Profile: White & Case LLP

White & Case LLP - Who's Who Legal '30'

What is the Who's Who Legal '30'?

PROJECT FINANCE AND NATIONAL RESOURCES

Although the firm is undeniably well represented in the countries and practice areas we survey in this book, it is particularly outstanding for project finance work. Winner of the Who's Who Legal Project Finance Law Firm of the Year Award for the first time, White & Case supplies 19 partners in 10 countries for this chapter. During the two years up until December 2005, the firm successfully closed more than 100 project finance transactions with a value of more than US$40 billion. New York partner Arthur Scavone was recognised as a "phenomenal lawyer", and is included among the area's elite practitioners; his colleague Troy Alexander is reportedly "one of the best in town". The majority of the firm's lawyers we identify in this area are based in England or the US: in DC (including Edward Neaher, who is "right up there with the very best") and New York, as well as London. Co-head of the EMEA project and infrastructure finance group in London Philip Stopford has an "awesome practice". The firm's work in many European countries and further afield was admired. It boasts the most highly nominated lawyer in Russia, Hugh Verrier; it can also claim to have "the best power lawyer in Asia", Brian Miller in Singapore. In a related field, Tanneke Heersche is co-head of the firm's global mining and metals group and South Africa's most highly regarded mining lawyer. Described as "quite brilliant", she earned a place among the leading lawyers worldwide.

BANKING

White & Case also features prominently in Banking. The firm represents more than 90 banks around the world, and has 10 lawyers included in eight countries. Co-head of the global bank finance practice Eric Berg is "phenomenally skilled" and represents clients such as Deutsche Bank, Citibank and Morgan Stanley. Duane Wall, the firm's managing partner, was also highly rated by domestic and international sources. The firm has two nominees in the Mexico list; Alberto Sepúlveda Cosío is "one of the deans of the Mexican bar"; and Thomas Heather is similarly well regarded, having represented clients such as HSBC and Bank of America - both men also appear in the M&A chapter.

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION

The firm's stature in Commercial Arbitration should also be acknowledged. Eight partners appear in four countries. The co-heads of the arbitration practice - Stephen Bond in Paris and Paul Friedland in New York - were particularly highly rated. Bond was described to researchers as "one of the best you'll ever work with" and was formerly the US member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. The Paris office gains two further nominations in this chapter. Friedland was praised for his "ground-breaking work"; in DC Carolyn Lamm and Abby Cohen Smutny also performed well. Claes Zettermarck in Stockholm and Christopher Seppälä in Paris stood out in the Arbitration and Construction chapters. (Zettermarck appears as a leading figure in the Sweden research in four chapters.)

TRANSATLANTIC TRADE

The firm's trade listing has a transatlantic dimension, with lawyers featuring from DC, where Gregory Spak's international trade regulation practice drew praise, and Brussels, where we recognise Ian Forrester QC. He also appears as one of five form the firm in the Competition chapter.

AVIATION

Elsewhere, White & Case made an impression in the Aviation research. We feature specialists in England, France, Japan and the US. Thomas McDonald is the most highly rated aviation lawyer in France; and Justin Benson in the London office was praised for his aircraft finance work for clients such as Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and Deutsche Verkehrsbank. In the US, the executive partner of the Los Angeles office, Richard Smith, was described as "first rate", and the firm also has two nominees in New York in this area.