The Legal 500

International law firm Clifford Chance combines the highest global standards with local expertise. Leading lawyers from different backgrounds and nationalities come together as one firm, offering unrivalled depth of legal resources across the key markets of the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The firm focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax, pensions and employment; and litigation and dispute resolution.

The firm: Through a strong understanding of clients’ cultures and objectives, Clifford Chance draws on the full breadth of its legal skills to provide results-driven, commercial advice.

Clifford Chance has more leading global practices than any other firm (Chambers Global 2011) and further recognition includes: Restructuring Law Firm of the Year (IFLR Asia Awards 2011) and Global Banking Law Firm of the Year (Who’s Who Legal Awards 2010).

Types of work undertaken: Capital markets: the capital markets practice comprises over 420 partners and lawyers who concentrate on securities transactions and other products sold into the capital markets. The practice is founded on a full-service US and UK securities law capability, complemented by local securities law expertise in each of the key financial centres. It provides practical, integrated legal advice covering the full spectrum of global capital raising activities including public and private domestic and international offerings of traditional debt and equity securities as well as convertible and other derivative and structured securities.

Corporate: the corporate practice, which comprises 820 legal advisers worldwide, handles some of the world’s largest and most complex M&A transactions. It combines global transaction capability with a full service of English, US and civil law expertise in the key financial centres across Europe, the Americas and Asia. In addition to mainstream M&A, the firm also encompasses leading specialist practices in: commercial contracts, competition and antitrust, communications, energy, healthcare, financial institutions, funds, investment banking, insurance, media and technology, and private equity.

Finance: Clifford Chance’s finance practice, which comprises over 700 legal advisers worldwide, is the leading international finance practice of any law firm. The practice provides highly commercial and practical advice across the full spectrum of financial products including syndicated lending and leveraged and acquisition finance, asset finance, derivative products, project finance, financial regulatory, insolvency, restructuring and structured finance.

Litigation and dispute resolution: the firm has a team of more than 470 litigators internationally and has experience in virtually all segments of the business and financial markets across multiple jurisdictions. The lawyers work with clients to resolve disputes efficiently and effectively – whether through arbitration, litigation or other techniques.

Real estate: Clifford Chance’s leading real estate practice, with over 300 partners and lawyers worldwide, offers UK, European, Asian and US real estate capability. The practice advises the real estate industry’s leading players on the entire property ‘life-cycle’ from the initial acquisition, development, leasing, joint venturing and financing through to the final exit, as well as tax structuring, PFI/PPP, corporate outsourcing, planning, environment and litigation.

Tax, pensions and employment: Clifford Chance has one of the world’s largest international tax groups within a single law firm, with over 230 tax advisers worldwide. The firm is uniquely placed to provide leading edge advice to clients, and the practice is structured on an integrated global basis. Local tax groups within the practice work closely with areas such as securitisation, securities, M&A, corporate restructuring, private equity, real estate and funds.

The pan-European VAT group advises on all areas of VAT and has particular strength advising on novel and complex issues in the structured finance, financial services, corporate finance and real estate sectors.

The employment group advises on all key employment issues from appointment and severance of senior executives to collective dismissals, contractual documentation and policies, outsourcing of services, discrimination and equal opportunities, immigration, works councils, trade unions and high court and tribunal litigation.

International offices: Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Brussels, Bucharest, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Kyiv, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York, Paris, Perth, Prague, Riyadh (co-operative office with Al-Jadaan & Partners Law Firm), Rome, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Warsaw, Washington DC

Number of UK partners 186
Number of other UK fee-earners 577