Profile: Norton Rose LLP

Norton Rose LLP - Who's Who Legal '70'

What is the Who's Who Legal '70'?

AVIATION
Norton Rose achieves its greatest representation in the aviation chapter, with seven practitioners included, demonstrating the firm’s European and Asian strength. Head of the aviation group Jeremy Edwards is “as good as you can get” for aviation finance. Owen Mulholland is also an aviation finance expert and he often represents French banks (he returned to London from the Paris office in January 2008). Patrick Farrell adds another dimension with his dispute resolution practice. In France, George Paterson, international managing partner of the Paris office and head of its aviation team, really “stands out”. Glenn Matheson is a “highly competent aircraft finance lawyer”, and joined the firm recently from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Continuing the trend of excellence in the finance sector within the firm, Ralph Springer in our Munich list has a “good standing in the [aircraft finance] market”.

Singapore-based Simon Briscoe is the firm’s most highly nominated lawyer in this area. The firm is “very active in the region”. Briscoe is recognised as an international luminary at a firm with excellent strength and depth.


SHIPPING
Praise for Norton Rose’s transport work continues in the shipping chapter. This core practice for the firm is represented by five lawyers. A trio from the London office are included. Harry Theochari is head of the group and “very well known for his shipping finance work”. John Shelton is head of the shipping finance team and “very well respected in his field”. He is recognised for his representation of shipping companies, banks and financial institutions. Chris Hobbs gained recognition for his litigation work, especially in tanker and oil trading disputes. The firm also has nominees in two other important jurisdictions: Greece and China. Dimitri Sofianopoulos has acted for a range of Greek shipping companies and is “very highly thought of in the local market”, while Jim James is known for his “in-depth cross-border experience throughout Asia”. The group acted for Globus Maritime Limited regarding its £25.3 million placing and listing on AIM.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY
Norton Rose’s project finance contingent covers Bahrain, England, Hong Kong and Italy. The group’s activities extend worldwide. In London, two practitioners make the cut: the “excellent” Jeffrey Barratt is head of the global projects group and Jon Ellis is a “skilful lawyer” who advises sponsors, banks and multilateral institutions on a range of projects. In Milan, Michael Taylor is “highly experienced and respected”. Hong Kong-based Peter Haslam has a broad-based practice, and in Bahrain, respondents to the survey admired Dominic Harvey’s transactional expertise.

Taylor makes another appearance as the only Norton Rose lawyer in the oil and gas chapter. His work includes upstream oil and gas interests and his peers praised his financial expertise.

Two of the firm’s mining lawyers in London received a raft of nominations. The team acted for Oriel Resources on the US$120 million financing of the Voskhod Chrome Mine in Kazakhstan. One impressed contributor dubbed Mark Bankes “one of the best mining lawyers in London”. He specialises in mining-related securities, M&A and restructurings. Raj Karia is “top-notch, and very active” according to sources. His practice also focuses on international securities and cross-border M&A and restructurings.

CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE
Three of the firm’s construction lawyers make the cut in this edition.  Christopher Hill of the London office is a “cool-headed litigator” who heads up the construction and engineering group, advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters. He advises employers, contractors and funding institutions. Frankfurt partner Axel Kunze represents clients on the conclusion of project agreements with construction firms and planning companies, and he has extensive experience in construction-related litigation. In Moscow, Valentina Gluhovskaya heads the local practice, and is experienced in litigation and non-contentious construction work.

Two real estate lawyers from Norton Rose feature in the following pages. The “outstanding” Robin Mitchell from the London office has experience of tax-based property leasing transactions and sales and leasebacks and he counts banks, investors and developers among his clients. Hans-Dieter Schulz-Gebeltzig is based in Frankfurt and has experience of project development, real estate transactions, leases and finance leases.

CORPORATE PRACTICE
In the insurance and reinsurance chapter, three lawyers from the London office feature. “One of the best around”, Michael Mendelowitz features among the most highly nominated lawyers and was consistently recommended. He joined the firm from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert. Cheryl Ronaldson is a “highly intelligent” practitioner according to sources. She handles a range of transactions in the corporate and regulatory areas, especially within the Lloyd’s market. James Bateson completes the trio and advises domestic and international insurers regarding corporate, regulatory and transactional matters. The group advised Munich Reinsurance on its acquisition of the Bell & Clements Group.

Insolvency lawyer Hamish Anderson received a large number of recommendations from peers who consider him to be “truly excellent” and noted his multi-jurisdictional work for the liquidators of Flightlease (Swissair’s aircraft leasing arm).

Hong Kong practitioner David Stannard represents the firm in the merger and acquisition chapter. One impressed peer described him as “a long standing star of the market”. He heads the local practice and has a broad base of expertise.

London-based IBA tax committee chair Dominic Stuttaford represents Norton Rose in the corporate tax section. He specialises in tax related to corporate finance and represents insurance companies and energy companies as well as stand-alone listed clients. He has experience of niche work for carbon funds. Also from the London office, Simon Sackman features in the corporate governance chapter. His “solid knowledge of the market” and financial expertise stands out.

LITIGATION
Valerie Davies in London features in the edition’s commercial litigation section. She is experienced in a variety of disputes and was described as “first class” by her peers, who admired her “heavyweight client list” and “excellent courtroom manner”. Arbitration expert Guy Spooner hails from the Singapore office and has particular experience in disputes in areas including shipbuilding, energy, international trade and infrastructure. Business crime defence lawyer James Bagge focuses his practice on fraud and the regulation of the investment and banking sectors. He acts for a number of financial institutions and is currently representing a large pharmaceutical company, which is being prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office for alleged involvement in cartel activity.

REGULATORY COMMUNICATIONS
Hervé Castelnau is head of the Paris telecoms, intellectual property and IT practice, regularly advising operators on regulatory issues, contract law matters and corporate investment and restructuring operations. He makes an appearance in our communications chapter.

COMPETITION
London competition lawyer Martin Coleman completes the firm’s showing in the edition. He is head of Norton Rose’s competition and EC department and a “highly capable practitioner”. He was repeatedly recommended for his special expertise in merger control, advising complainants and respondents regarding competition authority investigations, compliance and strategic planning.