Firm Profile > Baker McKenzie > London, England

Commercial contracts Tier 1

Specialising in complex, high-value contracts, Baker McKenzie has experience of advising on alternative fee arrangements, agency distributions and consumer practice, among other areas. The practice has global reach; examples of its international work include advising technology giant Google on numerous consumer contractual matters. Duncan Reid-Thomas advises on and negotiates a wide range of commercial agreements, with notable expertise in the healthcare sector. Key names in his team are Steve Holmes, who particularly focuses on the technology, communications and media industries, and Sue McLean, who advises clients on technology, sourcing and digital media business models, as well as the legal issues relating to the implementation of new technologies. Also recommended are experienced counsels Helen Brown and Julia Hemmings and senior associate Nick Wloch, who is ‘smart, commercial and focused on providing excellent support'.

Contentious trusts and probate Tier 1

Baker McKenzie regularly acts in significant international trust disputes. Such disputes are frequently high-value and involve multiple-parties. Recently the team has been working with key lawyers, private banks and trust companies that operate in the major offshore jurisdictions. Head of the department Anthony Poulton  is described by clients as an 'exceptional strategist, motivator and lawyer, whose ability to connect with the client and instil confidence is unrivalled'. Poulton has extensive experience of advising clients on managing the risks associated with wealth-related controversy as well as dealing with corporate governance, family governance and at resolving ‘private’ family disputes.  The 'hardworking and bright' Gemma Willingham and associate Yindi Gesinde are ones to watch.

Emerging markets Tier 1

Baker McKenzie has an extensive network or more than 70 offices in emerging markets around the world, and its core finance teams in London remain highly active in a broad range of transactions in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America. It frequently acts for financial institutions, sponsors and borrowers in syndicated financings, and it has a proven track record in advising banks, multi-lateral institutions, export credit agencies, commodity traders, exporters, producers and corporate borrowers on trade, export and commodity financings in developing markets. Head of banking and finance Nick Tostivin focusing on syndicated lending transactions including in relation to acquisitions. Lynn Rosell Rowley specialises in cross-border and multi-jurisdictional leveraged finance. Head of the global project finance practice group Calvin Walker has more than 20 years' experience in the market. Finance partner Chris Hogan has a particular focus of African banking and debt capital markets work. Marc Fèvre's highlights from 2018 include acting for sponsors in the development of a coal-fired power generation plant in Botswana.

Employment: employers Tier 1

Baker McKenzie has a strong reputation for highly strategic and complex employment matters, including global workforce restructuring and cross-border deals, large transactions, global compliance and risk management, equal pay and data privacy matters. The practice, which also has expertise in innovative staffing models, model slavery issues, is well versed in complex disputes and investigations, financial services and regulatory advice and industrial relations work. Recent highlights include advising the BBC on equal pay issues. John Evason heads the practice. Monica Kurnatowska, Christine O’Brien, the 'exceptionally professional' Carl Richards and of counsel Lily Collyer are also recommended. Senior associate Annabel Mackay joined from Addleshaw Goddard in April 2019.

EU and competition: trade, WTO anti-dumping and customs Tier 1

Standing out for its historically strong trade-focused presence on the London market, the ‘highly competent’ international trade and WTO team at Baker McKenzie advises on the full scope of matters, including export controls, sanctions, customs, WTO law and trade remedies. The group has specific expertise in sectors such as aerospace and defence, energy, financial services, media, consumer goods, industry and pharmaceuticals. Notably, the team has also experienced an increase in Brexit-related instructions. While the team primarily acts for UK-based exporters and large multinational companies, it has also been advising governmental bodies during the past year. Sunny Mann heads the team and focuses on UK, EU and US export control, sanctions and anti-bribery work. Ross Denton handles matters concerning the public regulation of international trade; this is also an area of specialism for Jennifer Revis, who is adept at handling customs compliance issues. Senior associates Sven Bates and Ben Smith are also recommended.

Fraud: civil Tier 1

Baker McKenzie draws on its huge global network of offices to handle multijurisdictional matters; areas of expertise include cross-border fraud investigations, litigation, economic torts, fraudulent misrepresentation, asset tracing, and preservation and disclosure orders. The firm continues to act as a global legal coordinator for the Kuwaiti Government-owned Grupo Torras on the recovery of stolen assets, following the groundbreaking $800m judgment the firm obtained in its favour in England. Charles Thomson and Hugh Lyons head the team.

Employment: employers and senior executives

Employment: employees/unions

Pensions

Securitisation

IT and telecoms Tier 1

Baker McKenzie's technology practice has impressive capabilities spanning the IT and telecoms sectors; the group has experience assisting telecoms companies and communication service providers with network transformation and commercial advice, and also advises IT users and providers on the full range of contentious and non-contentious matters. Practice head Steve Holmes specialises in complex commercial telecoms transactions, while Ben Allgrove focuses on telecoms regulatory issues, particularly in the digital media space. Names to note for technology transactions include outsourcing specialists Harry Small and Duncan Reid-Thomas, and Sue McLean, who has experience spanning outsourcing, data privacy, technology procurement, development and licensing work, with particular fintech, blockchain and AI expertise. David Halliday is a key contact for contentious matters. Senior associate Charlotte Harrington is also recommended.

Product liability: defendant Tier 1

Baker McKenzie's product and operational risk team provides its clients, which are predominantly international manufacturers, distributors and retailers, with comprehensive advice on the whole life cycle of a product. The team has core expertise in product liability litigation, recalls and regulation. Practice head John Leadley also regularly assists clients with media and communications issues concerning crisis management. Kate Corby is another key contact; she is well versed in regulatory compliance. Graham Stuart is noted for matters related to the management of environmental risk.

Regulatory investigations and corporate crime Tier 1

Baker McKenzie's tier one corporate crime practice handles a full range of matters ranging from internal and regulatory investigations through to bribery prevention, compliance and advisory work. The firm's broad geographic spread means the 'extremely knowledgeable' team has extensive experience with both UK Bribery Act and US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters. The team is multi-disciplinary and includes experts in criminal and civil litigation as well as practices such as employment, IP, financial services, EU and competition. Key practitioner Charles Thomson advises corporates in relation to fraud, asset tracing, money laundering, health and safety, environmental infringements, tax violations, bribery and corruption.  The practice also benefits from the in-house experience of  disputes partner Jonathan Peddie , who joined in 2015 from Barclays , where he held roles including global head of financial crime, legal. The firm often deals with regulators including the FCA, SFO, Europol and HMRC.

VAT and indirect tax Tier 1

Baker McKenzie's department is jointly led by head of tax Mark Delaney, head of VAT Mark Agnew and David Jamieson, who leads on contentious VAT. The group is able to provide VAT advice and planning strategies, along with a strong disputes practice, assisting clients with preparations for Brexit and representing them in complex investigations and disputes with HMRC. The firm's international office network also enables the team to provide cross-border advice to clients across the EMEA region; an area enhanced by customs and excise specialists Ross Denton and Jenny Revis.

Administrative and public law Tier 2

Baker McKenzie advises corporate clients and public bodies on high-profile public law litigation, independent inquiries, public procurement matters and judicial review applications. Sector specialisms include the media, technology, utilities and human rights. Ongoing contentious work involves applications against HMRC, judicial review challenges to regulatory decisions and a suite of interventions on behalf of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees challenging actions by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Regular public procurement work consists of proceedings against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office challenging the provision of contracts and other contentious decisions, and challenges to NHS procurement processes. The team also takes on pro bono work, including recently representing an LGBT charity in an intervention concerning transgender rights. Practice head Joanna Ludlam specialises in administrative and public law, procurement law, litigation and investigations.

Brand management Tier 2

Baker McKenzie has notable strengths in trade mark portfolio management and enforcement, and is often sought after by recognised international brands in the consumer goods, media, retail, technology and financial services sectors; L'Oreal, Google and Hitachi are among its recent clients. Jessica Le Gros heads the trade mark registration and disputes team, where she is  supported by Ben Allgrove, Michael Hart and Paul Rawlinson, who advise on the full range of contentious and non-contentious IP matters, including trade secrets and copyright. Michelle Blunt focuses on commercial transactions in IP.

Brexit Tier 2

For Baker McKenzie, its Brexit expertise is particularly prevalent in the work of its international trade and WTO practice, which has extensive knowledge of export controls, sanctions, customs, WTO law, trade remedies and other EU trade law. Ross Denton leads the trade group, which also includes Jennifer Revis, who heads up the customs and excise team. The cross-departmental group also benefits from the firm’s substantial global network and the strength of the firm’s tax, regulatory, immigration, financial services, commercial contracts, IP, data protection and competition teams. Kate Alexander focuses on UK and international tax mandates, Emily Carlisle is the key contact for structuring, implementing and managing cross-border reorganisations, Graham Stuart handles product regulation issues, while senior associate Tony Haque leads the firm’s global immigration and mobility department.

Commercial property: corporate occupiers Tier 2

Clients recommend Baker McKenzie for its ‘global coverage’, ‘extremely responsive team’ and ‘commercial advice’. The team is particularly well-regarded for investment matters, handling finance, structuring, documenting, development and divestment matters in addition to the negotiation of joint ventures. Overseas inbound investment is also a strength with the highly recommended Stephen Turner recently advising Asian investor Far East Consortium on the acquisition of a £200m development site in Manchester. Specific expertise is also held in relation to the European rollout of US and other international retail groups, while the practice also supports corporate occupiers on leasing, transactions, developments, planning and dispute resolution matters, among others. Justin Salkeld is another standout name and heads the hotels and leisure offering. He is an expert on the acquisition, development, operation and disposal of hotel assets. His team is also engaged for employment, IP, tax, environment, franchise and construction-related instructions.

Commercial property: hotels and leisure Tier 2

Clients recommend Baker McKenzie for its ‘global coverage’, ‘extremely responsive team’ and ‘commercial advice’. The team is particularly well-regarded for investment matters, handling finance, structuring, documenting, development and divestment matters in addition to the negotiation of joint ventures. Overseas inbound investment is also a strength with the highly recommended Stephen Turner recently advising Asian investor Far East Consortium on the acquisition of a £200m development site in Manchester. Specific expertise is also held in relation to the European rollout of US and other international retail groups, while the practice also supports corporate occupiers on leasing, transactions, developments, planning and dispute resolution matters, among others. Justin Salkeld is another standout name and heads the hotels and leisure offering. He is an expert on the acquisition, development, operation and disposal of hotel assets. His team is also engaged for employment, IP, tax, environment, franchise and construction-related instructions.

Commercial property: investment Tier 2

Clients recommend Baker McKenzie for its ‘global coverage’, ‘extremely responsive team’ and ‘commercial advice’. The team is particularly well-regarded for investment matters, handling finance, structuring, documenting, development and divestment matters in addition to the negotiation of joint ventures. Overseas inbound investment is also a strength with the highly recommended Stephen Turner recently advising Asian investor Far East Consortium on the acquisition of a £200m development site in Manchester. Specific expertise is also held in relation to the European rollout of US and other international retail groups, while the practice also supports corporate occupiers on leasing, transactions, developments, planning and dispute resolution matters, among others. Justin Salkeld is another standout name and heads the hotels and leisure offering. He is an expert on the acquisition, development, operation and disposal of hotel assets. His team is also engaged for employment, IP, tax, environment, franchise and construction-related instructions.

Corporate governance Tier 2

Beatriz Pessoa de Araujo leads the corporate governance practice at Baker McKenzie, which also fields corporate finance practice head Helen Bradley, chair of the EMEA compliance and investigations group Joanna Ludlam, corporate finance partner Robert Adam and Jeremy Edwards, who heads up the employee benefits group. The cross-departmental group acts for a range of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 clients; examples include Barclays, BP and Unilever. The group's expertise encompasses corporate advisory work, compliance and risk governance issues, crisis management, investigations, executive remuneration matters and tax governance mandates. The firm also has a dedicated public company advisory service line, led by Bradley.

Corporate tax Tier 2

Baker McKenzie's tax practice stands out for its strong cross-border offering due to the firm's extensive  international presence. In addition to its traditional corporate transactional tax practice, the firm  offers  tax planning and transfer pricing capabilities, as well as VAT and indirect tax expertise. The department's strength is evidenced by a stellar client list, including Body Shop, Hitachi and Unilever. The group is led by Mark Delaney and includes London office managing partner and international tax planning expert Alex Chadwick, Richard Fletcher, who co-leads the UK transfer pricing group alongside Nigel Dolman and James Smith who takes the lead on transactional tax matters.

Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity Tier 2

Baker McKenzie's data protection team leverages the firm’s global network to provide international clients with multijurisdictional advice. Recent areas of expertise for the practice include substantial GDPR compliance projects, breaches and incident response assistance including investigations, notifications and regulated sector issues; and advising third-party providers on the practical implementation of data protection compliance programmes. IT and commercial partner Harry Small heads up the department and assists with contentious and non-contentious mandates including major data protection programmes and data security breaches; other key individuals include Julia Wilson , who leads the employment data protection group; David Halliday, who leads on data security breaches; and Ben Allgrove, who regularly acts for digital media clients. Dyann Heward-Mills left to set up her own DPO company.

Debt capital markets Tier 2

Baker McKenzie has an extensive global network and its presence in many of the world's emerging markets draws complex cross-border debt transactions to the practice in London. US securities specialist Adam Farlow leads a practice that not only continues to handle groundbreaking emerging markets deals for issuers, but also acts for a growing roster of underwriters in challenging deals. The firm's deep bench of talent includes Roy Pearce, who represents issuers and investment banks in capital markets transactions, primarily Eurobonds and debt restructurings; corporate trustee expert Simon Porter; New York-qualified partner Megan Schellinger, who advises corporate and investment banking clients on Rule 144A and SEC-registered offerings and private placements of international debt; and Michael Doran, formerly of White & Case LLP, who handles both investment grade deals and more complex, disclosure-heavy emerging markets transactions.

Employee share schemes Tier 2

Known for its ‘understanding of UK schemes and the law surrounding them’, Baker McKenzie is also active on cross-border transactions, international share plans, and senior executive remunerations, in addition to providing commercial and tax advice. Practice head Jeremy Edwards advises on all aspects of employee share plans and executive compensation, and has a strong reputation for advising London Stock Exchange-listed companies on the structure and disclosure of remuneration for directors and senior executives. His team includes associate Gillian Murdoch, who assists UK and multinational companies with the design, implementation and administration of their share plans.

Environment Tier 2

Baker McKenzie has expertise in EU environmental law, including contaminated land, waste regulation and water pollution, as well as environmental liability in transactions and projects. The firm is also experienced in handling matters regarding climate change law, emissions trading and product-related environmental compliance work. Practice head Graham Stuart focuses on operational environmental, health and safety matters for industrial and manufacturing facilities.

EU and competition Tier 2

Due to its team members’ extensive experience handling investigations conducted by the CMA and the EU Commission, Baker McKenzie’s ‘efficient and practical’ competition department continues to gain new mandates in this space. A team led by recently appointed practice co-head Keith Jones represented Willis Towers Watson on the regulator’s investigation into the market for investment consultancy and fiduciary management services. In another highlight, fellow department co-head Luis Gomez advised Jones Lang LaSalle on the CMA's cartel investigation into the building and fit-out sector. On the merger control side, the London-based team’s proven ability to act alongside colleagues across multiple foreign jurisdictions allows it to represent clients in a number of significant cross-border matters. One example is the advice provided to Unilever by a team led by Samantha Mobley in relation to the client’s acquisition of Quala, a leading Latin American consumer goods company. Nicola Northway is highly recommended for investigatory work, as well as for her expertise in the financial services sector. The department's sector-specific focus also includes professional services, technology, telecoms, and healthcare.

High yield Tier 2

The high yield practice at Baker McKenzie underwent a transformation in 2018 and early 2019, significantly boosting its capability with a number of key hires. Lead partner Adam Farlow now works with partners Rob Mathews and David Becker, who both joined from White & Case LLP along with senior associate Ben Bierwirth, Haden Henderson from Ropes & Gray LLP, and Megan Schellinger from Linklaters LLP. The firm, which climbs the ranking, has integrated US and UK capital markets capability, enabling it to advise on European high yield debt offerings, whether English law Eurobonds or New York law bonds, for underwriters, private equity funds and issuers. Its work encompasses debut issuance, follow-on issuances, taps, on-going covenant compliance, reporting, liability management and restructuring. The firm's vast international network, which includes offices in many emerging markets, is a boon to the practice as private equity sponsors look to expand their coverage into into new and developing jurisdictions.

Media and entertainment (including media finance) Tier 2

Baker McKenzie's cross-practice team consists of technology, IP, M&A, tax, compliance, competition and dispute resolution experts. The team is instructed by a range of media clients across the gaming, social media, interactive content, film, TV, music, publishing and events sectors on corporate, commercial, regulatory and contentious matters. Advising Sovereign Films, and its associated companies, on a series of major motion pictures, including Cradle of Champions, Being a Best, Tunnels of Chu Chi, The Cooks Sisters and We Love You Charlie Freeman is a key example of the team's film sector expertise.

Mining and minerals Tier 2

Baker McKenzie's London mining team operates as part of the wider firm's global offering, and has historic strength in advising on international exploration and mining projects across the world. The practice's stellar client list also includes investors, traders, financiers and other key stakeholders, covering the full life cycle of mining projects. Recently, the group has been advising clients on the increasing demand for new battery materials and the impact of the ongoing energy transition. The practice added significant regulatory expertise during 2018 with the hire of Christopher Jones from the European Commission, where he had served as deputy director for energy, while former Clifford Chance LLP corporate partner Kathy Honeywood has also joined the team.

Oil and gas Tier 2

The multi-disciplinary energy, mining and infrastructure team at Baker McKenzie covers corporate M&A, project development, project finance and dispute resolution, but also complementary areas such as tax and structuring, trade and compliance, cyber security, and regulatory and environmental law, among others. In recent highlights, the group advised Shell's New Energies division on its agreements to acquire 100% of sonnen, the German battery manufacturer and leader in smart energy storage systems for households. Key contacts include Richard Blunt, who specialises in M&A, joint ventures, private equity and project development, and Susannah Davies. Kathy Honeywood and Christopher Jones joined the team from Clifford Chance LLP and the European Commission respectively.

Pensions (non-contentious) Tier 2

Baker McKenzie advises a diverse client list of pension trustees and sponsors on the full range of issues relating to their schemes. Practice head Jeanette Holland and senior counsel Robert West are leading figures in the non-contentious space, leading the team on matters including high-value buy-ins and buy-outs, longevity swap transactions, complex funding arrangements, corporate acquisitions and scheme closures. The firm’s litigation team, meanwhile, covers the full range of pensions-related disputes, including regulatory investigations, Pensions Ombudsman complaints (including resolving member disputes), breach of contract claims, professional negligence cases and GMP equalisation issues.

Pensions: dispute resolution Tier 2

Baker McKenzie advises a diverse client list of pension trustees and sponsors on the full range of issues relating to their schemes. Practice head Jeanette Holland and senior counsel Robert West are leading figures in the non-contentious space, leading the team on matters including high-value buy-ins and buy-outs, longevity swap transactions, complex funding arrangements, corporate acquisitions and scheme closures. The firm’s litigation team, meanwhile, covers the full range of pensions-related disputes, including regulatory investigations, Pensions Ombudsman complaints (including resolving member disputes), breach of contract claims, professional negligence cases and GMP equalisation issues.

Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 2

Ashley Crossley heads the team at Baker McKenzie that specialises in complex cross-border structuring, asset protection and advice, particularly for major Middle Eastern clients and their family offices. It is advising on some of the latest developments in the holding and taxation of cryptocurrencies and in Bitcoin. The group has also seen a large increase in international taxation disputes, and work stemming from business and real-estate tax investigations and the cross-border exchange of information. Senior associate Phyllis Townsend is also recommended.

Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology Tier 2

The Baker McKenzie team provides a blend of corporate, commercial and regulatory expertise to its healthcare clients backed by its extensive global network. Hiroshi Sheraton, who heads the sector group, provides deep experience of IP and regulatory regimes to global life sciences and pharma companies, and Jane Hobson focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and other commercial transactions such as licensing and joint ventures. Duncan Reid-Thomas handles tech and IT-related commercial work including healthtech.

Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables) Tier 2

The energy, mining and infrastructure offering at Baker McKenzie covers all fuels and technologies from coal, electricity, and oil and gas-fired to nuclear, with particular recent activity in the solar, wind and biofuels fields. The firm also covers traditional long-term PPA-backed, PWPA-backed, tolling and merchant power models, base-load, mid-merit and peaking plants, cogeneration and captive plants. In recent highlights, the group advised Lightsource BP on the sale of seven solar farms to Blackrock Real Assets, and represented Japanese conglomerate Hitachi on its $11bn acquisition of Swiss engineering group ABB. Richard Blunt leads the London energy, mining and infrastructure group, Neil Donoghue heads up the global nuclear practice, and Marc Fèvre leads the global renewables group. Christopher Jones and Kathy Honeywood recently joined the team from the European Commission and Clifford Chance LLP respectively.

Tax litigation and investigations Tier 2

Baker McKenzie fields a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers, economists and accountants who advise on a range of tax disputes matters, often for well-known international corporates.   Nigel Dolman leads the transfer pricing disputes offering in London, with Jessica Eden taking the lead for corporate tax disputes and David Jamieson heading the VAT disputes practice. Both Eden and Jamieson were promoted to partner in June 2018. The team is well placed to advise clients on cross-border and multi-jurisdictional tax disputes, drawing on Bakers' strong global office network.

Trade finance Tier 2

The trade and export finance practice at Baker McKenzie, which sits in the firm's banking group, climbs the rankings. It acts for financial institutions, corporates and government entities in financings throughout the EMEA and CIS Regions, as well as Latin America. It focuses predominantly on commodities and infrastructure financings, including transactions in the transport and telecoms sectors. It regularly handles multi-sourced financings, including ECA-backed facilities, in which it acts for both ECAs and arrangers. In the current climate, the firm's highly-rated sanctions practice is closely involved with the activities of the trade finance team. 'It is able to leverage its wide network of international offices to provide expert local law advice on issues as they arise, which is particularly beneficial in the inherently cross-border area of trade finance', remarks one client. Practice head Nicholas Tostivin and rising star senior associate Luka Lightfoot are the standout practitioners in London.

Water Tier 2

Baker McKenzie has a long history of involvement in the development of water and waste projects. The firm regularly advises bid leaders, construction companies, consortium partners or their lenders in many large P3 projects, including resolving disputes in the sector. Also notable is the group's extensive experience with structuring outsourcing and public private partnership contract arrangements and experience with water and wastewater outsourcing contracts, including involvement with municipal water outsourcing projects. The wider group was recently strengthened by the hire of Kathy Honeywood from Clifford Chance LLP and regulatory expert Christopher Jones from the European Commission.

Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans Tier 3

Led by Nicholas Tostivin, Baker McKenzie's banking and finance team has increased bandwidth and critical mass with which to serve a balanced roster of corporates, lenders and sponsors by virtue of a number of hires in 2018, including leveraged finance expert Matthew Cox from Ropes & Gray LLP. The team is particularly accomplished at handling multi-jurisdictional mandates where it is able to tap into expertise across its broad-ranging international network. Particular areas of strength include work within the emerging markets, including Turkey and Sub-Saharan Africa where, in addition to work for commercial banks, it also benefits from a strong relationship with UK Export Finance.

Banking litigation: investment and retail Tier 3

Baker McKenzie acts for large financial institutions and has a highly rated investigations practice. The firm's well-known administrative and public law team also assists the practice when acting for significant public and regulatory bodies in the banking sector. Co-head of the global financial institutions disputes group, Hugh Lyons, has extensive experience of high-profile and high-value banking and finance disputes, and much of his work arises from disputed financing transactions, restructuring and insolvency, fraud, and financial misconduct. Jonathan Peddie was recently appointed as the firm's global head of financial institutions. Other names to note are the 'top-quality' Edward Poulton and Francesca Richmond, while Marc Florent, who specialises in all contentious aspects of structured finance and insolvency, recently joined from Allen & Overy LLP.

Construction: contentious Tier 3

Baker McKenzie's contentious team represents employers, consortium partners, contractors and subcontractors domestically and internationally. The team is led by Steve Abraham who acts across for mining companies, power utilities and oil and gas companies, displaying a breadth of practice; he works alongside Kate Corby, who specialises international arbitration relating to construction and engineering. Abraham also serves on the firm's global dispute resolution steering committee.

Contruction: non-contentious Tier 3

Baker McKenzie's non-contentious team has two key areas of focus: acting for employers/owners on heavy engineering and process plant projects; and working on the development of commercial, residential and industrial buildings. The team is led by Steve Webster who specialises in project development and construction law with decades of experience advising contractors, owners and lenders. A recent highlight involving advising CIMB Bank, Maybank and a consortium of lenders on the financing and redevelopment of Battersea Power Station.

Derivatives (including commodities) Tier 3

Baker McKenzie's structured capital markets group has a strong reputation in complex cross-border transactions in the areas of securitisation, structured finance and derivatives. It is also a leading adviser on corporate trust matters in securitisation and other structured transactions. Its diverse client base includes international financial institutions and multinational corporates seeking to fund assets originated in multiple jurisdictions, as well as individual counterparties, among which are leading buy-side market participants. Its derivatives work includes highly complex transactions and esoteric and bespoke structured deals. Corporate trust partner Simon Porter leads the group but leading light Matthew Dening, who joined in 2018 from Sidley Austin LLP, is global chair of the firm's derivatives practice. Dening focuses his practice primarily on the structuring and regulation of cross-border structured finance transactions involving derivatives, repos and securities lending. Phung Pham , who sits on the firm's global derivatives steering committee, handles a broad range of transactional and regulatory matters.

Equity capital markets – mid-large cap Tier 3

Baker McKenzie's ECM team is defined in part by its ability to assist the firm's expansive international network, which acts alongside the London office to service clients throughout the EMEA region. Headed by Adam Farlow, the EMEA capital markets group has a particular focus on issuer clients, where it has experience of high-profile equity deals in various emerging markets and fundraisings for biotech companies in the Nordic and Benelux markets. Moreover, the team has shown signs of growth and investment over the past couple of years; it has started acting for more and more underwriter clients, and, in terms of personnel, has brought on multiple new lawyers, including US securities practitioner Megan Schellinger from Linklaters LLP.

Fintech Tier 3

Baker McKenzie's fintech team act for banks, financial services companies, fast-growth companies and technology companies, advising on corporate matters, product and platform launches in the UK and EU, regulatory compliance in relation to instruments such as MiFID 2 and PSD2, all aspects of blockchain related projects, and other key issues such as IP, data protection and tax. The firm's blockchain expertise is considerable, spanning payments, banking, insurance and wealth management, crypto-assets and tokenization. Practice head Sue McLean is the group's primary blockchain expert and regularly advises clients on outsourcing, technology procurement, development and licensing, cloud computing, AI, data privacy and cyber security. Caitlin McErlane and Philip Annett joined the firm's partner roster in 2019, bringing to the team expertise in trading platforms and regulatory enforcement, respectively.

Infrastructure (including PFI and PPP) Tier 3

Baker McKenzie impresses with its broad and international practice, which covers various industry sectors. The team, which is led by Mike Webster, regularly advises on transactions, the commercial aspects of projects and portfolio management. It is particularly experienced in financing matters, as well as in equity structuring, capital raisings and foreign investments. Marc Fèvre specialises in project development, financing and secondary market transactions. Another area of expertise is the resolution of infrastructure-related disputes; Steve Abraham and Kate Corby are the highlighted key contacts in such contentious matters. Tim Sheddick left for Shearman & Sterling LLP in December 2018.

Intellectual property Tier 3

The 'knowledgeable, personable and efficient' team at Baker McKenzie has a breadth of expertise across brand protection matters, patent litigation and transactional advice, with particular experience in the consumer goods and retail, TMT, healthcare and industrials sectors. The team also benefits from a strong media and technology practice, led by Ben Allgrove, which handles copyright and online provider liability issues. Practice head Michelle Blunt assists clients with a range of IP transactions, while recently promoted partner Jessica Le Gros leads the trade mark team. Other names to note include Michael Hart , who handles soft IP matters, and patent litigator Hiroshi Sheraton, who focuses on the healthcare and life sciences sectors.

PATMA: Trade mark attorneys Tier 3

Baker McKenzie fields a highly international caseload and manages the extensive global trade mark portfolios of several major corporations from its London office. Expertise includes representation in registry disputes, an area of particular growth for the practice, and strategic advice on rebranding projects and product roll-outs. Michelle Blunt directs the intellectual property practice and Jessica Le Gros is the head of the trade marks team.

Real estate funds Tier 3

Fund sponsors, institutional investors and financial institutions all feature on Baker McKenzie's varied client roster, which has seen significant expansion in the last year. On the institutional investor side, the firm boasts some particularly strong relationships with sovereign wealth funds. The investment funds department assists clients with a range of fund structures, such as blind pool funds, club deals, co-investments, consortium arrangements and managed accounts. Work highlights have been marked by a  recent resurgence of acquisitions and disposals of fund and asset management firms. James Burdett, who acts as team head, was especially active this year on consortium and co-investment instructions. Mark Simpson is the name to note for fund regulatory issues.

Structured products and securitisation Tier 3

At Baker McKenzie, 'the team is excellent - its advice is practical and its level of service is superb'. The firm climbs the ranking having built up its capability with senior hires in 2018. Simon Porter leads the structured capital markets practice and the firm's market-leading corporate trust group. Matthew Dening joined from Sidley Austin LLP to chair the firm's derivatives group, which handles a significant flow of structured products work. Michael Doran, who acts for private equity and credit funds, sovereign governments, investment banks, state-owned entities, supranational banks and multinational corporations, joined from White & Case LLP. Newly promoted partner Jeremy Levy and associate Sarah Porter are ones to watch. The firm regularly handles complex cross-border transactions and bespoke structured deals for corporates, financial institutions, funds, trustees, corporate service providers, rating agencies and platform providers involving auto loans, residential mortgages, real estate, SME loans, consumer loans, trade receivables and payment obligations.

Acquisition finance Tier 4

Increasingly well-hedged across both creditor and debtor-side mandates – particularly in light of the arrival at the beginning of 2018 of high-quality sponsor-side leveraged finance practitioner Matthew Cox from Ropes & Gray LLP – Baker McKenzie advises on a range of cross-border matters. The 'technically capable and commercial' Matthew Smith's broad-ranging expertise includes direct lending work, and he recently advised new client Ares on the financing to facilitate Macquarie and MML Capital Partner's successful bid for ParkingEye from Capita.

Commercial litigation Tier 4

Baker McKenzie is 'a truly international law firm with its international offices working closely together to provide a seamless litigation service for clients'. It regularly advises on high-stakes disputes, particularly in multi-jurisdictional contexts; and the commercial litigation practice is supported by niche expertise in fraud, and corporate, shareholder and post-M&A disputes. John Leadley leads the global dispute resolution practice group, which also fields Hugh Lyons, Francesca Richmond and Charles Thomson.

Commercial property: retail Tier 4

Clients recommend Baker McKenzie for its ‘global coverage’, ‘extremely responsive team’ and ‘commercial advice’. The team is particularly well-regarded for investment matters, handling finance, structuring, documenting, development and divestment matters in addition to the negotiation of joint ventures. Overseas inbound investment is also a strength with the highly recommended Stephen Turner recently advising Asian investor Far East Consortium on the acquisition of a £200m development site in Manchester. Specific expertise is also held in relation to the European rollout of US and other international retail groups, while the practice also supports corporate occupiers on leasing, transactions, developments, planning and dispute resolution matters, among others. Justin Salkeld is another standout name and heads the hotels and leisure offering. He is an expert on the acquisition, development, operation and disposal of hotel assets. His team is also engaged for employment, IP, tax, environment, franchise and construction-related instructions.

Competition litigation Tier 4

Led by global competition litigation head Francesca Richmond, the team at Baker McKenzie draws upon the expertise of the firm’s economics department. This additionally expands the scope of the department's offering in criminal and civil cartel matters, individual and class action litigation, predatory pricing matters, and contentious competition issues arising from corporate transactions. Assisting both claimants and defendants, the group is increasingly receiving instructions concerning cross-border matters. Keith Jones is also a key figure on the team.

International arbitration Tier 4

Baker McKenzie is known for handling complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes. Its areas of expertise include financial, M&A and construction arbitrations; the firm has expanding energy, mining and infrastructure dispute practices, and its regional experience includes the Middle East, the CIS and Africa. Steve Abraham leads the EMEA dispute resolution practice, and Edward Poulton is particularly noted for financial services and M&A-related disputes. Andy Moody and Kate Corby are also highly regarded, while Judith Mulholland and Richard Molesworth are experienced associates.

M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, £500m+ Tier 4

Baker McKenzie advises clients on public and private M&A, as well as private equity investment into portfolio companies. The global reach of the firm allows it to manage complex multi-jurisdictional transactions, with offices in the US assisting in transatlantic matters and European and Asian offices also regularly involved in work coordinated from the London office. The firm is highly noted for its capabilities in emerging markets transactions, channelled along core sector lines of consumer, industrials, pharmaceuticals and TMT. The corporate practice is headed by Mike Webster, while Helen Bradley and Jane Hobson oversee the public and private M&A groups respectively. Bradley, who heads the corporate finance group, has a strong focus on FIG-related matters, while. Hobson is noted for her extensive healthcare sector experience. Jannan Crozier is especially experienced in cross-border M&A, and complex carve-outs in particular, having. The firm hired Kathy Honeywood from Clifford Chance LLP, whose expertise lies in the energy, mining and infrastructure, and Peter Lu from White & Case LLP, who leads the firm's China group from London.

Private equity: transactions – high-value deals (£250m+) Tier 4

Deal teams at Baker McKenzie are focused around the firm's key industry verticals such as life sciences, TMT, infrastructure, energy and resources, industrials and financial services. This sector focus means partners are able to provide full insight into specific business-critical issues relating  to the relevant industry. Carve-outs constitute a significant source of work for the team, which counts Bluegem and Core Equity among new clients. In a key $2.1bn deal, Karen Guch advised long-standing client Platinum Equity on its acquisition of the diabetic devices business LifeScan from Johnson & Johnson. Head of team David Allen is recommended, as is CVC and KKR relationship partner Charles Whitefoord.

Property finance Tier 4

Baker McKenzie is noted for its strength in cross-border property finance transactions, particularly involving pan-European portfolios. The firm acts for a number of banks and alternative lenders, and has seen an increase in work from Asian investors into the UK. The team also advises on restructuring issues, mezzanine structures, acquisition and development finance, and CMBS and RMBS matters, and has a specialism in hotel financing, both in the UK and abroad. Practice head Sebastien Marcelin-Rice has particular expertise in advising on UK deals involving foreign assets.

Public international law Tier 4

Baker McKenzie has significant experience acting for corporations and investors in disputes against states and state-owned entities in investment treaty arbitration under UNCITRAL and ICSID rules. The practice has a notable focus on disputes involving oil and gas, acting for oil majors, service providers, and sovereign states and entities. Edward Poulton focuses on investment-related arbitration and also advises on public international law issues arising from financial crises, regulatory changes or international instruments.

Financial services: contentious Tier 5

Baker McKenzie 's financial services team is part of the firm's wider banking & finance practice, which also covers work including acquisition finance and project finance matters, in addition to regulatory and financial disputes work.  In the payment area the firm acts for a range of clients including banks, card issuers and acquirers, as well as payment institutions and e-money issuers, notably in relation to cross-border issues. Mark Simpson leads the team and specialises in multijurisdictional matters related to new product offerings, conduct of business issues, prudential requirements and regulatory reform. The contentious practice is integrated with the non-contentious regulatory department and works across a range of banking and financial services disputes, FCA enforcement cases and internal and external investigations; Jonathan Peddie is well regarded in this area. The  overall finance team has been strengthened by the arrivals of structured finance transactions expert Matthew Dening, who joined the firm from Sidley Austin LLP; Philip Annett, who joined from Allen & Overy LLP and has notable regulatory experience, including stints at the SFO and FCA; and Caitlin McErlane, who arrived from Sidley Austin LLP and specialises in advising fund managers. Arun Srivastava left for Paul Hastings LLP in 2018.

Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory Tier 5

Baker McKenzie 's financial services team is part of the firm's wider banking & finance practice, which also covers work including acquisition finance and project finance matters, in addition to regulatory and financial disputes work.  In the payment area the firm acts for a range of clients including banks, card issuers and acquirers, as well as payment institutions and e-money issuers, notably in relation to cross-border issues. Mark Simpson leads the team and specialises in multijurisdictional matters related to new product offerings, conduct of business issues, prudential requirements and regulatory reform. The contentious practice is integrated with the non-contentious regulatory department and works across a range of banking and financial services disputes, FCA enforcement cases and internal and external investigations; Jonathan Peddie is well regarded in this area. The  overall finance team has been strengthened by the arrivals of structured finance transactions expert Matthew Dening, who joined the firm from Sidley Austin LLP; Philip Annett, who joined from Allen & Overy LLP and has notable regulatory experience, including stints at the SFO and FCA; and Caitlin McErlane, who arrived from Sidley Austin LLP and specialises in advising fund managers. Arun Srivastava left for Paul Hastings LLP in 2018.

Private funds Tier 5

Strong relationships with key sovereign wealth funds are the hallmark of the investment funds practice at Baker McKenzie, which has a well-balanced approach to GP and LP representation. The firm has added a number of new clients to its roster and handled a number of matters, including acquisitions and disposals of funds and asset management firms. Highlights include James Burdett and his team  advising Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corporation on its acquisition of Colonial First State Global Asset Management from Commonwealth Bank of Australia for $2.9bn with the help of the firm's Tokyo and Hong Kong offices. Mark Simpson is the name to note for funds regulatory work.

Immigration

Baker McKenzie's global immigration and mobility team is regularly engaged by multinational companies on a broad range of issues, and is well-versed in advising on the cross-border movement of talent at all levels. The practice handles complex matters such as the movement of board directors, specialist staff, other senior executives, and their dependants. It is also instructed by high-net-worth individuals, well-known musicians, actors, sports personalities and leading businesspeople. The London team is able to draw on the wider firm's global network of offices, and its wider employment team, to support clients on cross-border strategies. 'Impressive' senior associate Tony Haque is the key member of the London team.

Bahrain > Banking and finance (including Islamic finance) Tier 1

Baker McKenzie's skillset in this space covers project finance, Islamic finance, capital markets and securities. Practice head Ian Siddell is particularly strong in project finance mandates. Another key figure is Julie Alexander, who is notable for project, Islamic and corporate finance. Also recommended are Nick Church and Mohsin Iqbal, who both have broad expertise in project and Islamic finance. Fatima Alhasan was recently promoted to partner and is very experienced in project finance. Senior associate Nadeem Kunwar, who is experienced in project and Islamic finance is another name to note. Bilal Kahlon left the firm.