very experienced in Latin American cases, particularly mining industry.’

‘Dietmar Prager: excellent advocator and very effective cross examiner. Laura Sinisterra: elegantly passionate advocator, someone who you do not want to be in an opposite side. Nawi Ukabiala: very intelligent, comprehensively analyze a case. Julianne Marley effective and excellent drafter. Michelle Huang: effective and excellent drafter.’

‘It is an amazing team. I have worked with them for ever 20 years, in several complex cases. We do believe that it is one of the most profound and sophisticated teams in the world.’

‘Mark Friedman, Ina Popova, Dietmar Prager and Laura Sinisterra are amazing.’