The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Leeds, West Yorkshire, Squire Sanders LLP is a first tier firm,

The ‘excellent’ team at Squire Sanders Hammonds ‘provides pragmatic advice’ and has ‘good industry knowledge’. A significant player in the local market, it has recently acted on a number of public/private refinancings of regeneration schemes. National clients include SpiriTel, ECI and Montague Private Equity. Steven Glover heads the team, and is noted for his ‘excellent commercial awareness’. Also recommended is Leeds office head Jonathan Jones, who focuses on private equity work.

Within Corporate tax, Squire Sanders LLP is a first tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds’ corporate tax team has considerable strength, and is increasingly handling international work. Led by Mark Simpson, its recent highlights include providing lead tax and share schemes advice to Rensburg Sheppards on the disposal of Rensburg Fund Management to Franklin Templeton Investments, valued at £45m. The practice also continues to implement stamp duty land tax planning for a variety of clients involved in UK property transactions.

Within Banking litigation, Squire Sanders LLP is a third tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds’ team operates on a national basis, with Simon Miller at the forefront of the practice in Leeds.

Within Commercial litigation: Leeds, West Yorkshire, Squire Sanders LLP is a second tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds’ client roster includes the European Commission, Enersys and Safestyle. It successfully represented Northern Rock in the consumer credit case Brooks v Northern Rock. Practice head Simon Miller is ‘a very good leader’, and gives ‘good-quality advice’. Clients also recommend Chris Caulfield as ‘consistently providing a good service’.

Within Banking and finance, Squire Sanders LLP is a second tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds provides ‘good value’ and a ‘good service’. 2010 saw a steady flow of activity for the team, with significant highlights including acting for Phoenix Equity Partners on the MBO of Andrew Page, involving facilities totalling £48m. Simon Owen is ‘very practical, pragmatic and client focused’.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Squire Sanders LLP is a third tier firm,

Led by John Alderton, Squire Sanders Hammonds’ practice has considerable strength in complex restructurings. In 2010 the firm advised PwC in the disposal of Swayfield Group’s motorway service stations and main development site in order to satisfy bank debt of around £160m.

Within Employment: West Yorkshire, Squire Sanders LLP is a second tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds continues to advise Tesco on all its employment matters, and gained Greggs as a client. The ‘strong and very responsive team’ is noted for its ‘pragmatic approach’, and is led by the ‘commercially minded’ Matthew Lewis.

Within Pensions, Squire Sanders LLP is a second tier firm,

The pensions team at Squire Sanders Hammonds works closely with the firm’s employment team, and in 2010 advised on a number of high-profile transactions including acting for the trustees of the Bradford & Bingley pension scheme, and advising multinational company Satake Corporation on the restructuring of its scheme. Catherine McKenna, who leads the team, is noted for her ‘excellent pensions knowledge and commercial approach’.

Within Professional negligence: defendant,

Spread across the firm's real estate, banking and construction departments, the five-partner professional negligence team at Walker Morris benefited from the arrival of David Williams from Squire Sanders Hammonds in 2011. Clients include Persimmon Homes, Leeds Building Society and York City Council.

Within Regional review, Squire Sanders LLP is a first tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds’ transatlantic merger has been particularly beneficial to its larger clients, but the firm has maintained a strong focus on key mid-market corporates based out of Yorkshire. Locally, it is renowned for its strength in corporate tax, and recently advised Rensburg Sheppards on the disposal of Rensburg Fund Management to Franklin Templeton Investments, valued at £45m.

Within Commercial property: Leeds and West Yorkshire, Squire Sanders LLP is a second tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds’ clients are ‘highly impressed’ with the team’s ‘excellent knowledge and expertise’ and ‘friendly approach’. Andrew Sprake heads the practice, which includes John Leake, ‘a lawyer of significant experience and ability’. Clients also recommend Prew Lumley and Karen French, who are ‘both highly motivated, efficient and commercial in their approach’.

Within Construction, Squire Sanders LLP is a second tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds’ construction practice has ‘depth’ and a ‘good understanding of the technical aspects of the industry’. The non-contentious team has particular expertise in energy, regeneration and development finance, while the contentious practice spans mediation, adjudication, arbitration and litigation. Practice head Zakir Mulla has ‘excellent commercial judgement’ and ‘in-depth knowledge of construction contracts’.

Within Planning, Squire Sanders LLP is a first tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds’ ‘excellent’ practice has considerable strength, and the capacity to carry out major instructions. It continues to advise Peel Energy in relation to a large wind farm proposal in Cheshire, and also advised Stobart Group on the development of an airfreight distribution depot at Carlisle Airport. Other clients include National Grid and SP Manweb. David Goodman heads the practice, with Philip Maude and Richard Glover also recommended.

Within Property litigation, Squire Sanders LLP is a first tier firm,

Squire Sanders Hammonds is ‘one of the top players in this field’, and attracts praise for its ‘excellent, speedy service and first-class knowledge’. Clients include Royal Mail, Trinity Mirror, a number of local authorities, and Manchester City Airport. Practice head Patrick Walker is highly recommended, as is Sally Lodge.

Within Intellectual property , Squire Sanders LLP is a second tier firm,

The team at Squire Sanders Hammonds is led by the ‘enthusiastic, informative and creative’ Alex Newman, and provides an ‘excellent’ level of service. Recent work includes IP infringement/anti-counterfeiting cases.