The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Liverpool, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Able to service local, national and international clients and to tap into huge firmwide resources, DLA Piper UK LLP’s four-partner team in Liverpool is instructed by an impressive mix of corporates and private equity sponsors. ‘Authoritative, flexible and commercial’, Paul Rimmer has an excellent reputation for private equity work and recently played a prominent role in Pets at Home’s £955m secondary buyout by KKR. David Cadwallader heads the group, and recently represented Liverpool FC on the £300m takeover by New England Sports Ventures. On the commercial front, Peter Brook’s ‘client relationship management is superb’. Clients include Regus, Serco, Buying Solutions and Balfour Beatty.

Within Corporate and commercial: Manchester, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Led by Jonathan Watkins, DLA Piper UK LLP’s six-partner team provides ‘responsive, commercially aware and technically sound’ advice to a robust blend of major corporates and private equity clients including Montagu Private Equity, Carphone Warehouse, LDC, Gresham Private Equity and Lookers plc. ‘Very sound on private equity issues’, it advised Gresham on its £12.3m MBO of Lanes Assistance Services, and also Pets at Home on its £955m secondary buyout by KKR. Stephen Devlin has an excellent reputation for his work advising plcs, while Neal Shepherd and James Kerrigan excel on the private equity side.

Within Corporate tax, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

Led by David Thompson, DLA Piper UK LLP’s tax group provides standalone advice as well as complementary structuring on the real estate, corporate, private equity, insolvency and projects matters handled by the firm. The team recently provided tax advice to LDC on the £93m sale of British Salt to a Tata subsidiary. Clients include Brammer plc, Matalan and Maven Capital Partners.

Within Crime, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Richard Smyth, who heads the team at DLA Piper UK LLP, is ‘one of the best in his field’. Notable work in 2010 included successfully representing the CEO of the Imperial Consolidated Group in an alleged £250m fraud case.

Within Banking litigation , DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

DLA Piper UK LLP provides ‘very pragmatic advice’ to financial institutions across a range of complex litigation. Stewart Plant is ‘very approachable and clear in terms of strategy’, and recently successfully defended RBS against mass claims brought by claims management companies arising from the alleged defects in finance agreements regulated by the Consumer Credit Act.

Within Commercial litigation: Liverpool, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Headed by the ‘commercially pragmatic and reactive’ Mark Goodwin, DLA Piper UK LLP’s ‘excellent’ two-partner team handles a varied mix of litigation including shareholder and M&A disputes, and professional negligence claims. Recent highlights include representing social landlord Community Gateway Association in a £39m professional negligence claim against advisers in relation to a transfer of the Preston City Council Housing stock; and successfully representing Lonrho plc in a multi-jurisdictional contractual dispute. Clients include Airwave Solutions, Liverpool FC, Wigan Athletic AFC, and Luba Freeport.

Within Commercial litigation: Manchester, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

‘One of the best in Manchester’, DLA Piper UK LLP’s eight-partner team provides an ‘excellent level of service’ to an impressive client roster including Corus, Enterprise, Honda and Scottish Power. ‘Among the best commercial litigators outside London’, Andrew Harris is particularly accomplished in significant shareholder disputes and other corporate litigation. Office managing partner David Gray also has a wealth of experience, particularly in relation to ADR, and is currently representing a law firm as a defendant in a professional negligence case.

Within Banking and finance, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

DLA Piper UK LLP’s ‘highly responsive’ three-partner team provides ‘sensible and insightful advice’ to an increasingly balanced array of banks and corporates. The firm is on the panels of all the clearing banks, and, despite a paucity of new-money deals, acted for Barclays as lead bank in the syndicated financing provided to the management team on the buyout of Total Fitness, led by the ‘personable and professional’ Matthew Christmas. Refinancings have accounted for many of the team’s mandates, most notably Matalan’s £525m refinancing and bond issuance. Hans Scheiwiller is recommended for real estate finance.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Bolstered by the arrival of Robert Russell from Leeds firm Walker Morris, DLA Piper UK LLP’s three-partner team focuses on the creditor side and excels at big-ticket restructurings and insolvencies. On the panels of all the UK clearing banks, and renowned for its asset-based lending expertise, it successfully brought the high-profile Zavvi administration to a conclusion, a matter led by John Vickery. Martin Keates heads the team and has an excellent reputation for high-profile restructurings, such as his work for Barclays and KPMG, as administrator, on Total Fitness’ pre-packaged sale.

Within Employment, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

DLA Piper UK LLP expanded its team with the recruitment of associate Emma Mills from Halliwells, and legal director Stephen Robinson from Davies Arnold Cooper LLP. Helen Hall is praised for her ‘depth of knowledge and promptness’; Jane Cotton gives ‘first-class’ advice on the contentious side; and Mary Clarke is recommended for complex matters.

Within Health and safety, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

DLA Piper UK LLP acts on a wide variety of contentious and non-contentious matters ranging from serious injury and fatality cases to complex environmental issues. Richard Smyth is a well-known regulatory expert.

Within Pensions, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

The quality of service and advice at DLA Piper UK LLP is considered by clients to be excellent. Work highlights for practice head David Wright, who shows a ‘supportive and pragmatic approach to identifying solutions’, included advising Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited in relation to proposed scheme changes. Ben Miller is also recommended.

Within Regional review, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

With a top-tier ranking in the majority of practice areas, DLA Piper UK LLP has an ‘outstanding reputation’ across the board, and features in many of the region’s most significant mandates, benefiting from strong ties with all the major clearing banks and a raft of top corporates and leading private equity sponsors in the region. Key deals included advising the management team on Pets at Home’s £955m secondary buyout by KKR.

Within Private finance initiative (PFI), DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Led by Liam Cowell, DLA Piper UK LLP’s five-partner team advises public sector, sponsor and funder clients across a range of schemes. Strengths include in the education sector; the firm has been involved in a raft of BSF schemes, and it is also the preferred adviser to the Department of Education in relation to PFI Academies, leading to involvement on over 15 active schemes. Working alongside its US offices, the team recently advised the senior lenders in the first civic infrastructure scheme to close in California. Clients include Amey Ventures, Dexia Bank, John Laing and Sellafield.

Within Education, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

DLA Piper UK LLP advises on a broad range of matters, often with an international element. Recent highlights include advising the Department for Education on seven PFI Academy conversion schemes. Nick Helm and associate Anita Brunst are ‘both extremely knowledgeable and skilled, flexible, and solution-focused, and communicate clearly’.

Within Local government, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

DLA Piper UK LLP provides a full advisory service to local authority clients, as well as handling litigation, property and employment work. Mark Beardwood heads the team, which has recently won partner status on the North West Legal Consortium.

Within Commercial property: Liverpool, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Led by the ‘imperturbable’ Mark Beardwood, DLA Piper UK LLP’s five-partner team provides a sophisticated service to an impressive roster of funds and developers. Particularly active of late in the retail space, the team advised Wereldhave on the £85m acquisition of the Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole, and PACE Trustees on the acquisition and funding of the development of a new Tesco superstore in Greater Manchester. The vastly experienced Philip Rooney also maintains a strong practice alongside his duties as office managing partner.

Within Commercial property: Manchester, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

At DLA Piper UK LLP, Anita Weightman is advising longstanding client ITV on the high-profile relocation of its Manchester base to MediaCityUK. Other highlights included advising F.T. Patten Properties on the £9m development of a 141-bed budget hotel. Roy Beckett and Martin Hallam are recommended partners in a team whose clients include Bruntwood Estates, Ernst & Young, Manchester City Council, and Vue Entertainment.

Within Construction, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

Headed by the ‘superb’ Jim Pinsent, DLA Piper UK LLP’s two-partner group in Liverpool is noted for its ‘excellent service and knowledge of the industry’, advising a broad range of clients on heavyweight mandates both in and beyond the region. Praised for his ‘ability to interpret the law for a lay person’, associate Earle Brady is starting to run his own matters, and has continued to work on Liverpool’s £160m Central Village regeneration. On the contentious side, Daniel Jude has handled a number of matters for Alstom Power.

Within Planning and environment, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

At DLA Piper UK LLP, the ‘very understanding’ Kate Creer is particularly strong on the public sector side, and continues to advise Halton Borough Council on the £450m Mersey Gateway project. Chris Bowes excels in business-critical planning decisions in the private sector, and recently successfully represented Tata Steel in overturning the decision allowing Newport City Council to grant planning permission for a traveller’s camp site adjacent to Tata’s offices in Newport.

Within Property litigation, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Praised for its ‘business acumen and ability to think outside the box’, DLA Piper UK LLP’s two-partner team handles a range of property disputes for an impressive client roster that includes Bruntwood, Mapeley Estates, Pilkington and Vue Entertainment. ‘Knowledgeable and with a youthful confidence’, Martin Griffiths has rapidly established an excellent reputation and is currently representing a client in the defence of a major dilapidations claim. The experienced Steven Jennings acts for a raft of developers and occupiers, and has particular expertise in rent review matters.

Within Intellectual property, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

DLA Piper UK LLP’s IP team, led by Graeme Orchison, continues to handle cutting-edge patent, trade mark and design right cases. Highlights included advising Qualtex UK Limited in a high-profile passing off dispute. Katie Withers joined the team from Eversheds LLP.

Within IT and telecoms, DLA Piper LLP is a first tier firm,

Work for DLA Piper UK LLP included acting for the DWP on a number of projects involved in its large modernisation programme; and advising on high-profile IT projects in the financial services sector. Lee Brierley focuses on IT.