The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Bristol, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘excellent’ nine-partner team, which is headed by the highly rated Chris Godfrey, acts for clients including FirstGroup and ECI Partners on a range of domestic and multi-jurisdictional matters. It acted for Cobham on the disposal of its ERA technology business via a private equity backed management buyout. Dominic Davis was made up to partner in May 2011. Nick Graves is ‘a very knowledgeable and pragmatic adviser’.

Within Corporate tax, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘hugely knowledgeable and extremely helpful’ Nigel Popplewell advises corporate, private and institutional clients on tax matters. Areas of expertise include M&A-related matters, VAT and indirect taxation.

Within EU and competition, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Laura Claydon heads Burges Salmon LLP’s team, which acts for clients including the University of Bristol and Cardiff Bus. It also advised the Co-operative regarding an appeal concerning the OFT’s investigation into alleged tobacco price-fixing. EU law expert Matthew O’Regan joined from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Brussels.

Within Licensing, Burges Salmon LLP is a second tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s Chris Pritchett advises on licensing matters for racecourses, sports stadiums, outdoor events and online gambling operators, and his team provides a service that is ‘excellent, thoroughly professional, very informed and current’. Clients include The Racing Association, the University of Bristol, The Crown Estate and EMI Music Company.

Within Commercial litigation: Bristol, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s 11-partner team is headed by Paul Haggett, who brings ‘overarching experience’ to any matter. Recent work for the firm includes representing Eurostar International in its large and complex procurement dispute with Alstom; and acting for Helphire in a dispute with great implications for the credit hire industry. Associate Brian Wong is ‘very bright, with a sharp legal mind’. New partner Kevin Kennedy, who joined from Clarke Willmott LLP, ‘works extremely hard to find practical solutions to clients ’ problems’.

Within Debt recovery, Burges Salmon LLP is a third tier firm,

The ‘friendly’ and ‘very professional’ Amanda Vaughan leads Burges Salmon LLP’s debt recovery team, which is experienced in enforcement officers and third party debt orders as well as bankruptcy and charging orders.

Within Banking and finance, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Best in class regionally’, Burges Salmon LLP’s seven-partner team is ‘at least as good as any major City law firm’ and provides ‘outstanding value’. It advised Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company regarding a five-year €500m syndicated multi-currency revolving credit facility with a syndicate of ten banks, and also acts for Lloyds Banking Group and HSBC Bank. Richard Leeming ‘thinks what clients are thinking, and calmly and efficiently finds solutions to seemingly intractable problems’.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Burges Salmon LLP is a second tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘very responsive’ team is ‘innovative in its approach’. It acted for the Trustees of the Great Lakes (UK) Pension Plan in a significant pensions case. Other clients include Ernst & Young, KPMG and Bank of Ireland. Team head Patrick Cook is ‘committed and able’.

Within Employment: Bristol, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

The ‘very pragmatic’ Roger Bull heads Burges Salmon LLP’s sizeable employment team, which represents clients including Bank of Ireland, Babcock International Group and Thomson Reuters. Adrian Martin led the advice to BAE Systems on a major restructuring programme.

Within Health and safety, Burges Salmon LLP is a second tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP acted for Virgin Trains in a recent inquest related to the Grayrigg train derailment. Ann Metherall and Chris Jackson are highly regarded for rail and construction industry regulatory matters.

Within Pensions, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP fields a sizeable team, and its overall service is ‘exemplary in every respect’. It advised Western Power Distribution on pension agreements totalling £4bn. Great Lakes Pension Scheme, Yell and Oxford University Staff Pension Scheme are also clients. Richard Knight and Tim Illston are recommended.

Within Professional negligence, Burges Salmon LLP is a second tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s Paul Haggett and Peter Morris are renowned for their expertise in representing financial institutions in professional negligence litigation against lawyers and other advisers. The Co-operative Banking Group, Nationwide and Lloyds Banking Group are clients. Kari McCormick joined from Clifford Chance.

Within Regional review, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP is one of the two leading firms in the region, with a strong offering across all sectors and a nationally recognised corporate practice. Other defining features include its strength in the energy and nuclear fields. The firm made up seven new partners and strengthened through lateral hires, including Matthew O’Regan in EU and competition from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Mark Gay in the sport practice from DLA Piper UK LLP.

Within Agriculture and estates, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘leading’ team continues to act for The Crown Estate and the National Trust as well as high-net-worth individuals. Tom Hewitt is ‘technically excellent and really user-friendly’, and team head William Neville is also recommended. Agriculture litigation partner Kevin Kennedy joined from Clarke Willmott LLP.

Within Family, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘clever, commercial, personable and empathetic’ team advises on financial settlements in divorce, cohabitation claims, asset protection and children disputes, and is experienced in cases involving complex international assets. Ashley Palminteri recently acted in a cohabitation dispute over a £11.5m property. Catherine Hallam is ‘one of the cleverest family lawyers of her generation’.

Within Personal tax, trusts and probate, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s team, headed by Catherine Hallam, conducts cross-border work for private banks and individuals with multimillion-pound assets. Jim Aveline is also recommended along with Tom Hewitt, who ‘reacts fast and efficiently, and demonstrates a very high level of knowledge’.

Within Energy, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘exceptionally gifted and able’ team represents clients including the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and International Power. It also advised Helius CoRDe on its landmark biomass project in Scotland, and Marks and Spencer on its Plan A sustainability programme. Recommended individuals include team head Ross Fairley and Ian Salter.

Within Project finance and PFI, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP is known for its infrastructure, defence, emergency services and education work. It advised the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on the appointment of the parent body organisation for the decommissioning of the Dounreay nuclear site, and also represents the Ministry of Defence and Babcock. Team head Mark Paterson is recommended.

Within Education, Burges Salmon LLP is a third tier firm,

At Burges Salmon LLP, employment specialist Roger Bull acts for Cardiff University. The universities of Exeter, Bath and Bristol and the Higher Education Funding Council for England are also clients.

Within Local government, Burges Salmon LLP is a third tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s Gary Soloman has experience in mixed-use developments and regeneration projects; he has acted for East Devon District Council on matters including a proposal for more than 2,900 new homes and a new business park.

Within Commercial property: Bristol, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘very accessible and speedy’ 14-partner team acts for clients including The Crown Estate and Aviva Investors, and has considerable international and Scottish legal expertise. It advised Darwin Property Investment Management on the acquisition of a portfolio of holiday parks and associated fund financing. Richard Clark and Richard Read are the key names in the team. ‘Rising star’ Ross Polkinghornewas recently promoted to partner, while Philip Beer joined from Simmons & Simmons LLP.

Within Construction, Burges Salmon LLP is a second tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP is ‘always quick to respond, and the advice given is of a very high quality’. The team assisted the University of Exeter on a range of contentious and non-contentious matters, and also acts for London Development Agency and Tata Steel UK. Marcus Harling leads the team, and the ‘user-friendly’ William Gard has ‘strength and depth of knowledge in engineering matters’. Steven James was made up to partner in 2011.

Within Environment, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s four-partner team acts for clients including DEFRA and the Carbon Trust. It acted for Marks and Spencer on its Plan A sustainability and environmental programme. Ross Fairley and Ian Salter jointly head the team, and Michael Barlow ‘handles a wide range of environmental regulatory issues’.

Within Planning, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s three-partner team acts for clients including Renewable Energy Systems and St Modwen Developments. It has considerable expertise in IPC matters, and acted for Covanta Energy on the significant Brig-y-Cwm waste-to-energy project. Patrick Robinson is ‘very good at finding solutions to planning challenges and creative solutions to local stakeholder issues’.

Within Property litigation, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘exemplary’ team has ‘first-class knowledge of property legislation and litigation’, and is also noted for its strength in mediation. It provided The Crown Estate with strategic advice regarding a large property repossession in London for redevelopment purposes. First Group and Bath Spa University are also clients. Richard Bedford is ‘an excellent communicator, an excellent administrator, an excellent businessman, and an extremely hardworking and likeable man’.

Within Intellectual property, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Helen Scott-Lawler heads Burges Salmon LLP’s team and recently reviewed the IP licensing structure across Nuclear Decommissioning Authority sites. Jeremy Dickerson is highly regarded and noted for his ‘pleasant and informal style’. Virgin Group, the Discovery Channel and The Carbon Trust are clients.

Within IT and telecoms, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Clients recommend practice head Andrew Dunlop at Burges Salmon LLP for his ‘consistently high performance’ and advice that is ‘always commercial, focused and timely’. The team advised Inchcape UK and several high-value software development arrangements, Thomson Reuters, Wiki UK and Coca-Cola are other notable clients. Jeremy Dickerson handles contentious IT work.

Within Media and entertainment, Burges Salmon LLP is a second tier firm,

Jeremy Dickerson’s team at Burges Salmon LLP acts for the Discovery Channel, Relativity Media and Bristol City FC. It benefited from the addition of the ‘top-quality’ Mark Gay, who joined from DLA Piper UK LLP and has recently acted for Federation Internationale d’Automobile (FIA) on a range of broadcasting issues.

Within Sport, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP has ‘a high-quality national practice’ now led by DLA Piper UK LLP’s former head of sport, Mark Gay. Leeds United FC, Federation Internationale d’Automobile and the Pakistan Cricket Board are key clients. Jeremy Dickerson is an anti-doping expert.

Within Rail, Burges Salmon LLP is a first tier firm,

Burges Salmon LLP’s ‘excellent’ transport group is noted for its ‘fast and appropriate response times’. Team head Nick Olley has ‘a very high level of knowledge and the right attitude’. Simon Coppen is recommended, and Chris Jackson recently acted for Eurostar in a multimillion-pound procurement dispute. Other clients include First Group, Abellio, National Express and the Department for Transport.