Simons Muirhead Burton > London, England > Firm Profile

‘This is a team that really cares. The staff are modern in their attitudes and ways of working. You really feel that they know what they’re doing and will fight for you. Could not have wanted better.’

‘I was struck by the collaborative style of the team – playing to people’s strengths, involving me in the process and giving thorough and helpful explanations at every stage.’

‘Henrietta Ronson was both professional and also very friendly in her manner. It put me at ease during a very difficult time.’

‘Anthony Burton is a supreme criminal defence solicitor.’

‘Phil Smith has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law. Clients appreciate the fact that he provides straightforward advice while making it plain that he is always acting in their best interests. He is confident without talking down to clients.’

‘Henrietta Ronson’s communication is outstanding. She remains level-headed, even in the most extreme crisis situations, which inspires absolute trust in her clients.’

‘Henrietta Ronson – during the most dreadful time of my life, she was on hand, at any time.  She is super bright, yet approachable. The combination of her legal brain and an ability to see the human aspect in my case inspired a lot of confidence.  She brings clarity and empathy to an emotionless arena.’

‘Anthony Burton worked tirelessly on my defence, with incomparable dedication, resulting in a unanimous acquittal at the Old Bailey. Anthony and his team were thorough and totally focused. Their personal and professional expertise, and support for me, shone through from start to finish. I felt, and know, I was in the hands of masters of their profession. I hold SMB in the highest regard.’

‘Razwana Akram, who heads the media finance team, is a commercially- focused lawyer, able to quickly get to the heart of any issue and provide tailored solutions. She’s pragmatic and responsive, with a strong understanding of the film and TV sector.’

‘The team has genuine experience of the film industry and the practical issues that face film makers.’

‘Commercially-minded, detail-oriented, good humoured and caring people.‘

‘SMB acted very quickly and was enormously flexible as to working hours reflecting different time zones. Their team consisted of well-seasoned lawyers like Simon Goldberg, but also included dynamic associates. A very convincing mixture of great experience and enthusiasm.’

‘I would definitely list Simon Goldberg and Razwana Akram, representing exceptional knowledge in the film industry and film finance.’

‘They know the market and have a team of effective litigators. They are pragmatic and will not encourage clients down paths that waste money.’

‘Highly recommend the media disputes team at Simons Muirhead. Consistently do a fantastic job on every matter.’

‘Louis Charalambous is one the most highly regarded media lawyers. Hugely experienced and a fighter for his clients.’

‘Jeff Smele has grown in stature since becoming a partner. Always thoughtful, with good judgement and attention to detail, as well as being a delight to work with – he goes from strength to strength. A future Titan.’

‘Stephen Shotnes – a highly experienced litigator; one of the best (if not the best) tacticians in the game. No spot is too tight for Stephen to be able to find a way (or ways) out of it.’

‘Excellent lawyers who offer swift advice which is uncommonly clear, helpful, and insightful. Have a very strong understanding of journalism and its goals.’

‘Martin Soames and Gordon Clough offer exceptionally clear, constructive and timely advice. What is more, they seem to genuinely enjoy finding a way through challenging media law issues and share journalists’ passion for a good story.’

‘Strong deep knowledge in M&A, coupled with acute customer service focus. A powerful mix.’

‘Peter Weiss is incredibly attentive, communicative and responsive. Truly great customer service. Very good all-round commercial knowledge, augmented with strong relationships across the industry to solve problems quickly and in line with customer demands.’

‘Peter Weiss, Natalie Wright and Simon Goldberg are all very capable lawyers – technically astute, energetic ambassadors for their clients and with an excellent bedside manner.’

‘Peter Weiss is able, affable and available.’

‘A partner-led and commercially-minded team with an appetite and aptitude for working with emerging, fast-growth businesses at an earlier stage than their bigger firm peers.’

‘Natalie Wright has a very high EQ, which is vital.’

‘We found Simons Muirhead Burton to be a strong and reliable partner, experienced in all aspects of a company acquisition, ranging from the commercial side, through to product and IP, property, litigation and employment.’

‘They are highly commercial, attentive and thorough with every transaction they complete. The team’s expertise is wide and varied and they work very well across departments, resulting in speedy conclusions.’

‘The Death Penalty Project is unparalleled in its commitment to fighting the death penalty across the globe, as well as to improving sentencing regimes and the justice system. Saul Lehfreund and Parvais Jabbar are together responsible for the continued momentum and trend towards the abolition of the death penalty across the globe but most especially in former colonial countries in the Caribbean and Africa. They have contributed more to the protection and progression of human rights and civil liberties than almost any other practising lawyers. They are the pre-eminent players in not just death penalty but civil liberties cases that end up at the Privy Council’.

‘The knowledge of the team is unmatched and they have well developed connections from path breaking work over many years of death penalty litigation, especially those arising from the Caribbean’.  

‘Saul Lehrfreund is one half of the iconic duo in death-penalty abolition litigation (Parvais Jabbar being the other half). Saul knows the Caribbean public law space and translates this knowledge well in running appeals at the Privy Council on behalf of individual litigants’.

‘The Death Penalty Project at Simons Muirhead and Burton LLP is a leading force in the abolition of the death penalty world wide’.

‘Abdul Varachhia is a technically gifted and experienced professional with a proven ability to provide honest and pragmatic legal advice and guidance in complex areas of law’. 

‘Working with them is a collaborative, respectful and enjoyable process. They go the extra mile for their clients, who are some of the most vulnerable in society. They are extremely knowledgeable, dedicated individuals with huge integrity and class. They also run very effective teams, including by bringing together members of their own firm, counsel, local lawyers and experts together’.

‘Its thoroughness is breath taking and the team is  always one beat ahead. Level headed and pragmatic the lawyers gave me utterly sound advice. But also its human and empathetic side meant that the lawyers felt like partners rather than service suppliers‘.

‘SMB is an under-rated but truly excellent practice. It has quite an inimitable style of being slightly under the radar, compared to some of its more “shouty” competitors which clearly pays dividends. A strong and classy act.  Tessa Bray is a stellar performer.  She is bright, straight to deal with, and to the point. Tom Farley-Hills is another key individual who gets the job done without fuss. Department head, Jane McDonagh, is superb.  She leads by example and has an enviable reputation‘.

‘Tessa Bray –  was always highly professional and charming but also so amiable and pleasant. I felt from the get go that she has my very best interests at heart and her advice always reflected that.  I felt Jane McDonagh was proactive and responded to all correspondence and enquiries promptly and in detail‘.

‘I have worked several times with Tom Farley-Hills and found him to give excellent advice, which is then executed in a timely manner.  He is scrupulous about informing me of the pros and cons of a given situation, he gives careful and cautious advise but is open to challenge‘.

‘Jane McDonagh was exceptional throughout. Very experienced, thoughtful, articulate, sensitive but tough when required. She maintained a firm grasp of detail throughout whilst able to consider the bigger picture‘.

‘Tom Fairley-Hills handled my divorce with exceptional compassion and understanding‘.

‘Personal & understanding whilst being extremely professional. Teena Dhanota-Jones helped greatly with the divorce process on an emotional level she dealt with our divorce without adding stress and negative energy to an already challenging situation’.

‘A growing presence with, rightly, growing recognition as a class act of a team. Tom Farley-Hills – underneath the polite and delightful exterior lurks a master tactician and strategist.  Definitely not someone to be underestimated.  Tessa Bray – feisty and fun, clients love her, both for her approach and the results she gets‘.

‘SMB is a quality boutique firm specialising in high-profile work, which is conducted in a very discreet manner. The lawyers there are very experienced and very effective.’

‘Phil Smith is a huge figure in the field. He has an exceptional feel for a case, is terrific at handling clients, and is a pleasure to work with. You get the sense that he thinks, really thinks, about each aspect of the case, from general strategy to critical key decisions.’

‘Henrietta Ronson is an extremely able and clever solicitor.’

‘Phil Smith is responsive and practical, good understanding of the criminal law landscape.’

‘The criminal/fraud/regulatory team at SMB, headed up by Phil Smith is a superb outfit for high-end white-collar crime and fraud. They are a powerhouse.’

‘Phil Smith and Henrietta Ronson in the white-collar team are first-rate. I have known them for over seven years and think that they are absolutely excellent. Phil, as a partner, is down to earth, intelligent, personable and absolutely committed to his clients. Henrietta, an associate, is very hardworking, gets the point very quickly and is well liked by clients.’

‘Impressively clear minded about the best means to achieve client objectives.‘

‘A perfectly balanced team, with the drive and initiative to secure results against the odds during the toughest of commercial litigation.‘

‘They have a very innovative practice in terms of securing litigation funding for media-industry based litigation. They also have a wealth of experience in that sector, which gives them a real edge in cases that touch on those areas.‘

‘Razi Mireskandari is a real innovator in relation to getting cases off the ground by finding funding.‘

‘Razi Mireskandari has seen it all and come up smiling.‘

‘Antony Perlmutter is a strategist whose experience gives him instant insight from the outset as to the best way to run a case.‘

‘Consultant Peter Gould has great common sense and instinct, and always brings in interesting cases.‘

‘Senior associate Emma Linch is cool under pressure.‘

‘Simons Muirhead Burton has helped me significantly in all legal matters including copyright infringements.‘

‘Always easy to understand and they always get back to you – with solid advice!‘

‘Maninder Gill has been a great team lead and has been readily contactable at all points through the process to date. He has provided a great deal of care and attention and most importantly has helped us with strategy as well as execution.‘

‘Attentive team that are always available round the clock. Billing is transparent.‘

‘Overall I would say that they have a unique blend of legal knowledge and commercial understanding which means that their advice is practical and pragmatic.‘

‘I work with Martin Soames and Maninder Gill. Both have a wealth of expertise in the subjects of IP and contracts. Moreover they have an understanding of the practical realities of the publishing industry and this makes this advice not only legally correct but cognizant of the commercial realities of our business.‘

‘We work with Maninder Gill. He is an outstanding individual and an excellent professional. Exceptionally client focused, very accessible, great at finding solutions to client problems.‘

‘The key capabilities of the team are, besides an outstanding knowledge of the IP practice and international developments, accessibility: they react very quick, the same day, and very pleasant to deal with and using clear language.‘