Travers Smith LLP > London, England > Firm Profile

‘Richard Brown was practical, easy to work with a calm air of authority.’

‘Travers Smith work as part of our team. They bring vast experience and breadth, protecting risk whilst being pragmatic and seeking mutually beneficial outcomes. They always respond quickly and turn round substantive items to tight timescales when ever required.’

‘Richard Brown is exceptional. He very quickly understands each challenge and the desired outcomes, then leads the team to a comprehensive conclusion.’

‘This practice offers us a unique ability to fully understand our business and future needs, it offers its services in a way that compliments our activities and deadlines. The practice also demonstrates values that align with ours.’

‘A firm that thinks practically and commercially rather than just legally. Helps the client secure a practical outcome that works commercially.’

‘The team headed by Ben Chivers has assisted in various ad hoc situations which required swift input. The team was quick to respond, provided concrete and to the point input and thought along with what was needed. In short, they provided useful input and take part of the burden while assisting.’

‘Ben Chivers: very commercial, turned things round ludicrously fast. Dropped into the deep end at the end of a transaction and felt like he’d been there since the beginning. Pragmatic and able to solve issues quickly. Top rate lawyer.’

‘The responsiveness of the Travers Smith team is second to none. Their ability to consider and advise quickly makes all the difference to our work and our ability to deliver our work and enhances our reputation as an effective, agile and on the ball charity.’

‘Richard Spedding is a very commercial, experienced lawyer. Very user friendly.’

‘A strong partner led team, with a depth of knowledge across the group. Proactive and efficient and show a pragmatic approach to achieve desired outcomes.’

‘The team at Travers is technically excellent, thoughtful and commercial. They are always on top of the detail, never panic and are totally reassuring to work with. Creative where relevant and I have a sense that I am an important client – how they manage to achieve this for so many clients is impressive.’

‘Ian Keefe is a truly outstanding lawyer. Qualities I ascribe to Ian are trust, competence, smarts, experience, thoughtfulness, commerciality. Jessica Cragg – working with Ian and co has seen Jess develop into an excellent lawyer and I have noticed her particular development over the last 12 months. She will likely develop into a leading lawyer in the team at Travers.’

‘My main partner contacts are Ian Keefe and Lucie Cawood. Both are very quick to respond to questions I put to them, and both are very commercial in their approach. Both stand up well to opposing lawyers on the other side of the deal.’

‘I have worked with the Travers corporate team on a number of deals, and they are about to embark on another project for me. I like the way they have two partners on each deal with split responsibilities and it provides helpful cover and continuity over time. Their service has always been high quality and timely.’

‘Highly commercial. Strong technical skills. Relationship driven – very accessible and good communicators. Good value. Fun to work with.’

‘The members of the team are absolute experts in their field. In addition, they are responsive, practical and a pleasure to work with. They are head and shoulders above other UK lawyers I’ve engaged with on executive compensation matters.’ 

‘Mahesh Varia, the head of the group, brings a calm professionalism to every matter he works on, which is refreshing. Mahesh simply addresses the issues as they come in a straightforward, no drama manner, which helps keep everything on track. The team that backs him up is similar, and also a pleasure to work with.’ 

‘Strong practice group leadership. Deep experience in transactional share scheme matters. One of the go-to firms in London for incentives and remuneration advice.’ 

‘Mahesh Varia is a thought leader in the industry. Mahesh provides a pragmatic approach to knotty legal issues.’

‘A special nod to Elissavet Grout, Laura O’Flynn and Hugo Twigg.’ 

‘Travers Smith’s incentives team is a pleasure to work with – strong technical expertise is a given, with good counsel and partner availability to back the growing team. Their evident care in developing the team is shown by the depth of knowledge, experience and client care of its associates. Always responsive, clear and commercial.’ 

‘Mahesh Varia is always outwardly calm, supportive and technically very strong. Elissavet Grout provides clear and practical advice with constructive solutions.’ 

‘I’ve worked with Travers Smith for several years now, being able to build a relationship with the team, which makes working with them feel like an extension of my in-house team.’

‘Daniel Gerring is very simply the best pension lawyer I have ever come across – he is incredibly bright, yet plain speaking, accessible, fair, pragmatic and effective. He provided first class strategic and commercial support.’

‘David James is a very knowledgeable and safe pair of hands as well and can be relied on totally.’

‘Dan Naylor has given us excellent helpful advice for a number of years.’

‘Daniel Gerring is a DB pensions legal expert in the UK. I value his honesty, pragmatism, proactive advice. Daniel is always thoughtful, mindful of how he can offer advice in a cost effective way and how he can leverage his knowledge of the industry and the regulator to help us move forward.’

‘Andrew Lewis is a hugely impressive up and coming pensions partner. He has excellent technical knowledge combined with first class communication skills which make his advice robust and very clear. He is pragmatic, responsive and builda excellent relationships with the trustee board.’

‘I would specifically call out David James whose attention to detail, tenacity, good humour and ability to really zero in on the key issues with the innovation to solve tough problems makes him second to none. Having him onboard is a huge reassurance.’

‘Susie Daykin is a standout performer. Total dedication, creative, a good communicator and very easy to work with.’

‘Susie Daykin deserves particular mention – an exceptional problem solver.’

‘The team were the first movers on ESG, especially for private equity, and that shows now in the quality and practicality of their advice. They are the go to firm on the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulations.’

‘The combination of their technical legal knowledge and the clear understanding of how it applies – and sometimes won’t work for, their clients’ businesses is very powerful. Doug Bryden leads the team from the front, ably supported by John Buttanshaw. Simon Witney is the best summariser of the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulations in the marketplace.’

‘Very strong and practical approach to product regulatory issues, including intersection of UK and EU requirements after Brexit.’

‘Doug Bryden is super. There isn’t anything he can’t handle. He straddles the technical legal and operational implementation divide expertly. Really great client service.’

‘Travers Smith has a great reputation for M&A and market cap advice’.

‘I have never been disappointed by Travers Smith and its teams’.

‘They provide very pragmatic and commercial support’.

‘Able to respond very quickly to high-level requests from the in-house team and management’.

‘Very much oriented towards meeting and surpassing clients’ needs and expectation’.

‘Sound, practical advice’.

‘Completely committed to clients’ needs’.

‘They understand our needs and provide timely, actionable, practical, sound legal advice’.

‘A great team that works really well together. There are no egos here, but a group who freely consult each other on their respective specialities to ensure the client gets the best all round advice.’

‘For a highly technical and cerebral speciality, everyone I met in Travers tax team was approachable and unassuming, and all made it clear that they genuinely cared about getting the best result for their client.’

‘Elena Rowlands – availability, intelligence, star quality.’

‘The team at Travers are all broad technical experts in their area of specialism, but also are very aware of broader related trends. This means that they are able to point out potential areas of concern outside their immediate area of practice, saving the client from spending time and fees on an analysis that becomes academic if the proposed transaction cannot proceed for other commercial reasons.’

‘Compared to other firms, their technical training and materials that they provide as part of their marketing efforts are of a significantly higher quality and make a big difference in shaping industry opinion and response.’

‘Compared with other firms of advisers, the big difference is that Travers attempt to really understand the business of the client and adjust their advice to the specific people / commercial factors / legal structure. This is much appreciate by in-house teams, as it avoids the need for shooting down ideas that are simply not practical.’

‘All Travers staff lead by example, seeking to produce high quality work in a manner that is ethical. All staff that I have interacted with are skilled at dealing with people, including more difficult characters, and are able to diffuse difficult situations during commercial negotiations. The Travers team always appear to be calm and under control.’

‘Emily Clark and Simon Skinner are exceptional advisers. I have used them while working for multiple firms. Their advice is detailed, accurate and timely. They seek to advise as if they are representing your firm personally, rather than seeking to stand off away from the project.’

‘Rob Fell is absolutely superb, and runs big cases beautifully. He’s incredibly clever, is one of most experienced financial services litigators in the market, and has a detailed knowledge of both the industry and the law in this area. He’s a terrific strategist, and a brilliant negotiator. He’s perfect for any really tough financial services dispute. In civil fraud, he’s been picking up top cases for a number of years; and is rightly regarded as a leading practitioner in the area.’

‘Wonderful firm offering clients a brilliant service.’

‘Very good team with good experience of financial services investigations.’

‘Rob Fell – very experienced partner who is extremely good with clients.’

‘Huw Jenkin – experienced and on top of all of the details of a case.’

‘Excellent team, highly regarded in the industry.’

‘Stephanie Biggs and Danny Riding provide excellent regulatory support and advice.’

‘The team has broad experience within areas of regulatory matters which singles them out in the market and are always easily accessible.’

‘Phil Bartram is very easy to work with and seems to always be on top of things.’

‘Professional and cordial sums it and that is really what one is looking for.’

‘I thoroughly enjoy working with Tim Lewis (partner) and Henriika Hara (senior counsel). They not only provide tailored, bespoke advice as they know us so well, but are also extremely efficient and collaborative. They are both excellent technical specialists who help translate unclear legislation into meaningful, practical guidance, which is invaluable as an in-house lawyer. A complete pleasure to work with them both.’

‘Stellar client list, ensuring advice is market tested. Technically strong. Good at all levels, not just partner level.’

‘Michael Raymond is very strong technically. He is clearly very focused on delivering the best possible service for his clients, and he achieves that time after time.’

‘Rob Fell is absolutely superb, and runs a team on a big case beautifully. He’s incredibly clever, is one of most experienced financial services litigators in the market, and has a detailed knowledge of both the industry and the law in this area. He’s a terrific strategist, and a brilliant negotiator. He’s perfect for any really tough financial services dispute. In civil fraud, he’s been picking up top cases for a number of years; and is rightly regarded as a leading practitioner in the area.’

‘The cooperation and the collaboration within the team are exceptional, the best I have ever experienced. The team is also very well equipped. I have been highly impressed with every member of the team, from top to bottom. The team is diverse as well and the roles of individual members of the team are well defined and clear.’

‘Excellent strength and depth, collegiate and collaborative approach, determined and hard working.’

‘Travers Smith has cultivated an unusually deep bench of highly skilled associates.’

‘Travers Smith has an excellent civil fraud practice and is one of the top litigation firms in London. Its teams are brilliant – with fantastically clever lawyers. It has a great approach to diversity and collaboration.’

‘Stephen Paget-Brown is an exceptional attorney and a very experienced partner. He is quick and resourceful as well. He always gives his honest opinion, which is very valuable to his clients.’

‘Alexa Day is an upcoming partner with exceptional analytical skills.’

‘Stephanie Lee is simply masterful. She is a star of the future.’

‘The Travers team is full of exceedingly intelligent people who clearly work well together and excel in providing well thought-through advice for even the most complex issues.’

‘Caroline Edwards displays a unique combination of intelligence, conscientiousness, clarity and oversight. On top of this she is also extremely pleasant to work with. Huw Jenkin is also a very important asset to the team and goes above and beyond in care for our case. It is also very noticeable that he is loved by all in his team.’

‘The team is able to understand complex commercial issues and impress the client with a lot of in-depth knowledge about their business. They always strive to walk the extra mile in order to fully grasp the details of the commercial issues relevant to their case and apply the legal rules to the specific situation. I am very impressed not only by the partners but also by their senior and junior associates.’

‘Caroline Edwards is one of the best commercial litigators I have met. She combines solid legal knowledge with excellent client handling skills.’

‘Travers have an awesome legal team in commercial matters. They are warriors on the battlefield as well as great people to work with in a long running matter. I would highly recommend them. They are also able to give dynamic and wide ranging advice, including on difficult ESG issues.’

‘The cooperation and the collaboration within the team are exceptional, the best I have ever experienced. The team is also very well equipped. I have been highly impressed with every member of the team, from top to bottom. The team is diverse as well and the roles of individual members of the team are well defined and clear.’

‘Today is the 10th anniversary of my cooperation with Stephen Paget-Brown, which tells it all. He is an exceptional attorney and a very experienced partner. He is quick and resourceful as well. He always gives his honest opinion, which is very valuable to his clients.’

‘Rachel Kitchman is incredibly bright, super efficient, and an absolute pleasure to work with. Heather Gagen is a stand out dispute resolution partner who can always be relied upon to provide an exceptional service.’

‘The Travers Smith team has unparalleled depth of expertise, as well as extremely commercially-minded and professional attorneys at all levels.’

‘The Travers Smith team’s responsiveness is exceptional.’

‘Top drawer team. Very experienced. Unflappable.’

‘Travers Smith are a true trusted partner. We work very closely with them and they have a deep understanding of our business. This means they always provide excellent advice that fits our preferred way of working and achieves our objectives.’

‘Adam Wyman is very pragmatic and commercially aware, understands what’s important to us as a matter of principle but also economically astute.’

‘Ed Mills consistently demonstrates sound judgment and high level strategic thinking.’

‘Ed Mills is one of the best practitioners in the field – he combines a wide breath of knowledge with how to apply the law strategically and pragmatically. He is a true support to general counsel and someone you absolutely want on your team and not your opponents.’

‘Alex Fisher is a standout for me. He is responsive, thorough and is realistic in terms of his legal advice. He always has an appreciation of our context. He is balanced and thoughtful in his approach and appears to foster this approach in his team.’

‘Very knowledgeable on EMIR and UK EMIR. Advise a broad sector of clients so have a very good grasp of not just the regulations but also market practice. Very through approach to any matter.’

‘Jonathan Gilmour – deep knowledge of the regulations and the market practice. Provides guidance and strong advice.’

‘Vanessa Battaglia – strong adviser with good knowledge of the regulations and understanding of the client’s business and transactions.’

‘The lawyers in this team are very commercially minded and always striving to learn more about the commercial/technical side of derivatives, creating a much more meaningful outcome for clients. This practice is always on the forefront of market developments and very focused on innovation.’

‘Jonathan Gilmour is very knowledgeable, approachable, takes time to develop meaningful relationships. Vanessa Battaglia is very knowledgeable, innovative, always on the forefront of market developments and innovations, a great contributor to creating and sharing relevant information via articles, posts, round tables and webinars.’

‘The team is great. Super-responsive, transparent on billing and has great industry knowledge.’

‘The team takes a very practical and commercial approach with a high-level of partner engagement. Approachable and knowledgeable whilst providing clear advice focused on genuine risks.’

‘Jonathan and his team are excellent – both in terms of legal expertise and also bringing superb commercial awareness that is extremely helpful.’

‘Danny Peel is extremely friendly. Nothing slips through the cracks but he doesn’t bombard you with irrelevant details. He is very good at flagging the points which the client needs to consider and does so in a way which saves the client time (not all firms do this).’

‘Excellent team, reliable on new facilities and renewals.’

‘Both Danny Peel and Katie McMenamin have deep product and sector know-how.’

‘The team is incredibly responsive and able to meet tight timelines to meet the clients’ needs. The lawyers are approachable and personable which is refreshing. They are also a pleasure to work with.’

‘Danny Peel is recommended.’

‘Travers Smith has a renowned legal practice in the fund finance space with a particular strength in the real estate sector. Its lender-side team comprises a number of well-known partners with a bench of associates in the wings.’

‘We have worked mostly with Danny Peel and Jamie Parish on a number of deals and experienced both lawyers to be of very good caliber. Danny’s attitude and knowledge of the docs make negotiations straight forward and help the process. Jamie is a diligent professional who is able to explain complex features in a simple way.’

‘Very commercial, very responsive and very nice to work with.’

‘Will Normand is an absolute legend.’

‘This team is a dedicated and dynamic team. They think outside the box and get things done. I would strongly recommend to everyone.’

‘They are always there for you! In deals when things get tough they always have your back. It’s easy to find a technical lawyer but a reliable one is harder to find.’

‘Very strong at giving rules briefings to investment banks in case study format rather than just going through rules.’

‘Will Normand is excellent; very eloquent.’

‘A strong partner led team, with a depth of knowledge across the group. Proactive and efficient and shows a pragmatic approach to achieve desired outcomes.’

‘Dan McNamee (Partner, US Securities) Brent Sanders (Senior Counsel, US Securities) Ella Sharpley (Associate, Corporate, M&A and ECM) are recommended.’

‘The cooperation and collaboration within the team is exceptional, the best I have ever experienced. The team is also very well equipped. I have been highly impressed with every member of the team, from top to bottom. The team is diverse as well and the roles of individual members of the team are well defined and clear.’

‘Stephen Paget-Brown is an exceptional attorney and a very experienced partner. He is quick and resourceful and always gives his honest opinion, which is very valuable to his clients. Alexa Day is an up-and-coming partner with exceptional analytical skills.’

‘Caroline Edwards is a class act. She is highly strategic and analyses the client’s needs from every angle. She gives outstanding practical advice.’

‘Travers Smith has a great team. They are hard working, thorough, and very strategic in their approach.’

‘Rob Fell, Alice Childs and Rachel Kitchman are all excellent, as is Natalie Puddicombe. They are across all the detail and yet remain focused on the big picture and strategic direction of the case.’

‘Travers Smith punches well above is weight in terms of its banking litigation practice. It is as good as the magic circle firms in this field. Its resourcing is brilliant, its lawyers are extremely clever, and its approach to diversity is fantastic.’

‘Rob Fell is a leading litigator in London. His judgement is excellent, and he gives extremely sensible advice. His clients love him. He has a great sense of strategy, and is all over the detail.’

‘Outstanding quality across all the work they do; first rate lawyers; extremely nice to work with. Highly recommended.’

‘Caroline Edwards is a brilliant competition litigator who well deserves her reputation at the top of the market.’

‘The team is able to understand complex commercial issues and understand the client’s business in detail. They always strive to go the extra mile, and I am very impressed not only by the partners, but also by their senior and junior associates.’

‘Caroline Edwards is one of the best commercial litigators I have met. She combines solid legal knowledge with excellent client handling skills.’

‘Huw Jenkin is very detail-oriented, and is able to handle complex economic issues.’

‘Friendly, professional, and responsive.’

‘Travers’ competition team has real strength in depth and have expertise across the main sectors, and energy in particular.’

‘Nigel Seay’s experience in the energy sector is superb.’

‘Excellent knowledge and pragmatic and commercial advice. They are also extremely responsive and this is exactly what you need from your law firm when you are under time pressures.’

‘The team at Travers has provided advice which is second to none. Their sector experience means that their advice is tailored but also practical.’

‘Clear CVA specialism, excellent capabilities in retail CVAs in particular.’

‘The Travers Smith Private Funds practice is a client-focused team that work to provide pragmatic and commercial solutions.’

‘They are responsive and bring their deep market knowledge to bear on any issue that needs to be dealt with.’

‘Sam Kay is our lead partner and works hard to provide the services and solutions we need.’

‘This team is very client-focused, with excellent internal collaboration between fund formation, regulatory and tax teams.’

‘They are technically strong and very joined up.’

‘Sam Kay is super responsive, calm, and always delivers for clients. He is great at sharing market knowledge and can steer clients where needed, with true commercial acumen.’

‘Responsive, commercial and creative. Great client service.’

‘Sam Kay stands out.’

‘Excellent team that has consistently delivered prompt solutions to our legal needs (acquisition, refinancing, other ad-hoc items at our investee companies)’.

‘Good balance of commercial orientation vs. legal orientation’.

‘Great after-closing service’

‘Jonathan Walters has been an excellent legal adviser for us across several deals over the past few years. His proactive approach to achieving solutions for legal/contractual issues has been particularly appreciated’.

‘Commercially driven’.

‘Friendly and helpful’.

‘Ben Thompson is a great communicator, and a pleasure to work with on complex transactions’.

‘The team has a very strong understanding of financial services regulations and adopts a pragmatic approach to its commercial application.’

‘Natalie Lewis is a strong partner who is able to explain technical and complex regulations in a way that can be easily understood and applied.’

‘Travers has great sector experience. The fintech sector is very unique and you need to understand it and understand the actual technology to be able to negotiate with counterparties and Travers is great at that.’

‘Louisa Chambers is stand out on this. Her knowledge is second to none but also her pragmatism means that you get to the crux of issues quickly with a host of solutions.’

‘The team provides an excellent service at every level. They are always available and turn work around very quickly; they provide sound advice, which inspires confidence; and they can draw on good quality people from the wider firm where there are connected matters.’

‘Travers Smith provides the same high standard of advice and service in every team and in every department.’

‘With Travers Smith, whatever the matter throws up, the team or their colleagues from the wider firm will be able to deal with it, providing high-quality advice and service. Fees are very reasonable and the team provides excellent value for money.’

‘Outstanding depth of knowledge, able to articulate legal issues into very straightforward explanations.’

‘Dan Reavill is excellent. He is very down-to-earth and approachable, always available to answer calls and discuss matters at short notice, and he is sensible and pragmatic, getting to the nub of the matter quickly and offering practicable solutions to problems. Dan is one of the best lawyers in this area.’

‘Dan Reavill is outstanding to deal with as he prioritises long term engagements.’

‘The team is second to none, they make a genuine effort to understand our business, they are commercial and pragmatic and their knowledge is second to none.’

‘The whole team is really stand out but in particular, Louisa Chambers and Emma Riggs. They both go the extra mile to understand our business, they are extremely responsive and are an extension of our in house team.’

‘The Media and Entertainment practice at Travers Smith manages to be both highly professional and highly personal at the same time. We have now concluded a number of acquisitions with them and in all cases they have been a huge asset, driving the deal forward, working very closely with our in-house team, listening and responding quickly, collaboratively and accurately.’

‘Louisa Chambers manages to make herself swiftly available when needed and always responds in full within the necessary timeframe. She listens very effectively and provides commercially sensible advice which enables the deal to progress.’

‘Consistently excellent. Deep industry knowledge bringing to bear commercial instinct with legal expertise.’

‘Outstanding leaders build outstanding teams, and that’s exactly what Richard Brown has done.’

‘One of the team’s key strengths is a desire to understand our business in detail, going beyond strict legal principles and seeking to apply them into the commercial context we operate in.’

‘Claire Shepherd is very responsive, a good communicator, and provides pragmatic advice based on her understanding of our business.’

‘Good collaboration between departments. There are no silos, which make cross-functional work seamless.’

‘Affable, market leaders in their fields. They genuinely wanted to understand our business and industry. Their deep knowledge of how the regulators work has enabled effective and reassuring advice.’

‘Stephen Whitfield is a real subject matter expert with genuine industry knowledge. His years of experience in matter of merger control investigation shine through. Commercially-minded and pragmatic.’

‘Ingrid Rogers is one of the best senior associates I have met, very capable, knowledgeable and a great project manager. An asset to the team and practitioner in her own right – one to watch for the future in my opinion.’

‘Problem solvers – always finding a way to get the deal done.’

‘To the point, transparent, combined with strong technical knowledge – rare to find!’

‘Highly commercial team with a great depth of experience that extends beyond partner level.’

‘James Longster always knows much more than the other side but wears it with good humour.’

‘Louisa Chambers is very approachable and easy to get hold of. She provides straightforward and easy to understand advice in an efficient and cost effective way.’

‘James Longster is incredibly commercial and responsive.’

‘The team manages to strike an excellent balance between commercial considerations and obligations under DP law. They allow us, as data controller but not lawyers, to understand choices and implications in order to make the key decisions. The advice is there with clarity and without undue influence or steer.’

‘The individuals strike a good balance between being personable and professional. So interactions are efficient and thorough, without being a chore. Particular positive mention to James Longster, Sarah Robinson and Stephanie Beams.’