Firm Profile > Simons Muirhead & Burton > London, England

‘Exceeded all my expectations’

‘Forensic, detailed and thorough. No stone was left unturned. I felt, at every stage, that I could not have been in better hands‘.

‘Led by the ever-wise Anthony Burton and the exceptional Phil Smith, the crime team at SM&B provide a complete and unrivalled service to corporate and individual clients under investigation.The team is always knowledgeable, committed, organised and efficient.’

‘SMB are an outstanding firm.  Anthony Burton CBE demonstrated extraordinary passion and expertise in fighting my case at the Old Bailey; and in lifting my occasional despair at an absurd, unfounded prosecution. Even if he and his team had not secured a unanimous not guilty verdict I would not fault them.’

‘Phil Smith’s reputation cannot be overstated – he is a force of nature. His experience in all areas of criminal law is second to none and he grasps the issues in any case quickly and reassuringly maps out the best way of dealing with crisis management. He commands respect in all criminal spheres and leads the team with a pragmatism, inventiveness and vibrancy that few can match and none can surpass’

Anthony Burton is a doyen of the criminal defence fraternity, having been a founding partner of the firm.

Henrietta Ronson is thoughtful and persuasive with a track record that is as impressive as it is lengthy. Hard-working and with a quick grasp of detail she is unshakeable as she represents a wide variety of clients with incisive determination. She is clearly a unique talent’

‘We use SMB for editorial advice and assessing any publication risk. We have always found them to be very swift, practical and commercial in their advice. Having worked with the team for a long time, we feel that they know and understand our business and our audience, which allows them to offer helpful advice, appropriate to our publications.‘

‘Martin Soames offers swift, knowledgeable and commercial advice, with a good understanding of our business and our industry.’

‘I’m impressed by the way this practice works consistently as a cohesive team with relevant information shared across all the specialists involved. The attention to detail and client care is exceptional. The office itself is friendly and welcoming, a big plus.’

‘Raz Mireskandari is exceptionally insightful and realistically frank so that no false expectations are raised, but every possibility examined carefully. He’s kind and good-humoured, at the same time razor-sharp and forthright.’

‘Team spirit is the strongest aspect of Simons Muirhead & Burton – this has appealed to and worked for me through all the years I’ve had dealings with them. A happy environment and knowledgeable accessible staff at all levels.’

‘This legendary firm deserves its reputation for handling cutting edge cases nationally and internationally.’

‘Saul Lehrfreund and Parvais Jabbar are outstanding. Committed and knowledgeable they deliver an exceptional legal product.’

‘The firm has a profound and inspiring commitment to Human Rights, with an international focus on the rights of prisoners sentenced to death.’

‘Parvais Jabbar and Saul Lehrfreund need to be specially mentioned. They have unrivalled connections in the Caribbean, the Far East, and English Speaking Africa. They are supported by Anthony Burton, Razi Mireskandari (himself an outstanding media lawyer) and Simon Goldberg.’

‘I have worked with the team specifically in the Death Penalty Project within Simons Muirhead and Burton – led by Saul Lehrfreund and Parvais Jabbar. The team is truly outstanding – their work on the death penalty has saved, and continues to save, countless lives and is an outstanding example of effective human rights work.’

‘Saul Lehrfreund and Parvais Jabbar are truly outstanding – dedicated and knowledgeable.‘

‘They provide a first class service and assure attention to detail on the finer points of M&A transactions.’

‘Peter Weiss – the partner and visionary behind a first-class team of associates and juniors. Without his inspiration, we would not have been as well looked after.’

‘My impression of the Simons Muirhead & Burton family practice is that it has a modern and progressive perspective, coupled with an effective and yet still compassionate approach. I view the team as definitely on the up’

‘Jane McDonagh is the consummate legal professional. She is completely calm and considered in what can often be a highly charged emotional situation. She is always clear in her advice, and supportive when hard decisions need to be made. She is understanding, not only of the intricacies of the law, but also of the personal difficulties her clients face‘

‘Jane McDonagh was quickly able to get a clear overview of our situation and throughout she gave calm and consistent advice. She was always keen to hear our view and how we wished to proceed but we were guided throughout by her professional opinion. I always felt reassured having spoken to her‘

‘Tom Farley-Hills brings strength and experience to an already well-rounded team. Teena Dhanota-Jones is very experienced in her profession. She has great communication skills‘

‘The lawyers are always ahead of the game when it comes to the opposing party, which has been such a key strength. A very reliable firm, prompt with their responses and with the work. The lawyers are very, very thorough. I found Tessa Bray to be exceptional in the work that she carried out‘

‘I have only great thoughts and words for Rhiannon Guibert and Jane McDonagh. They completely understood how difficult my situation was and tried their best to achieve the desired outcome‘

‘Lara Wulwik was a pleasure to work with. She was able to provide detailed advice and handle matters on my behalf in a professional manner. She always acted with my best interests in mind, and worked closely with me to ensure my expectations were met‘

‘I work mainly with Maninder Gill. He is very knowledgeable, very flexible and great at managing the cost.’

‘Having worked successfully and happily with Simons Muirehead & Burton for a number of years without any undue concerns, they have always delivered and I would have no problem in recommending them.’

‘I have known and worked with Maninder Gill for many years. What has made him different for me is his availability, his immediate grasp of a problem and the quality of the people he has on his team. In addition to this, having worked as leading in house lawyer for a high profile major retailer, his broad experience and knowledge in the retail sector has been invaluable.’

‘The team has a breadth of experience across a number of fields of litigation, including employment law, meaning they are an up-and-coming force in sports law.’

‘Stephen Shotnes has excellent judgement, fights his client’s corner fiercely and is well respected. ‘

‘Marc Sobol is approachable and extremely knowledgeable. His work is thorough and pragmatic.’

The unique attributes of Simmons, Muirhead and Burton are their availability and willingness to assist on the full range of commercial issues. Their advice is clear, concise and commercially focussed. They look for the best solutions not always via legal actions.

I have worked with Maninder Gill for 12 years and he assists in so many ways, not just in his specialisms, but across the range and introducing others as required. He is knowledgeable, direct and commercially astute.

I have worked with Antony Perlmutter for nearly eight years. He is one of the most tenacious litigators I know. He seems to never sleep and is always available to clients. He is exceptionally approachable. Most of the clients that we have in common eventually view AP as more of a friend than a solicitor. He always goes the extra mile to get the client the win.

The firm has a lively collaborative ethos and has been strengthened by a number of lateral hires in recent years which have helped it to reach out beyond its traditional media-related commercial disputes into property-based litigation and financial services disputes.

Razi Mireskandari is always focused on the practicalities of the dispute. He never loses sight of the long-term objective. Anthony Perlmutter is a litigator through and through. Loves to fight his client’s corner and clients love him for it. David Phillips gets through enormous amounts of work on cases and spots opportunities that others might miss. Dina Shiloh is a recent hire who has brought with her a real range of experience and clients, including from the finance sector.

It feels like a single effective practice rather than a series of specialist groups.

Antony Perlmutter is a perceptive, responsive and able litigator. His interpersonal skills are first rate. I appreciate his straight talking and decisive advice. I had every confidence that he would do a thorough job, and he did.

A very responsive and experienced firm whose people that give practical and helpful advice at a reasonable cost.

‘The team is welcoming and approachable, making it easy to ask questions – even though everybody is busy, they always have time for you.‘

‘Maninder Gill is probably one of the best IP experts around, with great commercial and legal experience within private practice and big businesses.‘