Allen & Overy LLP > London, England > Firm Profile

‘They have the resources to deploy on large-scale equity fundraisings.’

‘James Roe acts as a “true adviser” – going above and beyond remit where required to enable the success of the transaction (in particular, being willing to lean in where other advisers are weak to hold their hand or keep them in check).’

‘Excellent technical expertise and industry knowledge. Go to firm for contentious financial services.’

‘Commercial and collaborative. Excellent team work.’

‘Great availability, go the extra mile, trusted advisors.’

‘The team is very plugged into the financial services market and industry bodies, as well as having a strong network across Europe in respect of cross-border regulatory issues. They take a practical and pragmatic view within the scope of the regulatory landscape and generally have a client-friendly and approachable manner.’

‘I work a lot with Kate Sumpter who I find very approachable and pro-active in bringing issues to our attention. Kate has very good knowledge of financial regulation, as well as of the market and how regulation is applied in practice. Bob Penn is very plugged into industry bodies and I would regard as a market leader in this space. He is also a very engaging personally. Kelesi Blundell is a very strong associate in the team.’

‘They have a vast technical knowledge of all areas of EU and UK regulation and are always on the cutting edge of regulatory change.’

‘Damian Carolan is a good leader who always brings new perspectives or ideas to technical issues.’

‘The team has a combination of experts that work as one. Very well briefed and aligned with the task at hand with seamless execution. Guides management through issues well, looking at alternative solution to achieve the best outcome.’

‘Nick Bradbury has deep expertise in prime brokerage matters from a sell-side perspective. Highly technical yet very commercial at the same time and can arrive at creative and workable solutions to complex problems.’

‘Kate Sumpter was outstanding in ensuring the extremely tight schedule we had to operate within, to ensure continuity of operations, was adhered to.’

‘I have frequently worked with the A&O Civil Fraud litigation team on complex commercial fraud claims. They are an outstanding team, of consistent first class talent. They have strength in depth, and the ability to field a team with capacity to analyse and handle the largest, most difficult and complex matters.’

‘I have particularly worked recently with Lawson Caisley and Juliet de Pencier, and they are outstanding.’

‘A&O are probably the best banking litigation outfit. The banking clients trust and rely on the litigators who understand the pitfalls in banking litigation.‘

‘A super team to whom the top clients turn to handle their most important banking matters.‘

‘Highly specialist. Very good knowledge of law and financial markets.’

‘Mahmood Lone: careful, diligent and effective in ensuring optimum results for clients. Arnondo Chakrabarti: effective team leader.’

‘Andrew Denny – an excellent lawyer with a strong track record in banking disputes. Jonathan Hitchin – an absolute delight to work with and a great strategist.‘

‘Mahmood Lone – he’s a fantastic partner. He’s cerebral and good humour and has the confidence of his clients. Oliver Troen – he’s a committed and clever associate. I enjoy working with him, as do the banking clients.‘

‘Mahmood Lone is a brilliant litigator. Andrew Denny is a very experienced and clever lawyer. Susanna Charlwood is outstanding, Clever, savvy and a delight to work with.’

‘The team has a uniquely varied practice in public international law, including human rights, international trade and investment treaty arbitration.‘

‘The best corporate law firm in London on business and human rights.‘

‘Their team is broad and any specialist knowledge can be easily found within the firm. Furthermore, I got the impression of excellent teamwork within the firm.‘

‘Mark Levy QC is an excellent advocate and very client friendly. He’s a great strategic thinker and always one step ahead of his opponents.‘

‘Andrew Denny – very strong across all areas, and thoughtful and knowledgeable.‘

‘Suzanne Spears is the best corporate lawyer on business and human rights – exceptionally talented and engaging; she is also highly efficient and has relevant legal knowledge based on her involvement in other cases of a similar nature.‘

‘I would specifically cite counsel Naomi Briercliffe for her outstanding service and work.‘

‘Counsel Guled Yusuf is a future leader in the field, standing out for his expertise in international law and international arbitration – an outstanding lawyer and a pleasure to work with!‘

‘I have had the pleasure to work with the A&O team on a few matters and I honestly can’t think of anything on which they can improve. They are extremely responsive and provide advice that is pragmatic and tailored to the business’s needs. They are proactive and think of creative solutions when issues arise. A&O Employment provides an exceptional level of service and are now my preferred firm for legal matters.’

‘Robbie Sinclair is very straightforward and does not beat around the bush – he tells it like it is and that is very much appreciated. He never sits on the fence and takes a firm view to guide clients through difficult matters. I feel very safe in his hands. I find him to be the most responsive lawyer I have ever worked with which is pretty exceptional given his partner status.’

‘The team is notable for its breadth of knowledge, commercial approach and speed of attention.’

‘Karen Seward is extraordinary in terms of solution-finding, communication, knowing our business. Sarah Hitchin has been excellent in relation to regulatory issues.’

‘Excellent leadership from Vicky Wickremeratne, which remains in place even when the matter has been passed to her colleagues. She is incisive and available and sees the problem from the point of view of the employer/client. I have worked with a number of magic circle firms but Vicky stands out with her qualities.’

‘Of course, they know the law, but their breadth of knowledge of similar businesses and situations is outstanding. The speed of response is very good and the advice – which stretches beyond the merely legal – is of a high intellectual caliber.’

‘I have always found the Allen & Overy team to be very pragmatic in their approach’

‘The A&O team are truly collaborative with a great depth of talent and expertise.’

‘The most attentive and detail orientated partners I have ever worked with. They always put clients first.’

‘Communication, speed of delivery, proactiveness and knowledge of the market.’

‘The client-friendly and repsonsive team provides very commercial advice.’

‘Neil Sinha and Adam Zecharia – both excellent – stay across the detail, great market knowledge and very practical advice.’

‘Communication, speed of delivery, proactiveness, knowledge of the market’

‘The team is extremely client-friendly and easy to deal with. They are very responsive, clever and personable.’

‘The firm has an international spectrum of offices and is well placed to cater for all cross-border transactions. I am always impressed with the continuity of quality between offices that Allen & Overy manages to achieve.’

‘David Campbell is great. I really enjoy working with him. He has a great balance between having superb technical skills and being practical in his approach.’

‘Melissa Samuel and Jane Glancy show leadership on transactions… help get deals over the line by seeing issues from both sides and coming up with solutions.’

‘Dominique Crowley and Greg Brown were very much the first lawyers to get to grips with LIBOR discontinuation in the context of live transactions, advising upon and documenting many of the first risk free rate syndicated loan transactions. Dominique and Greg became the early experts on this complex and dynamic subject and their involvement in transactions was and remains invaluable.’

‘Excellent and prompt service, the team goes the extra mile for the client.’

‘The practice is a senior, experienced team at the cutting-edge of insolvency and restructuring.’

‘Practical and pragmatic; hard-working and capable team; good bench-strength in the junior lawyers; collaborative; well connected to the market; innovative solutions for clients.’

‘Ian Field remains one of the most experienced restructuring partners in the market. He is creative and solutions-oriented.’

‘Jennifer Marshall – excellent leading lawyer; very easy to work with; thinks through the issues and comes up with practical and pragmatic solutions.’

‘Jennifer Marshall – deep commitment, strong technical skills and renowned across the industry as a go-to partner especially with unusual, complex situations.’ 

‘Tim Watson is very straightforward and easy to deal with. He thinks like an investor so knows the what we are looking out for and has usually pre-empted questions/concerns we might have.’

‘Nick Charlwood is very strong. He’s great at managing and driving work product for the client as well as negotiating solutions to difficult issues.’

‘Allen & Overy is the best firm in the market for debt capital markets, definitely in a league of its own over other Magic Circle firms. The team are consistently strong across all product areas from US securities laws, liability management, bank capital and straight debt. They are a law firm that I trust 100% to do a good job on any transaction and it is always a pleasure to work with them. Outside of deal work they are very strong on know how as well as diversity.’

‘The standout individuals are as follows: Sachin Davé – US securities partner – Sach is very commercially minded as well as practical and responsive. He is my go-to partner for US law advice, particularly on emerging markets 144A deals. I have worked with Sach for over a decade and trust him and his team 100% to deliver a high-quality work product on time. Jonathan Melton – a very reliable and consistent UK partner who is not afraid to pick up the phone and give candid advice which is always appreciated. He has an excellent team including Tom Wilson and Stephanie Dee (both counsel, and both excellent lawyers) and he would be my first choice for any debt capital markets deal governed by English law. Jonathan is also very hands-on and unlike other partners is does not delegate and disappear.’

‘A&O still remains the number 1 DCM team. A very strong team in breadth and depth, with some exceptional partners and associates. Their professional support team is also worth highlighting for their participation in and driving forward of market standards.’

‘Tom Grant, Theo Trayhurn and Jamie Durham are all partners worthy of special mention. Amanda Thomas provides exceptional legal advice and market knowledge. All of them are go-to lawyers who are also a pleasure to work with.’

‘The pre-eminent of the UK Magic Circle firms when it comes to capital markets. Excellent team of partners who make a point of staying involved in their deals, very ably assisted by quality assistants who are clearly well trained. I always feel I am getting the best advice when I have instructed A&O.’

‘Jonathan Melton and his entire team of associates/consultants for investment grade ad EMK transactions and in particular liability management. Tom Grant and Dan Fletcher for bank capital and hybrid capital issues. Jamie Durham on EMK deals. All provide a sterling service.’

‘The team we work with is incredibly professional, knowledgeable, agile, pragmatic and solution driven. They strive to find a solution satisfactory to all parties in a timely manner. They understand the business and have a fantastic helicopter view of the market, able to tell us what financial institutions are doing in geographically comparable markets as well as across Europe, as the breadth of their business is amazing. The team works incredibly well together, making transition from one associate to the other virtually seamless. We have worked with many (if not all) of the other Magic Circle law firms, and A&O consistently comes out on top with the quality of the partner and overview, down to the senior associate, junior associate and trainee.’

‘Theo Trayhurn is our main partner contact, and he is amazing. He is always available if we need him, otherwise he is very good at delegating to members of his exceptional team. Theo is an excellent sparring partner and is very good at drafting technical provisions.’

‘A very deep bench and wide-ranging practice that is able to execute complex transactions due to ability to add additional resource when necessary.’

‘Parya Badie and her team are one of our go-to teams for structured credit work. She has helped us close many flow (e.g. CLO asset swaps) and highly bespoke transactions successfully this year. The ease with which A&O can draw in specialists from other fields and colleagues in their overseas offices is sine qua non as the majority of our transactions now have some cross-product and cross-jurisdictional element.’

‘Parya Badie is highly competent and excellent at finding workable solutions to complex structuring problems, particularly for our TRS work. It has also been great to work with an intelligent lawyer with such a calm and patient telephone manner during the stress of lockdown!’

‘The team is extremely knowledgeable but also commercially minded. They are hardworking and available to their clients.’

‘Lucy Oddy is a standout partner who is well respected in her field. A&O associates Poppy Latham, Josephine Suen are also great.’

‘A&O’s securitisation team is top-notch. Excellent grasp of legal issues but also of the commercial and soft transactional issues which enables them to add great value to a transaction beyond drafting of documentation and providing legal advice. Great partner in structuring deals and helping make sure they get done!’

‘Great credit goes to Alex Moezi who has led the A&O team and is always there to get stuck in, no matter how complex the problems is! Great attention to detail and excellent at running a smooth and efficient process while helping to think through commercial and strategic issues along the way.’

‘Strong intellectual capability, thorough and good market knowledge across different sectors. Flexible on fees.’

‘Iona Misheva is client-focused, very thorough and collaborative. She is pleasant to work with, is across all the documentation from top to bottom, and provides a great service. She is also happy to give free advice, and always has time to have a chat to pick her brains, which is useful in the current environment.’

‘The team we use is extremely client-focused. They make themselves available, and make us feel like we are their only client and they have our best interests at heart.’

‘Iona Misheva makes us feel like we are her only, most important and favourite client. She makes herself available, and will always work with us for a solution. She represents our interests with a brand that we want. Poppy Latham – associate. She is client friendly, knowledgeable, thoughtful and responsive. She is also a delight to work with.’

‘The team combines in-depth technical legal expertise with a keen understanding of the market and commercial realities. They are therefore able to consistently provide top-notch value-add advice.’

‘The team is dedicated and focused – the market leader.’

‘A very experienced and pragmatic team.’

‘We work closely with Greg Brown and Catherine Lang-Anderson, both at the top of their game. We work with several of their competitors, none of which come close. Both partners have an excellent understanding of client objectives; go above and beyond to close out a deal even against challenging time-frames and often difficult counterparties.’

‘Catherine Lang-Anderson is an incredible lawyer, very commercial and good with people. She is brilliant at coming up with innovative solutions to issues that crop up in deals.’

‘Kevin Young is excellent.’

‘We were very happy with the services that they provided, their precision, attention to detail and a brilliant ability to protect lenders’ interests in every legal and commercial negotiation with our client. As an arranger and coordinator of syndicated transactions, one would look for certain key aspects in the lawyer’s services. Most importantly it is the ability to perform everything in accordance with the pre-defined timetable – irrespective of how voluminous the work may be. On the same page I should mention responsiveness, since the documentation process does not have clear working hours and (however wrong this may be) the ability of your lawyer to respond promptly and precisely is of high value.’

‘A key contact for our CIS transactions has been Oleg Khomenko, but the entire team has worked without any regard to the time of day and delivered every documentation unit in a timely manner. They were as responsive as one may expect on an urgent transaction and provided advice beyond what has been required of them. Often lawyers do not look beyond legal aspects of the documentation makeup, but A&O colleagues were quick to point out some gaps and irregularities in the commercial sphere too.’

‘Oleg Khomenko is always friendly and extremely knowledgeable, able to draw on from his experience working on other facilities of similar nature. His advice was highly regarded by all lenders in every discussion, where A&O took part. A&O’s trade mark comes with a sort of a guarantee of quality work, attention to every aspect of the deal and vast experience. Therefore it is fair to say that any person from this firm with whom we have worked always leaves a great impression.’

‘A strong practice with industry and geographical knowledge, particularly Andrew Castle and Kathleen Wong.’

‘Marjan Noor is treated as royalty in this field, and rightly so. She is technically exceptional, strategically thoughtful, and a warm, considerate client partner: the full suite of skills one could ask for.’

‘Rafi Allos is a superb associate with extraordinary technical ability who is destined to be a quite exceptional figure in this field before very long at all.’

‘Mark Ridgway is an incredibly engaging personality, whose strategic prowess and can-do attitude make him the first port of call for heavyweight patent litigation in this jurisdiction.’

‘Marjan Noor is one of the country’s leading pharmaceutical specialists. Her experience, calming manner, tactical awareness and industry knowledge ensure that she retains her position as one of the highest-profile lawyers in the sector. Not just here, but globally.’

‘Marjan Noor is a standout partner.  She has great experience and provides excellent client service making time for the clients and understands client’s commercial end goal.

‘Stand out partner – Marjan Noor. Nobody understands the needs of the client more and gives 125% to every one.’

‘Jim Ford is great to work with. He is very knowledgeable in the life sciences space, not only on the laws themselves but on the market practice in the sector. He is able to draw on that to provide well-reasoned and pragmatic advice.’

‘Marjan Noor  – one of the unsung heroes of the life sciences IP litigation field. Such a nice person to work with, she holds the whole litigation team together making the whole process so easy. Rafi Allos is a partner of the future. He has all the client service skills combined with a real understanding of the litigation process. He is the crucial link between client, solicitor team and barrister team. I can’t think of anyone who holds that role better in any firm.’

‘Remarkable ‘can do’ attitude and problem solving abilities. Honest about fees; no attempt at undue renegotiations.’

‘Philip has an excellent commercial understanding of key insurance matters, from a technical, commercial and regulatory perspective, in part due to his past experience in the insurance industry. He has a calm and thoughtful (rather cerebral) approach to problem solving, which was particularly helpful in coordinating our interactions with multiple regulators.‘

‘Motivated and proactive. The team was appropriately leanly staffed, which ensured the transaction was managed and progressed very efficiently.’

‘Philip Jarvis was heavily involved, in the detail and was readily available. His advice was thoughtful and pragmatic.‘

‘Deep knowledge of the transactional insurance space.’

‘Philip Jarvis brings a thoughtful and well-rounded point of view, weighing up the legal position against commercial imperatives and always seeking to enable us to strike the appropriate balance.’

‘Strong in corporate insurance work with a regulatory backdrop. Commercial and pragmatic approach. Good at listening to client requirements and adapting their approach as needed in terms of how we work together, resourcing, fees.’

‘A cohesive team with talent throughout. Partners who manage well but also understand the detail and associates who are brilliant lawyers and magnificently committed to their client’s cause.’

‘Richard Farnhill has a razor sharp intellect and an ability to grasp complex issues at lightning speed. His calm and professional demeanour in stressful times qualifies him as our go-to lawyer for exceptionally difficult contractual issues.’

‘Strength and diversity of experience in all aspects of contentious insurance, unusual in my experience in magic circle firms for whom insurance is often a blind spot.’

‘Joanna Page – a highly experienced, calm and effective team leader.’

‘This team, being very coherent and collaborative in its approach and engagement at all levels, operate at a level cut above the rest. Their approach to problem solving is highly commendable, and contains a hard-to-come-by composition of legal knowledge with practical commercial considerations. Richard Farnhill’s strategic approach is perpetually out of the box. The team deploys technology successfully in running matters over a geographically diverse area, which has been invaluable in responding to travel and communications limitations during the pandemic.’

‘Russell Butland – Strikingly able and tests every angle of an issue, with great results.’

‘I really enjoy working with the A&O team – they are professional but friendly and ultimately the standard of work is always high.‘

‘Dominic and Matt have provided top-drawer client service and engagement.‘

‘Dominic Von Wulffen – always on top of matters, quick off the mark and truly reliable.‘

‘Tim Conduit is an exceptional lawyer and is very astute. Tim understands the needs of his clients and strives to find the simplest and most effective solutions to any structural issue a transaction may face’.

‘The team have built up a very good relationship with the business on a number of levels over a short period of time and working remotely’.

‘The team was a combination of Richard Browne and Claire Coppel and I thought they worked extremely well together.  Richard was able to give our PLC Board the comfort of senior knowledge and experience when needed and Claire was able to actively manage the transaction’.

‘They are very in touch, sensible and highly commercial. They have an incredible ability to work to tight timeframes and still provide extremely high quality advice. They are also a lovely, friendly team who are a pleasure to work with’.

‘Sara Pickerskill always seems to know the right answer or the right approach. You want her on your team’.

‘Fatima Shawaf  – very thorough, co-operative, hard-working, top rate’.

‘John Geraghty, Tom Betts and Cathy Gilmartin were a unified team who delivered us a great outcome on the realisation of our investment in a very tight timeline. they were highly engaged, creative in drafting, worked seamlessly with other advisers and across timezeones. All three were outstanding – creative, engaged, diligent, thorough and measured.’

‘A professional set of lawyers dedicated to quality service delivery to the clients.’

‘Knowledgeable in the relevant areas and extremely professional in their approach towards managing the sponsors and the lenders.’

‘Attentive, personable and resourceful.’

‘Matt Townsend leads an experienced team of environmental legal experts.’

‘Extremely generous with their time and support. Very knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments. Able to provide solid and commercial advice.’

‘REACH is a unique topic that not many firms have knowledge or expertise in. During times of uncertainty, the team is able to provide various options for consideration and recommend the most cost-effective and compliant options to us, which has added great value to our decision-making process.’

‘Matthew Townsend and Sophie Davis are both very patient in understanding the overall situation and provided prompt follow-up on issues that are unclear.’

‘They are knowledgeable and dependable. We particularly value Matthew Townsend, whose guidance has been invaluable.’

‘Matt Townsend and Maeve Hanna have in-depth knowledge and are commercial and pragmatic.’

‘Top-tier firm. Excellent technical knowledge and very deep market knowledge. They operate very efficiently but without any reduction in the quality of service or responsiveness.’

‘They have great depth in practice and the right balance in terms of strong experienced partners and dynamic hardworking young partners and associates. There are only a few firms that can genuinely deliver large pan-European complicated deals and A&O lead the pack. Their strength in Europe is standout and their ability to project manage multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional matters is key. The team also benefits from experience not only in property finance but leverage, corporate and restructuring matters, with multiple partners experienced in more than one of these areas. If a deal has a hybrid element – which is becoming more and more common – this team is very well placed to do this work and well. In addition to having the knowledge and market experience to assist clients at all levels, they are also very commercial, approachable and good at relationships.’

‘I have known the team a long time but they consistently perform at a high standard. I have the utmost confidence in their expertise, knowledge and capacity to get a transaction done within a tight timescale.’

‘What stands out is the breadth and depth of the team. By far and away the best in terms of expertise, client service and commercial advice.’

‘David Oppenheimer’s star continues to rise. He is simply a great lawyer. He has the right balance of technical excellence, commercial acumen and approachability. Both the commercial teams and the in-house lawyers love working with him. Peter Mailer is one of the best lawyers we have worked with technically and one of the most approachable. He makes complex matters understandable for clients. Peter has a strong future ahead of him. David Varne is a very impressive lawyer. His presence leading on some of the largest pan-European commercial real estate financings over the last few years makes him stand out.’

‘David Oppenheimer and Simon Roberts have been the lead partners for all our transactions so far. They have always provided top-quality advice when required.’

‘Mark Manson-Bahr is truly exceptional. He reads every word, sweats the detail but is commercial and gets the job done with minimum fuss and drama. Always comes in on cost. Best value in the City.’

‘Peter Mailer is very commercial. He provides pragmatic solutions, has excellent technical knowledge, and is very responsive.’

‘David Broadley handles challenging board level issues with humour and patience whilst providing calm reassurance to occasionally nervous Directors. A welcome voice of reason, he is pragmatic and clear.‘

‘Kate Astley and Victoria Rankmore offer a very personal and friendly service. They have a deep knowledge of corporate governance issues and can be trusted to give pragmatic and timely advice. It is a pleasure to work with them.‘

‘A&O’s Corporate Governance practice is consistently impressive in balancing leading edge legal advice with unswerving pragmatism. The advice and reviews of public disclosures received in the unusual circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic have been extraordinarily helpful.‘

‘The team combines in-depth experience of M&A and corporate/governance transactions generally with a specialist knowledge of the financial services sector and building societies law specifically at a level which sets it apart from competitor firms. They are also able to combine and apply their knowledge with an approach that is unfailingly commercial in outlook which is particularly valuable where seeking advice on matters of strategic importance to the organisation.‘

‘Kate and Victoria were extremely helpful and efficient in assisting with advice relating to our Notice of Meeting/AGM/Annual Report. Their responsiveness is impressive given the amount of Notices/Annual Reports they are no doubt advising on simultaneously.‘

‘Well-organised as a team, work carried out at appropriate levels of experience and all staff approachable and helpful.‘

‘Will Samengo-Turner has been a staunch supporter for us during a frantically busy year.’

‘Will Samengo-Turner remains extremely calm under pressure and has often made himself available on short notice where required.’

‘Working with Will Samengo-Turner feels like working with a colleague rather than an external adviser; he is very much an extension of the in-house team and is as aligned with our goals as we are.’

‘Will Samengo-Turner resources work very effectively, ensuring that the associates that work with us are well briefed and not stretched too thin across other client work.’

‘I can say without hesitation that Allen & Overy should undoubtedly be listed amongst the top three firms in this category. They have a whole suite of young, hard-working and strategically astute partners who have lifted the firm to the summit of IP litigation in this country.‘

‘Mark Ridgway – A class act from start to finish and everything in between. From initial advice through to conclusion of the trial, Mark should be your first port of call for any patent litigation.‘

‘Neville Cordell – An extremely sophisticated and astute lawyer.‘

‘Mark Heaney – Combines his incredible technical knowledge with a ferocious appetite to ensure the best outcome for his clients. You want Mark on your side for any high-tech litigation, you definitely don’t want him against you.‘

‘James Fox – Bright, extraordinarily charming and tactically astute. An outstanding associate who is destined not to be one for much longer!‘

‘The outstanding features of Allen & Overy are its multidisciplinary capabilities on an international scale.  A&O really do have direct access to specialists in all areas of the law on an international scale. This makes the firm outstanding in handling cases which have an international dimension and/or those which engage a range of legal issues outside of TMT/IP.‘

‘Marjan Noor is a stand out partner. She gets very involved in the case and manages at the right level. She is also very good at providing realistic budgets, which is refreshing and helpful for in-house counsel.‘

‘Experienced team with great knowledge and calm approach to complexity.‘

‘Jim Ford leads the team with a calm confidence.’

‘Led by the high-profile David Stone and supported by the incredibly bright and charming Neville Cordell, Allen & Overy are streets ahead of their peers in this area. This is evidenced by the quality of their clients.‘

‘David Stone combines every skill a client could wish for – and more. An incredibly bright and engaging partner who is very much at the top of his game and should be a first choice when it comes to heavyweight soft IP litigation.‘

‘Very experienced, knowledgeable lawyers who take great care in the way in which they manage a case and ensure that their clients’ needs are met. They are all very pleasant to work with and I would say that they are one of the leading firms in IP.‘

‘I have worked with David Stone and Adrian Dykes from Allen & Overy for many years, both whom I respect greatly. They are both very pleasant people to work with in terms of their personalities but also their abilities. They are both very intelligent, knowledgeable lawyers who take great care and pride in the work they do. Their work product is done to a high standard and you feel that the attention that is required on any particular task has been carried out properly.‘

‘Solutions driven and able to identify and focus on the key commercial points, they provide practical and efficient advice that is not overcomplicated.’

‘Highly intelligent and succinct. Good availability and always a pleasure to speak to.’

‘A solid awareness of all potential issues. Calm and measured. Responsive. Personable and good-humoured.’

‘The team provides a great combination of comprehensive yet extremely practical advice.’

‘Mark Friend is one of the standout competition and regulatory lawyers in the UK and Dominic Long is also very strong.‘

‘Excellent team with excellent knowledge‘

‘ Philip Mansfield is a true legal/business partner who takes the time to understand the company and business. As a team, they partner well with counsel in other regions to ensure that the practice is global. They look around corners and understand both the business perspective and the regulatory perspective – they do well in translating the narrative and managing strategy.’

‘Excellent concentration of talent. Depth of knowledge of competition law and superb client and communication skills.‘

‘Mark Friend is both brilliant and immensely experienced. He is able to bring his great knowledge of competition law to bear on regulatory disputes. Without being at all heavy-handed he manages to spot the key points and push them home.‘

‘Allen & Overy went above and beyond what was required when we engaged with them. In depth knowledge of their area of expertise partnered with exceptional client care created a first class client experience.‘

‘Mark Friend is the right mix of being incredibly clever but being able to explain things to clients. If you want excellent advice go to Mark.‘

‘Great focus and reliability – excellent knowledge of particular issues.’

‘At the risk of sounding like flattery, I must admit that working with Rakesh Rathod and his team was one of the best legal experiences I ever had. I worked with Rakesh on what was probably the most complicated project during my in-house career and it was simply great working with this team. It was smooth sailing along: proactive, on top of things, exceedingly well managed and potential issues were raised in advance. All of this in circumstances that were challenging to say the least.’

‘Excellent lawyers, down to earth, pragmatic and efficient.’

‘They work 24/7, their knowledge and ability to collaborate with all departments in a company is very helpful. I’ve worked with Gillian Holgate and her team in the past. I have peace of mind knowing that Gillian and her team are leading the transaction. There is no doubt or worry that anything in the process will be missed when we work with Gillian and her team.’

‘Rakesh Rathod is an excellent lawyer. He is quick, pragmatic and business oriented. He is very adaptable and extremely efficient. Our company has been working with him for 10 years and we have been always very pleased with his work and advice.’

‘They have done many 60+ jurisdiction reorgs and so even the team in London have a good sense of where issues might crop up globally. Really good network of foreign offices and partner firms – much better than some of their competitors.’

‘Their innate knowledge and skills are the best I have encountered. They are so much more than just a legal advisor.  They know how to strategically work through the most difficult challenges and have unique solutions that go beyond just knowing the law.’

‘Dominic Morris has been a terrific asset to us. As the leader of our deal team, he has provided valuable insight on market practices and put together a team of subject-matter experts who have really added value to our transaction.  He is mindful of business objectives and deadlines and works tirelessly to make sure that we are satisfied’

‘David Broadley is among the best lawyers I have ever worked with anywhere – truly world class. Sharp, commercial, attentive, super committed and, on a personal level, an absolute joy to deal with. A trusted advisor for sure.’

‘Seth Jones’ experience is something that money can’t buy. No one else could have guided us through the transaction the way he did.’

‘Richard Hough is an outstanding lawyer and easy to work with.’

‘Richard Browne is a top notch professional who gives 150% all the time – to all his clients, I am sure – while making it seem easy and effortless. At his level, there is usually a considerable ego that goes along with ability. In Richard’s case, this is notably – and refreshingly – absent.

‘Annabelle Croker is a top notch professional who is unflappable under pressure and always warm and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Not a single person working there, from partners to postroom, is less than excellent.’

‘Jonathan Hitchin: unparalleled ability to see the ‘big picture’ and direct the case accordingly. Sarah Garvey: manages the day-to-day operation of the case with great skill, in particular knowing the right balance of pressure to place on the team to get work done and to allocate the right people to the right jobs. Sophie Orwell: colossal work ethic and tireless even in the face of significant time challenges.‘

‘Hugo Flaux is brilliant. He performs well beyond his level of qualification and has a great sense of humour. He is extremely clever, and was on top of all the legal arguments in our case, as well as the evidential aspects. His ability to get to grips with the technical aspects of the case was impressive. He was also super-organised on the procedural front. All in all, a dream to work with!‘

‘This is a superb all round outfit with an excellent reputation for high quality work at the very top end of commercial practice.‘

‘Jonathan Hitchin and Sarah Garvey are both highly experienced, hard working, capable litigators, with Jonathan having particular expertise in corporate disputes. They are a delight to work with.‘

‘What impresses me most is their integrated ability to offer advice across multiple specialties. It’s clear that the partners genuinely enjoy practicing together and bring out the best in one another.‘

‘Susanna Charlwood. It was an extraordinary coup for Allen & Overy to entice Susanna to come across from Shearman & Sterling. Make no mistake Susanna is a complete superstar as her splendid work highlights. She has her eye on every detail whilst managing to maintain a thoroughly positive energy in the entire team. Truly excellent.‘

‘Alice Englehart and Maeve Hanna were exceptional.’

‘A strong team that is very co-operative and always available – sees the big picture without losing focus on the small details.‘

‘Great for understanding clients’ needs and priorities.‘

‘Able to offer innovative solutions aimed at containing costs.‘

‘Personable, business-minded and pragmatic approach.‘

‘Mark Levy is convincing – tough but nice; and he has in-depth experience of gas price reviews, as well as a very savvy, commercial sense of the issues.‘

‘James Freeman is engaging and always very calm and measured, as well as being fun to work with – responsive and on top of all the detail of cases.‘

‘James Freeman is at the top of my list. The advice was carefully crafted so that it was receiver-friendly for non-legal, non-English native people. When considering the magnitude of our matter, James was indeed a key lawyer.‘

‘Counsel Naomi Briercliffe is very smart and hardworking.‘

‘The A&O team are good lawyers, with considerable experience of complex tax issues and their resolution, either by negotiation and settlement or through litigation. At all times when I have dealt with them they have shown sound technical knowledge and a strong sense of their clients.’

‘They are a formidable team, both technically and tactically.’

‘The team has high quality individuals and works very hard for their clients. Charles Yorke is very bright with a good grasp of the detail.’

‘The team generally give a real sense of reassurance that the particular matter will be dealt with, and then deliver. Technically excellent.’

‘Jason Shaw is exceptionally responsive and thoughtful, with no unnecessary drama.’

‘Practical, down to earth and highly professional, inspiring great confidence and the knowledge that one is in very safe and capable hands.’

‘The firm has global coverage and strength in the high yield space.’

‘They are near the client and have means and capacity to deliver.’

‘Kevin Muzilla is exceptionally knowledgeable of the technicals, as well as the broader details of the deal. He has also been very commercially strategic, which has helped navigate very challenging negotiations. Kevin is definitely a top-tier lawyer in his space.’

‘Kevin Muzilla is a standout partner for legal expertise, out-of the box thinking, very good knowledge of the market and personal integrity.’

‘They are able to build confidence in their abilities and professionalism fast and in durable way.’

‘They are highly knowledgeable and able to steer us in the best way to achieve compliance’. 

‘Jane Finlayson-Brown is superb and leads a formidable team’.                     

‘In particular, I want to commend them on their weekly data protection briefing which is my “go-to” update – it covers a good range of countries and regions and related topics in bite-size form’.

‘Jane Finlayson-Brown is responsive and a great relationship manager’.     

‘Nigel Parker was supportive and responsive, and the quality of work produced under pressure was excellent’.  

‘The risk advisory team is very knowledgeable’.

‘In addition to bringing a legal perspective, they also included on the team a former head of the regulatory body who understands best practices’.  

‘Most importantly, they are willing to provide advice on complex decisions based on their business judgment’.

‘Good track record over a number of years.’   

‘Eve Giles is a standout partner. She has strength in depth, is enormously experienced, hardworking, thoughtful and a delight to work with.’

‘A&O are able to advise on anything we need – no matter how niche the legal area. They have a commercial approach and they really understand the rail market.’

‘A great team with good availability and insight.’

‘The team has a deep and detailed knowledge of the rail market which provides great confidence to financiers. Their work is thorough and coupled with a positive approach.’

‘Jon Bevan has an excellent knowledge of the industry and seems able to solve any problem.’

‘Sara Pickersgill is a trusted advisor with commercial approach.’

‘Sara Pickersgill and her team have provided an excellent service – providing ad hoc ideas on a highly complex transaction and within the pre-determined budget.’

‘The team are familiar with all of the financiers and have excellent sector knowledge. They are able to get to the key issues quickly; they are highly competent in managing complex transactions and bringing solutions to the table.’

‘Hard working, diligent, attentive and diverse team.’

‘Karan Dinamani is quite possibly the best corporate lawyer in London. Karan has an incredible ability to adapt to a deal in any sector and in any geography almost immediately. He has a fantastic way of working with both his clients, selling shareholders and the management teams of our companies. He is the reason we use A&O for all our M&A legal work in London. I know he is in demand by lots of the top PE funds but I always feel like he is accessible (even when on several deals) and there is no professional I work with who puts his clients first like Karan.’

‘Top quality firm with broad experience spanning multiple jurisdictions. Pragmatic and commercial approach. Great understanding of the PE market.’

‘Gordon Milne has a very commercial approach. He identifies the issues that are really important to the transaction and finds solutions to work through them. The entire team goes above and beyond in terms of availability, ensuring things get done on clients’ timelines, no matter how demanding the ask.’

‘Our interactions with the team have always been positive on account of the quality of advice, breadth of expertise in the team or available in the wider firm and a very responsive approach.’

‘We’ve mainly worked with Peter Banks and senior associate Chris Sabine. Both are easy to work with and are constructive, commercial and feel part of the deal team in solving problems and developing solutions.’

‘Exceptionally high levels of knowledge of the current state of anti-bribery and corruption regulation, legislation and enforcement in the UK and US, combined with a high level of understanding of the UK criminal justice system. Exceptionally able to advise clients who are witnesses or involved in investigations in both jurisdictions.’

‘A&O have a top-quality criminal law leader. Eve Giles is excellent.’

‘Eve Giles provided concise, relevant, timely and constructive advice. She did not allow any professional frustrations, or comparable frustrating experience from other cases, in dealing with investigating organisations to affect her advice; rather she built on this to provide a wider view of the situation.’

‘With the arrival of Eve Giles at the practice, A&O now has a depth of expertise in the representation of individuals to allow it to hold itself out in this area. Eve has been recognised as someone able to provide advice to individuals across a range of white-collar areas, including fraud, bribery and corruption, and competition. She has a deep expertise built up over many years of practice. She is extremely conscientious in ensuring that consideration is given to every aspect of her clients’ cases with the aim of ensuring that the very best outcome possible is achieved.’

‘Eve Giles is a very experienced, calm and considerate lawyer.’

‘Although slightly smaller than the other Magic Circle competition disputes teams, Allen & Overy have some brilliant partners in their ranks and a fine roster of associates.’

‘Jonathan Hitchin is a fantastic commercial litigator with great experience in competition disputes. Mark Friend is a competition and regulatory lawyer with enormous knowledge and experience of regulatory disputes. Wise and brilliant, definitely one to have on your team for a regulatory dispute. The  brilliant Rachel Donelan is a future star.’

‘The Allen & Overy Team is highly responsive and willing to show flexibility around our needs. They have proven helpful in providing resources to support our in-house legal team requirements. They have also worked alongside us to respond to innovative matters, showing great capacity to think outside the box and bringing their international experience to bear on the documentation and other aspects of the work.‘

‘Deep knowledge and experience, availability and flexibility, creativity and a result-oriented approach. MaameYaa has been consistently supportive to our legal and investment teams. She was at the forefront to the capacity building session organised by A&O for us.‘

‘Matt Huggett – always on top of his game.‘

‘Paul Sampson – excellent in negotiations.‘

‘Very responsive partners; heavy partner involvement; deep bench of associates; v quick turnaround times; regular and relevant know-how / legal development updates.‘

‘MaameYaa Kwafo-Akoto and Pavel Shevtsov are both excellent.‘

‘They have a strong understanding of how a construction contract will be applied in the practical sense.’

‘Responsive and always looking at the big picture. Document control is very good as is collaboration with different departments.’

‘Open to discussing the options and opportunities to approach a task in the way which will best suit the project.’

‘Encyclopaedic knowledge of the towers/telecoms sector, frequently knowing more than even the business/technical teams but blending this with commercial nous and the ability to explain to those with little or no background knowledge in the sector.’

‘Tom Levine literally knows what will happen and positions that parties will take before they do.’

‘Andrew Kenning – head and shoulders ahead (in terms of knowledge, negotiation and approachability) of every partner in every other firm in this sector.’

‘Great team with superb full TMT capabilities (both on the M&A and very technical/commercial contacts side.’

‘Tom Levine and Andrew Kenning are extremely knowledgeable (including on the technical front) and commercial which facilitates all the deals. Having worked a lot with them, they totally understand the priorities of our business which means they are almost an extension of our team.’

‘I am particularly familiar with Andrew Denny and Maeve Hanna. Andrew is a brilliant mind, creative and fantastically knowledgeable on public law, great on tactics and has built a superb team around him. Maeve is stellar and her very fast rise to partnership reflects this. She is knowledgeable, thoughtful, ultra hard working and organised and detail oriented, and has superb judgment. I have seen her always go the extra mile for her clients also. She is a joy to work with.’

‘A responsive, efficient team that constantly seeks to meet the highest standards of service.’

‘Andrew Denny is a partner with excellent knowledge of public law. He has first rate tactical understanding and is able to explain complex public law issues in a straightforward manner.’

‘Maeve Hanna is a rising star in the legal world. She is comprehensive with her advice, making complex issues clear and making herself available to clients to ensure a good understanding of the issues they face. She is thorough in her approach to her work and her analysis of the law is consistently excellent.’

‘They are absolutely fantastic- this team towers above other magic circle firms doing pro bono intervention work. They are legally astute, ultra hard working, ultra committed, brilliant on tactics. Just a delight to work with.’

‘In-depth expertise and a wealth of experience.‘

‘Jane Fox-Edwards is a fantastic lawyer who is incredibly knowledgeable and very client-focused. It is a complete pleasure to be lucky enough to work with Jane.‘

‘I enjoyed working with the Allen & Overy team pro bono and found them incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Their support greatly enhanced the quality of my work and the resources I took part in producing. It is very hard to access pro bono support, even harder to maintain long-term collaboration. Working with Allen & Overy is a complete exception in this sense. I cannot stress enough how important and valuable their support has been throughout the years, especially after legal aid cuts and the impact of pandemic on access to legal support and advice.‘

‘They are thorough, able and a strong property litigation team.’

‘Jane Fox-Edwards is a good lawyer, with a good commercial head and very balanced judgement.‘

‘Jane Fox-Edwards is always very pragmatic and gives us fantastic advice. Options are always presented with her recommendation. She thoughtfully analyses the situation and is effective in putting her views and advice forward.‘

‘The A&O projects team has consistently been made up of top class lawyers, from the most junior to the leading partner. Their knowledge, curiosity, analytical ability and most importantly appreciation of the local nuances make them the one of the best project teams.’

‘Jason Humphreys and Scott Lovell’s knowledge, know-how, experience, market understanding and tenacity makes them the best lawyers around. However, what stands them out is their amazing personality, very friendly candour and very respectful approach to the local counsel. It makes working with the team on the toughest transactions very enjoyable.’

‘Proactive and commercial.’

‘I was impressed with the fast turn around time and ability to pull resources from the region to meet our tight deadlines, allowing the sharing of experience from Asian and European markets help us to negotiate terms with the European counterparts.’

‘Team expertise cuts across the board, they take a very collaborative approach to identifying issues early and helping to work across the issues to an acceptable commercial outcome.’

‘Jason Humphreys takes it to a whole new level. Very attentive and responsive and customises bespoke solutions.’

‘Super-sophisticated, yet pragmatic – in-depth market knowledge’

‘Unrivalled experience.’

‘Yves Van Pul – very hands-on and pro-active. Extremely good general knowledge, solution driven.’

‘Sophie Rutten: very accessible, pragmatic’

‘A&O is very experienced in the market, and was therefore able to provide us with in-depth analyses and market comparison of specific legal problems. This was of great value to us in our negotiations with subcontractors and lenders. Also, A&O’s team (partner Filip Tanghe in the lead) provided us a way forward with elegant solutions when parts of the project/negotiations got stuck. Its ability to deblock negotiations has been greatly appreciated by us.’

‘A&O’s Belgian Banking & Finance practice is one of the most established teams on the market. The team stands out through the breadth of its expertise, its ability to tackle complex transactions through the involvement of other practices and other offices within its network.’

‘Filip Tanghe is well established as one of the leading partners for Banking & Finance. Filip is very experienced, pragmatic and solution-oriented.’

‘A&O’s Singapore finance team, led by partner Gautam Narasimhan, is at the top of the profession for handling cross border India deals. They are efficient, diligent and highly effective. They know the ins and outs of India regulations, credit risks and pitfalls. They also work well with onshore counsel.’

‘A good mix of international experience and India market background. The team has worked well with us across offices and teams.’

‘Sheila Ahuja is a great team player and makes working with her team seamless. She and her team have the ability to turnaround work on tight timelines.’

‘Very strong banking team. Deep knowledge of India transactions.’

‘Gautam Narasimhan: he has become preeminent in finance law and deal management in South and Southeast Asia. He knows the risks and regs of India better than anyone offshore.’

‘Gautam Narasimhan is our go-to partner and works extremely hard to close deals expeditiously. John Curran is a very capable associate.’

‘Allen & Overy is one of our preferred international relationship law firms. They have maintained a leading position of being the trusted legal advisor to its long-standing clients in the Indian market or who have an interest in India. They collaborate with us on India-related matters to provide local counsel for their clients and we benefit from our longstanding relationship with them, as a leading international law firm. We enjoy strong working relationships with firms.

‘Overall, an excellent team. Key is their understanding of businesses and local practices all over the world. If you have a global deal, they are a top-quality outfit. The ability for different offices to come together and execute things seamlessly make them the top firm.’

‘A top notch restructuring and insolvency practice is part of A&O’s full service client offering in Asia. We have tried boutique restructuring firms but always come back to A&O. They know their business, give value-salvaging advice, and don’t let egos get in the way of solving critical problems. ’

‘Expertise on insolvency and restructurings and market knowledge / application in many jurisdictions; commercial sensible approach; great on the management of local law issues; positive approach to work and clients.’

‘Gautam Narasimhan is creative, commercially minded, focused on deal completion while still maintaining balance with respect to risks.’

‘Jessica Lee is great and in a good team. Great understanding of legal issues and market positions.’

‘The team coordinated well with all parties involved and kept everyone updated at all times. Provided timely and critical advise/opinions to the lender group. The members were also very easy to reach out to and have a conversation with. You can see there is dedication to achieving best results possible while recognising limitations and being able to convey this properly.’

‘Already mentioned, it was very easy to converse with the team members to seek advice and further clarifications. This made the transfer of information much easier which of course led to better decision making.’