The Legal 500

Within EU and competition EU and competition

Within Financial services, tier 5

Insurance is at the heart of Beachcroft’s practice. The team advised on the Solvency II Directive; assisted with regulatory issues arising from global distribution arrangements in relation to medical insurance; and prepared new standard terms of business agreements for the distribution of insurance products. Allianz, Skandia and Zurich are clients. David Hunt is a key contact, and James MacNish Porter advises on regulation, with a particular interest in insurance and wealth management businesses.

Within Flotations: small and mid-cap, tier 4

‘Excellent across all areas’, Beachcroft advises issuer clients on AIM and PLUS transactions. Nick Gibbon is recommended, and Matthew Darling is an ‘excellent commercial lawyer and problem solver’. Associate Michelle Jones is an ‘absolutely safe pair of hands’.

Within M&A: smaller deals up to £50m, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a first tier firm,

Headed by the highly rated Laurence Markham, Beachcroft’s seven-partner team has seen an increase in work coming from some of its major insurer clients. It advised Allianz on a £5m investment in insurance broker Oval. Other representative clients include AXA and Cartier.

Within Partnership,

At Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP, Jane Howard provides non-contentious, transactional expertise, while Geraldine Elliott, Andrew Hodge, who recently joined from Wragge & Co LLP, and Cath Thorpe handle contentious matters. Collectively the team ‘applies excellent commercial sense in its legal advice’. Barry Stimpson left for Davies Arnold Cooper LLP.

Within Fraud: civil , tier 4

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP has particular experience in proceedings in the BVI, the Cayman Islands, Jersey and Mauritius. Recent work for John Bramhall includes acting for the Saudi Economic & Development Co Real Estate Limited and five other defendants in a fraudulent misrepresentation claim by two Saudi-based investors. Philip Davis is also recommended.

Within Commercial litigation, tier 5

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP’s ‘offers excellent representation at a very competitive cost’. The team represented Total in civil claims relating to the 2005 Buncefield explosion. John Bramhall ‘secures good deals for his clients’; Jonathan Brogden is ‘a methodical lawyer’; and Karen Boto is ‘extremely capable’. Richard Highley, Nick Young and Philip Davis are also recommended.

Within International arbitration, tier 6

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP is notable for its experience in construction and engineering arbitrations. The team includes practice head Rowan Planterose, John Goodman, Danny Gowan, and Michael Blackburne, who recently joined the firm from Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP.

Within Professional discipline, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a third tier firm,

The ‘excellent’ team at Beachcroft is led by the ‘knowledgeable’ Stephen Hocking, and is praised for its ‘good response times’. Key clients include the Chartered Institute of Builders, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, the Family Health Services Appeal Authority, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, and the MDU. Christopher Briggs, previously of Halliwells, joined the Manchester team.

Within Employment, tier 4

Beachcroft’s London team gained new clients including Royal Mail in 2010, adding to its financial services and commercial sector clients. The ‘responsive, available, knowledgeable, and pragmatic’ Khurram Shamsee and Zoe Wigan lead on complex litigation for banks, insurers and brokers. Charles Newman is experienced in business transfers and outsourcing for NHS bodies and private commercial sector clients such as Balfour Beatty.

Within Health and safety, tier 4

Beachcroft’s national team is a key adviser to clients such as Allianz, on prosecutions arising from investigations and criminal prosecutions of its insured. The London team is involved in the defence of Swift Horsman against a criminal prosecution relating to a fatality. Patricia Baxter is now a consultant.

Within Pensions, tier 6

At Beachcroft, Neil Bhan is ‘measured and considered’, and consistently provides ‘good advice’. His team is currently advising on the winding up of the SEDA Plc pension scheme.

Within Clinical negligence: claimant Leading individuals

Within Clinical negligence: defendant , DAC Beachcroft LLP is a first tier firm,

Beachcroft’s ‘excellent’ and ‘first-class’ practice is a leading player nationally. It is increasingly defending complex and high-value clinical negligence claims for the NHSLA. Other clients include the Medical Defence Union, Bupa, The Priory Group, and General Healthcare. It handles medical negligence work for Spire Healthcare, including employers’ liability and public liability instructions for its London Fertility Clinic. Nigel Montgomery heads the department, within which Corinne Slingo, Rachel Roberts-Jenkins, Paul Taylor, Matthew McGrath, and David Weatherburn are all highly rated.

Within Insurance and reinsurance litigation, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a third tier firm,

Beachcroft recruited Mark Sutton from Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP in 2010, deepening the ‘sound breadth of knowledge’ across the group. The ‘tactically astute’ Julian Miller ‘has a certain steel about him – the sort of guy that you want in the trenches with you’. He is advising RSA (among other insurers) in the Innovator litigation. Practice head Chris Wilkes advised Catlin and Equity in a dispute arising from World Trade Center losses.

Within Insurance: corporate and regulatory, tier 4

Beachcroft remained on Bupa, Groupama and MMA Insurance panels in 2010, and won new appointments with Aviva, Ageas and National Friendly. The team recently advised on a global distribution agreement, a core area of expertise. James MacNish-Porter ‘provides the highest level of support and advice’, and Mathew Rutter and Lord Hunt are also recommended.

Within Personal injury: claimant, tier 4

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP’s practice focuses solely on high-value complex claims arising from catastrophic injuries, many of which have international and cross-border elements. Practice head Warren Collins is ‘creative in seeking solutions to difficult problems’.

Within Personal injury: defendant, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Excellent on all counts’, Beachcroft is ‘simply up among the best’. Its enviable list of blue-chip clients includes British Airways, which instructs the firm on all of its employers’ liability claims, including matters involving turbulence, baggage-handling injuries and work-related stress. London practice head Tania Sless is recommended for her ‘dedication, knowledge, tenacity and customer focus’, and Andrew Parker also has ‘great credibility in the market’. Paula Jefferson and consultant Patricia Baxter each have ‘an excellent understanding of the public sector’, and are ‘well informed of developments in the law’.

Within Product liability: claimant Product liability: claimant

Within Product liability: defendant, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a first tier firm,

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP has ‘one of the leading practices in Europe’, with a particularly strong client base in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector. It continues to advise AstraZeneca Insurance Company on over 30,000 claims relating to Seroquel. Practice head Simon Pearl and Alison McAdams are ‘brilliant strategic and tactical thinkers’, with ‘expertise and understanding of healthcare product safety that is second to none’. Michael Goldberg is also recommended, particularly for high-value claims.

Within Professional negligence, tier 4

Harriet Strevens heads Beachcroft’s highly regarded nine-partner team, which represents clients including Aviva, Chubb, Hiscox, Barbican Syndicates, Liberty Mutual, QBE, W R Berkley, and Zurich. Richard Beaty has a ‘wealth of experience’. Karen Cargill, Julian Miller, and Trevor Chamberlain – national head of dispute resolution – are also recommended.

Within Charities and not-for-profit , tier 6

The team at Beachcroft benefits from the firm’s strong national practice, in areas such as property, employment and litigation. Clients include Barnardo’s and the British Red Cross. Julian Gizzi heads the three-partner team, which ‘inspires confidence’.

Within Administrative and public law, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a first tier firm,

The ‘knowledgeable, professional and supportive’ team at Beachcroft has an outstanding reputation for its work in health and education. Stephen Hocking and Julian Gizzi provide ‘first-class advice’. In 2010, Hocking advised the Higher Education Funding Council for England on funding changes and on the regulatory framework for higher education. Tony Child is a ‘good technical lawyer’, and associate Eleanor Tunnicliffe is recommended for information law.

Within Civil liberties and human rights, tier 4

Beachcroft provides ‘prompt service’, and advises both claimants and defendants in human rights cases. Tony Child acted for Sharon Shoesmith in her successful judicial review challenge against Ofsted for unfair dismissal following the Baby P case; and also successfully acted for the Icelandic Federation of Master Builders in a challenge to the legality of Icelandic business taxation. Stephen Hocking is also recommended.

Within Education: institutions, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a first tier firm,

The team at Beachcroft is at the forefront of higher education policy change. Work highlights included advising the Higher Education Funding Council for England on policy and funding matters, and advising on the establishment of both the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator. Stephen Hocking heads the team, and Julian Gizzi is also recommended.

Within Education: schools, tier 4

Stephen Hocking’s team at Beachcroft advises clients on governance, charities and competition law issues.

Within Healthcare, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a first tier firm,

Beachcroft offers expertise across the board within the health sector, including in specialist pensions, employment and regulatory matters, and commercial litigation. Highlights included advising Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) on the pensions implications arising from the first completed PCT transfer of healthcare services. The team also advised on a region-wide strategy for compliance with statutory equality duties. The hugely experienced Elizabeth Adams leads the practice, with support from employment head Nick Chronias, Anne Crofts, Jean Richards, Campbell Dye, Corinne Slingo and Julian Gizzi.

Within Local government, tier 4

Beachcroft represents local government ombudsmen throughout the UK, including Northern Ireland, and specialises in judicial review proceedings. The team represented the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) on the prosecution of Alison Halford for breach of the code of conduct while serving as Assistant Chief Constable of the Merseyside Police. Practice head Tony Child is recommended.

Within Overview,

In the public law arena, claimant and commercial firms are ranked together in one table. City firms Herbert Smith LLP, Hogan Lovells International LLP and Baker & McKenzie LLP all have standout practices, while Beachcroft, Bindmans LLP and Leigh Day & Co remain leaders on the claimant side. Bindmans LLP also has a market-leading human rights and civil liberties practice, with other firms such as Irwin Mitchell LLP, Bhatt Murphy Solicitors and Pierce Glynn Solicitors singled out for particular expertise in niche areas, including mental health and prison law cases.

Within Commercial property, tier 5

Beachcroft provides ‘no-nonsense, practical service, and has a good record of pushing the transactions or issues to a satisfactory conclusion’. The firm acts for Balfour Beatty on all of its property work, including taking 40,000sq ft of new office accommodation at Quorum Business Park. It also handles retail work for clients such as Waitrose. Andrew Chesser and Monica Blake are recommended.

Within Construction, tier 4

Beachcroft works primarily for public sector and insurer clients. It represented a confectionery manufacturer and its insurer in defending a contractor’s claim following a fire. Chris Doran heads the team.

Within Planning, tier 5

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP represents housing associations, developers and local authorities, focusing particularly on large mixed-use and commercial schemes. It is advising Arab Investments on The Pinnacle skyscraper; Barratt Homes on the redevelopment of Newbury Racecourse; and the Metropolitan Police Authority on the 2012 Olympic Games. Tim Johnson heads the practice.

Within Property finance, tier 4

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP has particular expertise in hotel transactions. It also advised Irish Nationwide Bank on NAMA requirements for its property portfolio. The ‘very good, thorough and professional’ Paul McCartney heads the team.

Within Property litigation, tier 4

Beachcroft handles asset management matters for public sector clients such as Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation, UCL and HM Courts Services, and has seen an increase in service charges litigation. Andrew Chesser is the main contact.

Within IT and telecoms, tier 5

Beachcroft’s practice, led by Tim Sewart, was strengthened by Jimmy Desai’s arrival from Blake Lapthorn. Key clients include technology sector trade association Intellect, Local Government Information House, Uniware and Storage Fusion.

Within Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, DAC Beachcroft LLP is a third tier firm,

Davies Arnold Cooper LLP’s leading product liability defence practice, headed by Simon Pearl, is representing AstraZeneca Insurance Company in claims arising in connection with Seroquel. Other new instructions relate to clinical trials and medical devices. Alison McAdams, who handles liability and regulatory work, was instructed in the Northwick Park Clinical Trial claims.

Within Sport, tier 6

As well as having a well-known sports-related personal injury practice, Davies Arnold Cooper LLP advises on sports stadium development, licensing issues, and the drafting and negotiation of sponsorship agreements. Nick Taylor led a team that advised Brighton and Hove Albion FC on aspects of the construction of its £60m new stadium.