Firm Profile > Squire Patton Boggs > London , London
Squire Patton Boggs Offices
7 DEVONSHIRE SQUARE
LONDON
EC2M 4YH
London
- Go to...
- Rankings
- Firm Profile
- Main Contacts
- Lawyer Profiles
Profiles
Squire Patton Boggs > The Legal 500 Rankings
Commercial property: investment Tier 2
Squire Patton Boggs is adept on both the investment and development fronts, specialising in acquisitions and disposals, structuring, fund formation, property management and forward funding agreements, among other areas. Michael Shaw heads the department, which is routinely instructed for residential, office, mixed use and build to rent projects and is also active on occupier and financing matters. Sector specialisms include energy and infrastructure, healthcare, hotels, retail and leisure. The highly rated Rachel Orton is an expert in real estate in the healthcare sector.
Health and safety Tier 2
Squire Patton Boggs represents an impressive roster of multinational companies, with a particular focus on the entertainment, food and beverage, retail, construction and industrial sectors. Manchester-based Rob Elvin leads the team and is known for his corporate defence work. Other names of note include Dave Gordon, who is particularly active in the chemicals industry, and Birmingham-based Robert Biddlecombe who focuses on real estate and facilities management.
M&A: lower mid-market deals, £50m-£500m Tier 2
Squire Patton Boggs offers a national corporate M&A practice, with its London team part of an offering that also includes Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham. This allows effective handling of complex domestic mandates, while the firm's extensive international network means that multi-jurisdictional work is equally well facilitated. Cross border work is on the increase, with the firm taking on outbound investment work, often with a private equity angle. Key sectors include media, energy and utilities, recruitment, sport, healthcare and financial services. Robert Bray heads the corporate practice as well as the financial services team. The firm's international scope was further strengthened with the hire of Nimi Patel from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, whose role is to help develop the India practice in the London office.
Pensions: dispute resolution Tier 2
Squire Patton Boggs is known for its strong pensions expertise in the public sector (including advising on Local Government Pension Scheme issues), trade union and not-for-profit sectors, as well as its work for trustee and commercial clients across a broad spectrum of industries. Regular contentious mandates include equalisation issues, regulatory investigations, scheme transferral disputes and mis-selling claims. The well-regarded Clifford Sims and Wendy Hunter handle non-contentious mandates including scheme mergers, master trust implementation, governance support, investment support, GDPR compliance and public procurement law advice.
Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables) Tier 2
The full-service practice at Squire Patton Boggs frequently advises on renewable energy projects, including large offshore wind and clean technology projects and matters relating to the UK capacity market. The team also has a track record of work on major international energy and infrastructure projects in markets including Africa and the Middle East, as well as privatisation work in Asia. Key members of the team include Ian Wood, Rinku Bhadoria, the 'outstandingly good' Neil Upton, and legal director Henry Davey, who joined from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP in 2017.
Private equity: transactions – mid-tier – up to £250m Tier 2
The London private equity team at Squire Patton Boggs operates as part of an integrated national practice in conjunction with the firm's other UK offices in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham, with 'hardworking' UK practice head Paul Mann dividing his time between Leeds and the capital. The practice has a dedicated focus on mid-market transactions, holding longstanding relationships with a wide range of houses including ECI Partners, Inflexion Private Equity and LDC. Mann leads on much of the team's biggest deals, as does fellow Leeds partner Jonathan Jones. Manchester corporate head Giles Chesher is another key member of the team, while Tim Stead and James McKay are names to note in London.
Sport Tier 2
Squire Patton Boggs' international sports group advises football clubs, players and governing bodies, handling significant corporate, commercial and regulatory matters, as well as employment disputes. Stephen Sampson, who heads both the London litigation practice and the sports and entertainment industry group, advises Chelsea Football Club on its major transfers and contract negotiations, while sports arbitrator Stuart McInnes recently worked alongside Sampson to successfully defend Saudi Arabian team Al Shabab FC against a series of claims brought by FIFA. Corporate partner David Hull, who has a track record of advising on major football club takeovers, assisted International Entertainment Corporation on its acquisition of Wigan Athletic FC. Lloyd Thomas and Alastair Pursell both left the practice in 2018 to work in-house.
Asset based lending Tier 3
Although the team recently witnessed a number of departures, including Andrew Knight to Crowell & Moring, Squire Patton Boggs remains active in the space and is appreciated by both bank-owned asset-based lenders as well as independents for its ‘strong track record in large, syndicated, multi-jurisdictional ABL facilities’. The ‘highly commercial and knowledgeable’ Paula Laird heads the team, which includes senior associate Tom Dell’Avvocato, who regularly works alongside Laird on many of the department's most significant domestic and cross-border ABL mandates.
Brand management Tier 3
Squire Patton Boggs has notable expertise in the programmatic advertising field, and enjoys a close relationship with regulating bodies such as the ASA, Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority. In the adtech space, the practice regularly advises media owners, buyers and consumers on developing technology across the marketing sector, digital campaigns and data protection legislation. Robert Wegenek primarily advises on non-contentious IP and monetisation through licensing programmes, sponsorships and branded content agreements, while Carlton Daniel handles sponsorship, product placement, advertising clearance and litigation.
Employment: employers Tier 3
The London practice at Squire Patton Boggs, which is led by global practice co-chair Caroline Noblet, has enjoyed double-digit revenue increases over each of the past three years, driven by its work on a mix of UK and cross-border matters across a wide range of industries, including retail, life sciences, media and entertainment, manufacturing and financial services. The hugely experienced Noblett works alongside fellow partners David Whincup, Janette Lucas, Miriam Lampert and Natalie Bellwood, who together advise on matters ranging from equal pay to the gig economy and the application of the national minimum wage.
Infrastructure (including PFI and PPP) Tier 3
Squire Patton Boggs' practice specialises in transportation, general infrastructure and social programs. The team is experienced in advising on developing greenfield projects, acquiring assets, financing matters and risk management. It cooperates closely with other departments within the firm, such as tax, construction and regulatory, adding value for clients. Leeds-based James Duckworth is well versed in assisting with public procurement matters, advising on government and real estate development projects. Nick Helm in Manchester has expertise in project finance and PFI/PPP contracts. Andrew Herring knows the rail and metro sector well, while Rachel Orton focuses on real estate. Robin Baillie left forCrowell & Moring in February 2019.
IT and telecoms Tier 3
The 'commercial and responsive' team at Squire Patton Boggs 'makes a real effort to understand the client's business and industry to provide tailored advice'. Andrew Wilkinson, who 'offers exceptional knowledge and advice' and Francesco Liberatore, who 'provides timely advice in a practical and risk-based manner', head up the technology transactions and communications teams respectively. The team also benefitted from the arrivals of international affairs adviser Matthew Kirk from Vodafone, and data protection and privacy specialist Rosa Barcelo from DG Connect in the European Commission; Barcelo splits her time between London and Brussels.
Licensing Tier 3
Squire Patton Boggs' licensing team is 'straight to the point', working to advise clients on a range of issues in the retail, transportation, hospitality and leisure sectors. The firm has a particular expertise advising on hotel licenses, where it acts for key players in the market. Stephanie Perraton heads the team; her recent highlights include advising Etc Venues on the opening up of a new venue in Houndsditch and the redevelopment of an existing venue in Eastcheap. Director Nicola Smith, who specialises in the hospitality and leisure sector, has had recent success representing clients in a number of contested hearings.
Pensions (non-contentious) Tier 3
Squire Patton Boggs is known for its strong pensions expertise in the public sector (including advising on Local Government Pension Scheme issues), trade union and not-for-profit sectors, as well as its work for trustee and commercial clients across a broad spectrum of industries. Regular contentious mandates include equalisation issues, regulatory investigations, scheme transferral disputes and mis-selling claims. The well-regarded Clifford Sims and Wendy Hunter handle non-contentious mandates including scheme mergers, master trust implementation, governance support, investment support, GDPR compliance and public procurement law advice.
Commercial property: development Tier 4
Squire Patton Boggs is adept on both the investment and development fronts, specialising in acquisitions and disposals, structuring, fund formation, property management and forward funding agreements, among other areas. Michael Shaw heads the department, which is routinely instructed for residential, office, mixed use and build to rent projects and is also active on occupier and financing matters. Sector specialisms include energy and infrastructure, healthcare, hotels, retail and leisure. The highly rated Rachel Orton is an expert in real estate in the healthcare sector.
Employee share schemes Tier 4
Squire Patton Boggs is noted for its services for mid-market listed companies, larger private companies, private equity houses and management teams on all aspects of incentives. The team leverages the firm's international presence for a particular specialism in international incentives-related matters, including global companies offering share plans to employees worldwide, and non-UK companies which grant awards to selected employees in the EU and UK. The UK team is led by Liz Pierson, who also has significant experience in advising on incentives for private equity portfolio companies, and is highly recommended. Bern Gilbey retired.
Environment Tier 4
Squire Patton Boggs provides non-contentious environmental advice and is also experienced in regulatory defence work. The firm has particular expertise in waste, producer responsibility, environmental permitting, fracking and the contaminated land regime, and also assists with nuisance claims and environmental matters regarding the nuclear, electricity and wind farm industries. The firm has also expertise in real estate development and environmental regeneration. Manchester-based Rob Elvin leads the practice, while, in Birmingham, Dave Gordon specialises in contaminated land, chemical regulation and environmental permitting.
Fraud: civil Tier 4
Squire Patton Boggs advises on a range of fraud claims, including multinational matters, with areas of expertise including investigations, freezing injunctions, search and seizure orders, banker’s trust orders, delivery up orders and tracing claims. On the financial side, the firm acts for banks and financial institutions in relation to international fraud and asset tracing claims, banking litigation, asset finance and asset based lending. The London team, which is led by Stephen Sampson works closely with the wider firm's network of offices across the US, the Middle East, the CIS and the Far East to provide a truly international offering.
International arbitration Tier 4
Squire Patton Boggs is 'very good for both strategic and technical issues as well as financial matters'. The practice has a significant track record in investor treaty disputes and energy arbitration, including acting for buyers in natural gas price review disputes. Ben Holland is an energy arbitration specialist; James Barratt acts for governments, international organisations and multinationals; Peter Crossley is London international dispute resolution practice head; and global co-international dispute resolution chair George von Mehren divides his time between London and Cleveland. Alexis Martinez is also a key contact, and Max Rockall and senior associate Bernhard Maier were recently promoted.
Oil and gas Tier 4
Squire Patton Boggs has primarily been active on the contentious front under the leadership of Ben Holland, who recently represented Overgas Inc. AD of Bulgaria in its claim against Gazprom Export of Russia in relation to EU competition law violations caused by the cutting off of gas. However, the team also regularly advises on M&A, regulatory and infrastructure matters. The firm recently welcomed Sub-Saharan Africa infrastructure partner Peter Wright from Simmons & Simmons to its broader energy team.
Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology Tier 4
The Squire Patton Boggs team, led by Andrew Wilkinson, handles commercial and regulatory work as core specialisms and is known for its advertising, promotional clearance and product labelling know-how. Consultant Adrian Spooner, who is also a qualified pharmacist, acts for life sciences clients in respect of regulatory, IP and commercial matters and Paul Jinks' expertise includes commercial work relating to R&D, supply arrangements and product recall cases.
Product liability: defendant Tier 4
Squire Patton Boggs' areas of expertise include handling the criminal and regulatory aspects of product liability matters as well as civil claims, contractual protection and product recalls. The team has a particularly strong track record in the industrial and consumer products industries, as well as the food and beverage sector; it also works closely with the firm's US group, which is regularly involved in pharmaceutical cases. Rob Elvin, who is based in Manchester, heads the environment, safety and health group. Birmingham-based Simon Garbett and director Nicola Smith are also noted.
Reputation management Tier 4
Squire Patton Boggs offers the traditional range of reputation management services and regularly applies a cross-practice, cross-border approach to its cases. The firm's client roster includes corporations from a wide variety of industry sectors such as sport, telecom, media and energy. Stephen Sampson and Carlton Daniel head the team. Associate Peter Lees is a name to note, especially when it comes to assisting suppliers with defamation disputes. In addition, the practice benefits from international affairs adviser Matthew Kirk's expertise in risk strategy, cyber security and political risk.
Structured products and securitisation Tier 4
The securitisation practice at Squire Patton Boggs acts for a broad range of borrowers, issuers, note investors, funders, arrangers, trustees, facility and paying agents, and primary and special servicers. Working predominantly for clients in the UK and continental Europe, it counts OneSavings Bank and the Richmond Group among them. The practice works closely with the firm's tax, employment, corporate, pensions, commercial and restructuring groups, and it is known for the close involvement of partners and senior associates in all transactions. Mark Thomas leads the practice and he led a variety of securitisation and structured finance transactions for clients such as Findel plc and Ashland Group. Asset-based lending specialist Paula Laird also plays a key role in the practice, notably for ABN AMRO, in financing solutions with significant securitisation elements. Jeremy Ladyman handles derivatives, structured products work and securitisation.
Banking litigation: investment and retail Tier 5
Squire Patton Boggs has significant expertise in litigation involving structured finance, often involving multiple jurisdictions, international fraud and asset tracing claims – particularly issues arising from Russia and other CIS countries – asset finance, and crypto-asset disputes. Anthony Taylor , who splits his time between the London and Manchester offices, heads the UK litigation team. Gareth Timms is noted for multi-jurisdictional banking disputes and has extensive experience in obtaining injunctive and ancillary relief, and Chris Webber is a specialist in financial services disputes and regulatory investigations. Nicola Phillips was made partner, while the associates to note are Victoria Drury and Katherine Wakeham. Former UK head of litigation Laurence Winston and former London managing partner Robert Weekes both left for Crowell & Moring.
Commercial contracts Tier 5
The ‘responsive, prepared and commercial’ Squire Patton Boggs provides ‘depth and breadth of legal and commercial knowledge’. The practice specialises in cross-border work, particularly in the advertising and media, technology and telecoms sectors. Andrew Wilkinson heads the firm’s commercial, intellectual property and information technology group and ‘his commercial awareness is second to none’. He co-leads the team with the firm's global head of intellectual property and technology, David Elkins.
Fintech Tier 5
Squire Patton Boggs is instructed by clients ranging from financial institutions to start-ups in relation to corporate transactions including fundraising and investments, joint ventures, M&A and equity structuring. In addition, the team has complementary expertise in employment law, procurement, cloud arrangements and intellectual property. Practice head Robert Bray's corporate expertise spans private equity and venture capital, M&A and joint ventures. Recently promoted partner Julian Ciecierski-Burns advised Wonga on its VC fundraising, and also acted for TransUnion in the sale of Noddle to CreditKarma.
Commercial litigation Tier 6
Squire Patton Boggs' 'team stands out with its great level of client communication and understanding'. The London litigation practice acts in complex, often multi-jurisdictional cases, working particularly closely with offices in the US, the Middle East, CIS, and the Far East. Stephen Sampson is head of London litigation, Gareth Timms is particularly focused on banking disputes, including Islamic finance, asset tracing and fraud related work, and Chris Webber is also highly regarded. Nicola Phillips was made partner in 2018 and Stephen Cole is an experienced director. Former London managing partner Robert Weekes and Laurence Winston, who was previously UK litigation head, both joined Crowell & Moring.
EU and competition Tier 6
At Squire Patton Boggs, the London-based department operates seamlessly as part of the firm’s fully integrated global practice. The group provides legal assistance with merger control matters, contentious issues, behavioural and market investigations by the UK authorities and the European Commission, state aid, and public procurement. The team has expertise in all types of competition dispute resolution work, including arbitration. Martin Rees focuses on behavioural work and merger control advice; the same applies to Diarmuid Ryan’s practice, which also encompasses state aid law. Francesco Liberatore specialises in technology-driven sectors and has developed a niche in communications law.
Intellectual property Tier 6
Squire Patton Boggs is highlighted for its expertise in commercial and contentious soft IP matters. Names to note include Carlton Daniel, who handles advertising, marketing and media sector instructions, and Robert Wegenek, who assists with commercial IP and licensing matters.
Immigration
The team at Squire Patton Boggs, which is led by UK business immigration head Annabel Mace, works with global businesses and ultra-high net worth individuals on a range of complex immigration mandates, covering sectors including sports, media, retail, food, construction, pharma, manufacturing and financial services. The practice is able to draw on the wider firm's international network of offices, as well as its strengths in employment, to advise on global transfers, global mobility issues and cross-border instructions. In particular, the team has seen an increase in work from China-based entities and it is also well-placed to handle immigration matters for Indian and US clients.
Squire Patton Boggs > Firm Profile
Recognised as one of the world’s strongest integrated law firms, Squire Patton Boggs provides insight at the point where law, business and government meet.
Squire Patton Boggs gives clients a voice, support their ambitions and is committed to working alongside them to achieve successful outcomes.
With a multidisciplinary team of more than 1,500 lawyers in 47 offices across 20 countries, Squire Patton Boggs provides unrivalled access to expertise, guidance and invaluable connections on the ground. The firm delivers a seamlessly connected service that operates on any scale – locally or globally – and encompasses virtually every matter, jurisdiction and market.
Squire Patton Boggs offers solutions shaped by a clear, commercially focused understanding of clients’ business. The firm’s robust and open culture enables us to find the right answers quickly and effectively from committed teams of lawyers who understand the geographic, sector or issue-specific challenges at hand. Recognising the impact of politics and regulation on businesses across the world today, Squire Patton Boggs has a unique mix of world-renowned lobbying and political capabilities supporting clients across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
The firm advises a diverse mix of clients – from long-established leading corporations to emerging businesses, startup visionaries and sovereign nations – whom the firm places at the core of everything it does.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair/global CEO | Mark Ruehlmann | ||
| Managing partner – UK LLP | Jane Haxby |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Nicholas Allen | View Profile | |
|
Robin Baillie | View Profile | |
|
James Barratt | View Profile | |
|
Kirsty Bartlett | View Profile | |
|
Natalie Bellwood | View Profile | |
|
Rinku Bhadoria | View Profile | |
|
Robert Bray | View Profile | |
|
Jeremy Cape | View Profile | |
|
Julian Ciecierski-Burns | View Profile | |
|
John Danahy | View Profile | |
|
Carlton Daniel | View Profile | |
|
Graham Harris | View Profile | |
|
Jane Haxby | View Profile | |
|
John Hayward | View Profile | |
|
Andrew Herring | View Profile | |
|
Ben Holland | View Profile | |
|
David Hull | View Profile | |
|
Wendy Hunter | View Profile | |
|
Trevor Ingle | View Profile | |
|
Andrew Knight | View Profile | |
|
Ann LaFrance | View Profile | |
|
Paula Laird | View Profile | |
|
Miriam Lampert | View Profile | |
|
Paul Lewis | View Profile | |
|
Francesco Liberatore | View Profile | |
|
Janette Lucas | View Profile | |
|
Annabel Mace | View Profile | |
|
Alexis Martinez | View Profile | |
|
James McKay | View Profile | |
|
Matthew Mulqueen | View Profile | |
|
Paul Muscutt | View Profile | |
|
Caroline Noblet | View Profile | |
|
Rachel Orton | View Profile | |
|
Gary Paddison | View Profile | |
|
Nicola Phillips | View Profile | |
|
Liz Pierson | View Profile | |
|
Martin Rees | View Profile | |
|
Patrick Ryan | View Profile | |
|
Diarmuid Ryan | View Profile | |
|
Stephen Sampson | View Profile | |
|
Claire Scott-Priestley | View Profile | |
|
Michael Shaw | View Profile | |
|
Supinder Sian | View Profile | |
|
Kashif Siddiqui | View Profile | |
|
Clifford Sims | View Profile | |
|
Tim Stead | View Profile | |
|
Mark Thomas | View Profile | |
|
Gareth Timms | View Profile | |
|
Chris Webber | View Profile | |
|
Robert Wegenek | View Profile | |
|
David Whincup | View Profile | |
|
Andrew Wilkinson | View Profile | |
|
Cathryn Williams | View Profile | |
|
Laurence Winston | View Profile | |
|
Ian Wood | View Profile | |
|
Peter Wright | View Profile | |
|
Mark Yeo | View Profile |
Staff Figures
:Squire Patton Boggs > Firm Profile
Recognised as one of the world’s strongest integrated law firms, Squire Patton Boggs provides insight at the point where law, business and government meet.
Squire Patton Boggs gives clients a voice, supports their ambitions and is committed to working alongside them to achieve successful outcomes.
With a multidisciplinary team of more than 1,500 lawyers in 47 offices across 20 countries, Squire Patton Boggs provides unrivalled access to expertise, guidance and invaluable connections on the ground. The firm delivers a seamlessly connected service that operates on any scale – locally or globally – and encompasses virtually every matter, jurisdiction and market.
Squire Patton Boggs offers solutions shaped by a clear, commercially focused understanding of clients’ business. The firm’s robust and open culture enables us to find the right answers quickly and effectively from committed teams of lawyers who understand the geographic, sector or issue-specific challenges at hand. Recognising the impact of politics and regulation on businesses across the world today, Squire Patton Boggs has a unique mix of world-renowned lobbying and political capabilities supporting clients across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
The firm advises a diverse mix of clients – from long-established leading corporations to emerging businesses, startup visionaries and sovereign nations – whom the firm places at the core of everything it does.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair/Global CEO | Mark J. Ruehlmann |
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Asset based lending
- Brand management
- Commercial property: investment
- Employee share schemes
- Employment: employers
- Health and safety
- Pensions (non-contentious)
- Sport
Firm Rankings
- Asset based lending
- Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Brand management
- Commercial contracts
- Commercial litigation
- Commercial property: development
- Commercial property: investment
- Employee share schemes
- Employment: employers
- Environment
- EU and competition
- Fintech
- Fraud: civil
- Health and safety
- Immigration
- Immigration
- Infrastructure (including PFI and PPP)
- Intellectual property
- International arbitration
- IT and telecoms
- Licensing
- M&A: lower mid-market deals, £50m-£500m
- Oil and gas
- Pensions (non-contentious)
- Pensions: dispute resolution
- Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
- Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables)
- Private equity: transactions – mid-tier – up to £250m
- Product liability: defendant
- Reputation management
- Sport
- Structured products and securitisation