Arnold & Porter > London, England > Firm Profile

Arnold & Porter > The Legal 500 Rankings

Dispute resolution > Public international law Tier 2

The London arbitration group at Arnold & Porter has a strong track record in representing both states and global corporate clients in high-stakes investor-state arbitrations. The group's cases incorporate a range of industries,  including energy, mining, construction, shipping, hospitality, telecoms, banking, and financial services; and the team is increasingly active in life sciences-related arbitrations. Co-leading the practice, David Reed is an international commercial and international investment arbitration specialist; Patricio Grané Labat has longstanding experience in international investor-state and commercial arbitrations, along with international trade and PIL issues; and Monty Taylor routinely acts for corporations, individuals and governments in international arbitrations. The second line of key practitioners includes counsel Álvaro Nistal, whose experience includes several ICJ proceedings, while senior associates Bart Wasiak and Tim Smyth both assist with PIL-related matters. Former partner Dmitri Evseev recently left to become a full-time, independent arbitrator.

Insurance > Product liability: defendant Tier 2

Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals) Tier 3

The enforcement and dispute resolution team at Arnold & Porter has  expertise in criminal and regulatory investigations, representing individuals in complex SFO and US DOJ proceedings. With the firm’s London lawyers working closely with the firm's wider US offices, the group expertly covers a broad array of sectors, including finance, technology, and defence, in cross-border cases. White collar 'legend' Kathleen Harris leads the London practice, regularly advising clients on compliance and enforcement relating to financial and trade sanctions, while 'charismatic and very clever ' Sean Curran is an expert on civil matters involving accusations of fraud, along with bribery and corruption proceedings.

Industry focus > Life sciences and healthcare Tier 3

Arnold & Porter houses a ‘high-calibre‘ team which advises a varied client base, notably including Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Janssen. Practice head Adela Williams has vast experience in providing regulatory advice in relation to clinical trials, marketing authorisations, and medical devices in both the UK and the EU, often acting in product liability disputes. Ian Dodds-Smith is noted for his ‘considered and thorough approach‘ and his expertise in group actions and regulatory disputes, and the ‘very knowledgeable’ Jacqueline Mulryne advises clients in the cosmetics, food, and medtech industries on borderline classification and clinical research work. Beatriz San Martin frequently appears before the CJEU and domestic courts in IP disputes in relation to emerging technology, and Ewan Townsend maintains a transactions focused practice, often acting for biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

Investment fund formation and management > Hedge funds Tier 3

Arnold & Porter acts for hedge fund managers on matters of fund formation and structuring, assisting with the drafting of investor agreements and seed investment terms. The firm also supports fund managers in complying with regulatory obligations, including those laid out under Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and SFDR. Simon Firth heads the practice, advising on the establishment, operation and regulation of hedge funds, with a growing focus on crypto asset funds.

Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates) Tier 3

Representing corporate clients from across the finance, defence, and technology industries, Arnold & Porter’s enforcement and dispute resolution practice specialises in managing cross-border regulatory prosecutions and investigations. The department works closely with its US network of offices, providing a global approach regarding bribery and corruptions issues, along with anti-tax evasion matters. Kathleen Harris heads the London office, bringing vast expertise on regulatory and enforcement proceedings, as well as financial fraud investigations, and Sean Curran is highly experienced in handling multi-jurisdictional prosecutions brought by the SFO, HMRC, and FCA.

Corporate and commercial > M&A: Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m Tier 4

With an extensive geographic reach spanning London, the US, Brussels and more recently Amsterdam, the ‘talented industry specialists’ at Arnold & Porter, whose expertise is most keenly concentrated in the life sciences and healthcare sector, are praised by clients for their ‘strong market knowledge’ and ‘commercial thinking.’ The team is well-versed on the full spectrum of corporate transactions and continues to build its reputation in the transport, healthcare and real estate space. Described as the ‘best corporate legal adviser' by some clients, Jeremy Willcocks is well-versed in a host of multi-jurisdictional matters. Private equity transactions expert Sean Scanlon  also handles various national and international corporate transactions. Marc Isaacs is active in both European and emerging markets, focusing on bilateral and syndicated lending transactions. Tom Wilson and Kardia Leung are further names to note.

Dispute resolution > Competition litigation Tier 4

Arnold & Porter houses a ‘very good, very knowledgeable‘ practice which handles a number of arbitration and follow-on claims and often appears before domestic, EU, and US courts. ‘Excellent strategic thinker' Jane Wessel leads the team, regularly acting for corporate claimants and defendants; and John Schmidt has vast expertise in the securing of injunctive relief in cases concerning abuse of dominance allegations. Rated by clients as being ‘knowledgeable beyond his years', Alastair Brown primarily focuses on collective claims, often appearing in disputes before the Court of Appeal. Associate Zeno Frediani handles a number of European investigations and claims for global companies.

Dispute resolution > International arbitration Tier 4

Arnold & Porter has 'an outstanding reputation for its representation of sovereign states in high-value international arbitration proceedings'. The team's has notable disputes expertise in the life sciences, construction, energy, natural resources, engineering, aerospace and financial services sectors. Patricio Grané Labat 'handles high-stake disputes with ease'; David Reed has longstanding experience in international arbitration claims; and Monty Taylor represents corporations, individuals and governments in international arbitration proceedings. Jane Wessel's practice also incorporates international commercial and investor state arbitrations.

Finance > Debt capital markets Tier 4

Arnold & Porter is a top-level adviser to sovereigns on high-value debt offerings, and its small London team - comprising lead partner Jeremy Willcocks, former US Executive Director of the World Bank Whitney Debevoise, who works in both Washington DC and London, and associate Kardia Leung - is involved in market-leading deals. Willcocks and Leung acted for the Republic of Turkey in sukuk offerings with a value in excess of $5.5bn. The whole London team acted for Hungary in its buy back of U.S. dollar-denominated foreign currency bonds maturing in 2023 and 2024 and the issuance of $4.25bn in new debt. The firm also counts Republic of Nigeria and Republic of Panama among its clients.

TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious) Tier 4

Arnold & Porter’s expertise centres on patent litigation, noted for their work in handling long-standing mandates in the life sciences sector. Beatriz San Martin helms the practice, enhancing the practice with her vast experience in the life sciences field alongside an ability to handle various technologies. Ewan Townsend counts various biotechnology and pharma companies in his client roster, while associate Shishu Chen routinely advises clients on enforcing and defending patents.

Employment > Employers Tier 5

Arnold & Porter is known for its life sciences and pharmaceuticals specialism, and is taking on a growing amount of employment work for its clients in this space. The US-headquartered firm is also recommended for its post-transactional restructuring and senior staff negotiations work more broadly, with its representation of a conglomerate of lenders to Cineworld being a standout recent matter. This practice is notable for its capabilities in cross-border employment-linked privacy compliance and pro bono assistance for charities involved in employee disputes. Henry Clinton-Davis, a former practising barrister, leads the team, supported by associates Rosine Dawson and Peter Collins.

Corporate and commercial > EU and competition Tier 6

With its extensive expertise in both contentious and non-contentious competition matters, the London team at Arnold & Porter has a particular focus on the life sciences, consumer goods, media and transport sectors. Practice head John Schmidt has experience advising on complex competition conduct issues, investigations, litigation and merger matters spanning the life sciences, consumer goods and TMT sectors. Jane Wessel leads the competition litigation team where she regularly handles competition damages litigation in the English High Court and the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Corporate and commercial > Venture capital Tier 6

Leveraging the firm’s overarching IP, commercial and regulatory prowess, Arnold & Porter is best-suited to advising life sciences start-ups/corporates throughout their funding life cycle, both domestically and on transatlantic issues by dint of its US resources. As well as acting on life sciences matters, team head  Jeremy Willcocks has experience advising on investments in the cannabis and cybersecurity space, and is able to provide pure venture capital advice alongside broader corporate finance/M&A capabilities by dint of his comprehensive transactional skillset.

Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium Tier 6

Arnold & Porter has a widely lauded practice, with impressive multijurisdictional capabilities as well as in-depth experience in commercial and corporate disputes related to the pharmaceutical sector. Hilton Mervis leads the team; he has decades of experience litigating high-value, complex disputes for corporations, private equity firms, and high-net-worth individuals. Also of note are Jane Wessel, with complementary competition experience, and Charlotte Mallorie, along with commercial barrister William Paris.

Latin America: International firms > International arbitration

Undoubtedly the "go-to" firm for State-side representations in the wake of an peerless track record of 48 (out of 49) positive outcomes, Arnold & Porter counts some 14 Latin American states among its clients; this perhaps unfairly overshadows its fine credentials as regards representing Latin American corporates in ICC arbitrations. The firm's sizeable arbitral group houses practitioners with government experience, who are members of ICSID's panel of arbitrators and/or have the linguistic and bicultural expertise to allow the team to conduct proceedings in Spanish. 30-year arbitral veteran Paolo Di Rosa founded the firm's international arbitration practice (which he subsequently led for 15 years) and has an exceptional record of success as a counsel; fully bilingual (Spanish/English) he has represented a dozen Latin American states in public international law matters and/or international litigation and arbitration. London partner Patricio Grané Labat is another deeply experienced figure in investor-state arbitration, including cases under the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but also handles international commercial arbitration, public international law, and international trade matters. A January 2022 lateral hire, New York partner Mélida Hodgson impresses in both international commercial cases and investor-state arbitrations (particularly on behalf of Venezuela); she has a notable focus on the infrastructure construction, mining, transportation and energy sectors. The experienced and versatile Whitney Debevoise provides further senior level gravitas and Latin America experience in the arbitral sphere. Emerging talent Mallory Silberman has represented the governments of Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, as well as representing investors in investor-State disputes against Argentina. Trilingual (English, French & Spanish) counsel Álvaro Nistal is also highly active in Latin America as part of his broader, global practice.