White & Case LLP - The Who's Who Legal 100 2012

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

Project finance emerges as the firm’s strongest suit according to our research: 18 lawyers from 10 international offices earn listings. Global head of the firm’s energy, infrastructure and project finance group, and one of five lawyers listed in New York in this section, Arthur Scavone is a “force to be reckoned with”, according to peers who recognise his work in such matters as the Post Rock, Bishop Hill and One Nevada Transmission Line projects – as well as his public procurement work – as “world class”. Fellow New Yorker Troy Alexander is also honoured in both the public procurement and project finance sections and is praised for his “superior knowledge” of the power, resources, telecoms and pulp and paper industries. Mexico City’s Ariel Ramos is similarly well recognised, with sources praising his work in infrastructure, power, water and public works projects, as well as his regulatory acumen, as “first rate”. One of three project finance lawyers in the London office, Philip Stopford also adds to the firm’s strong contingent in the oil and gas section, having acted for the sponsors in the Qatargas II and 4 LNG projects in recent years. In Istanbul, Asli Basgoz is noted for her “highly diverse skill set”, which encompasses project finance, corporate transactions and telecoms work and earns her further listings in the M&A and regulatory communications sections.

Maxim Telemtayev manages White & Case’s practice in Kazakhstan and enjoys a “sterling” reputation for his transactional work, particularly in relation to the natural resources sector, and he features in the M&A, mining and oil and gas sections. Andrei Dontsov is another “big name” for M&A, joint ventures and commercial projects work in the CIS region, and earns further recognition in the corporate governance section. Mexico City’s Alberto Sepúlveda Cosío is the firm’s most widely recognised practitioner in our research, garnering listings in the banking and capital markets sections alongside his inclusions in M&A and corporate governance, and sources consider him a “market-leading” expert in financial services matters. Eric Berg heads the firm’s global banking practice and is one of four “highly regarded” lawyers from the New York office to appear in the corresponding section, where he is praised for his “impeccable” leverage finance knowledge. Further listings in Miami, London and Budapest give White & Case a total of 8 lawyers in our banking research.

White & Case is listed in Global Arbitration Review’s “GAR 100” ranking as one of the world’s leading law firms for arbitration work, and our research confirms its “eminent” stature in this discipline. New York’s Paul Friedland is the head of the firm’s international arbitration practice group and one of 13 White & Case lawyers to rank highly in this section, earning praise for his “first-tier” work in commercial and investor state disputes. Claes Zettermarck represents the Stockholm office and is equally “well thought of” for his work in M&A, arbitration and construction matters on behalf of private clients and government entities. Phillip Capper in London is a “well-recognised” authority in construction disputes, particularly in the building, civil engineering and rail sectors, having acted for Channel Tunnel contract consortium TML in three ICC arbitrations. Paris-based Christopher Seppälä also combines arbitration expertise with a “very strong” focus on construction work, specialising in engineering, industrial and building disputes on behalf of multinationals, sovereign states and public entities. Also in Paris, Michael Polkinghorne heads the regional arbitration group and regularly acts in disputes pertaining to the energy and natural resources sector, earning an additional listing in our oil and gas rankings.

Eleven lawyers give White & Case an authoritative presence in our aviation section, which features lawyers from offices across Europe, Asia and the US. One of two lawyers listed in the London office, Justin Benson is a leading asset finance specialist with lengthy experience in international lending transactions, particularly in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Similarly well regarded, the New York, Miami and Los Angeles also field two representatives apiece in this section. Head of asset finance in Paris, Victoria Westcott boasts “enviable” expertise in leasing, secured and unsecured syndicated lending, PPP, export credit and concession based financing transactions covering aircraft as well as shipping and satellite equipment. Thomas McDonald in Moscow and Sebastian Buss in Singapore complete the firm’s strong showing in aviation.

Global Competition Review ranks White & Case among the leading competition law providers in Brussels in its most recent “GCR 100” report, and the Belgian capital is home to half of the firm’s featured lawyers in the corresponding section. Ian Forrester QC is a “leading light” with extensive EU law expertise, having acted before national courts and competition authorities, the European Commission, the European General Court and the European Court of Justice on behalf of such clients as the BBC, Microsoft, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline: work for these latter clients also sees him listed in the life sciences section. Mark Powell assists clients in obtaining regulatory clearance for complex merger and acquisition transactions and has an “impressive track record” in telecommunications matters, which sees him achieve a further listing in the regulatory communications section. DC-based global antitrust group head Mark Gidley is noted for his M&A and cartel expertise and counts Stolt-Nielsen, Upsher-Smith Laboratories and SunGard Data Systems among his clients. Joseph Angland in New York and Jean-Patrice de La Laurencie in Paris complete a strong global line-up in this section.

Walter Spak heads the international trade team out of the firm’s Washington, DC, office and is described as a “true asset” to the practice, with expertise in US and third-country trade proceedings, bi-and multilateral negotiations and NAFTA and WTO disputes. Gregory Spak and William Clinton are also honoured in the US capital, while David Bond adds to the firm’s US presence with a listing in Miami. Geneva’s Brendan McGivern heads White & Case’s WTO practice group and is “internationally renowned” for his understanding of the organisation’s laws. Further listings in Tokyo and Beijing further demonstrate White & Case’s prowess in this area of law.

An additional 11 sections of our compendium edition feature listings from White & Case offices around the world, attesting to the firm’s impressive breadth of talent and the comprehensive global coverage of its network.