The Legal 500

Within Corporate tax, tier 5

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’s has a strong finance practice as well as good private equity and M&A capability. It acted for Lion Capital on its acquisitions of The FoodVest Group, and Russian Alcohol Group (Russia’s largest vodka producer). Sarah Priestley and Andrew Norwood are the names to note.

Within Equity capital markets -UK capability, tier 5

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ ‘extraordinarily reliable and efficient’ UK practice was boosted by the arrival of Peter King from Shearman & Sterling LLP. 2008 saw the firm advise Germany1 Acquisition and ENEA on their IPOs, of US$400m and US$724m respectively. James Cole is also recommended.

Within Equity capital markets -US capability

Within EU and competition

Within M&A - upper mid-market and premium deals, £250m+, tier 5

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ London M&A practice has taken a significant step forwards following public M&A star Peter King’s arrival at the firm; he joins a relatively small but high-quality band that includes leading light and ‘trusted adviser’ Mike Francies; ‘likeable negotiator’ Mark Soundy; and the ‘pragmatic’ Ian Hamilton. The firm is best known for its private equity prowess but has a growing roster of active corporates including Premier Foods, AIG and GE Capital. It completed 28 deals at an average of almost £250m in 2008.

Within M&A - upper mid-market and premium deals, £250m+, tier 5

Following the departure of heavyweight partner Peter King to Weil, Gotshal & Manges last year, Shearman & Sterling LLP has rebounded by flying in leading US M&A lawyer Creighton Condon to head up the European practice. Condon can call on the support of an established UK M&A team, which includes Laurence Levy, who has a strong following among Middle Eastern investors. US corporate clients are another substantial source of work.

Within Private equity , Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is a third tier firm,

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ global restructuring excellence and nimble corporate and finance teams make it a compelling choice. It picked up new clients in CCMP and Teachers Private Capital in 2008, while deal highlights included advising Lion Capital on the acquisitions of Foodvest and The Russian Alcohol Group (led by London managing partner Mike Francies). Its 'outstanding, well-informed commercial advisers' in London under the ‘experienced, pragmatic and professional’ Marco Compagnoni include Jonathan Wood and Mark Soundy.

Within Commercial litigation, tier 7

Matthew Shankland’s team at Weil, Gotshal & Manges has been very active on the financial services front, especially in insolvency-related disputes. Kaupthing Bank, Lehman Brothers and GE are all active clients.

Within International arbitration

Within Acquisition finance, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is a third tier firm,

Traditionally sponsor-focused, Weil, Gotshal & Manges merged its banking and securitisation groups recently to create a more flexible and comprehensive offering to lenders, and a more bespoke borrower service. Jacky Kelly now heads the combined group which is praised for its ‘deep knowledge, responsiveness and professionalism’ and includes the recommended Stuart Hills and Michael Nicklin. Securing finance for Lion Capital to fund its acquisition of Foodvest was a notable highlight in 2008.

Within Corporate restructuring and insolvency, tier 4

While its market-leading US practice continues to inform a significant proportion of Weil, Gotshal & Manges’s workload - most notably in the shape of the Lehman Brothers mandate - the firm continues to gain significant traction in the UK market. It is advising several funds, including Marathon Structured Finance Fund, as holders of one of several tranches of senior debt totalling £1.2bn of the Four Seasons Healthcare Group. Dominic McCahill heads a two-partner team whose clients include Cheyne, Citibank, Kaupthing, TI Automotive and Oaktree Capital. ‘Knowledgeable, capable and calm’, Tony Horspool has an excellent reputation, particularly among hedge funds.

Within Debt capital markets, tier 6

Weil, Gotshal & Manges recently advised Willis Group on the private placement of US$500m senior notes.

Within Hedge funds, tier 4

Weil, Gotshal & Manges is noted for transactional and convertible debt restructuring work, an area in which the ‘excellent’ Tony Horspool has a good track record. Major clients include Cerberus, Cheyne Capital, Eton Park and Oaktree. Peter Schwartz and James Cole are also recommended.

Within High yield, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is a third tier firm,

‘Highly experienced at giving practical, well-structured advice’, Weil, Gotshal & Manges provides high yield expertise as part of a six-partner capital markets practice with connections to a host of underwriters. The firm has drawn on its prowess in restructuring to advise bondholders in handling high yield credits, such as working on SkyePharma’s £90m high yield convertible bonds. Peter Schwartz has ‘excellent product knowledge’ and James Cole is notable for his emerging markets experience.

Within Investment funds, tier 6

Also recommended are: Baker & McKenzie LLP; Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP; Burges Salmon LLP Bristol; CMS Cameron McKenna LLP; DLA Piper UK LLP; Denton Wilde Sapte LLP; Dundas & Wilson LLP; Katten Muchin Rosenman Cornish LLP; Latham & Watkins; Maclay Murray & Spens LLP; Mishcon de Reya; O’Melveny & Myers LLP; Olswang; Osborne Clarke; Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (Europe) LLP; Reed Smith; Speechly Bircham LLP; Taylor Wessing LLP; Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Withers LLP.

Within Securitisation, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is a third tier firm,

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ Jacky Kelly has established a presence as the doyenne of securitisation, and her skills are now in demand supporting the firm’s prominent practice in bankruptcy and restructuring. Central bank deals and two covered bond programmes in late 2008 were highlights as the RMBS and CMBS market tailed off. Well-liked partner Pierre Agyeman is relocating to Hong Kong, with Andrew Norwood taking on more derivatives and securitisation work.

Within Employment,

Weil, Gotshal & Manges is recommended for its high-end dismissal work.

Within Pensions (incl pensions dispute resolution), tier 6

New entrant Joanne Etherton, a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, is particularly recommended for corporate transactions, and related dealings with the Pensions Regulator.

Within Commercial property, tier 6

Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ vastly experienced Rupert Jones is a leading name in the market. The practice generally boasts good experience in property-related insolvency matters and restructuring, which is proving attractive to a number of clients in the current economic climate. The team advised Premier Foods on a number of acquisitions and financings, and a restructuring of its capital structure.

Within Media and entertainment, tier 4

At Weil, Gotshal & Manges, corporate lawyer Mark Soundy provides ‘excellent constructive advice’ to clients including All3Media. IP specialist Barry Fishley advised HgCapital on the sale of Boosey & Hawkes to Imagem Music.

Within Overview,

Many of the US firms have also been growing their IT and telecoms practices. These include Latham & Watkins - also building its media and entertainment team; Morrison & Foerster (UK) LLP - also a leader for life sciences corporate work; and Mayer Brown International LLP - which has lost music industry veteran Robert Allan to niche media firm Michael Simkins LLP. Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP remains very strong at providing IT and telecoms outsourcing advice; and Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Covington & Burling LLP - which is extremely strong in life sciences - have been building their media and entertainment practices.