Profile: Lovells

Lovells - Who's Who Legal '70'

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

INSURANCE
The largest single contingent from the firm appears in the insurance and reinsurance chapter, where ten partners feature. According to one interviewee, Lovells has “a fantastic insurance and reinsurance shop in London […] part of an enviable international team”. Four partners, including John Trotter, who is renowned for his expertise in dispute resolution, stood out in particular. John Young is head of the London corporate insurance practice and Lovells’ senior partner, and he was variously described as “an excellent leader” and a “driving force behind [the practice’s] recent success.” Robin Spencer is head of business restructuring and insolvency – he also appears in the corresponding chapter as a leader in the field – and he has a reputation as “one of the quietest, yet most effective, men in the profession”. Peter Taylor is included on account of his “first-class” litigation and transactional expertise, and former global insurance and reinsurance group leader John Powell now practises as a consultant attached to the firm.

Lovells’ European expertise encompasses two nominees from the Rome office: Leah Dunlop has “made an excellent name for herself ” since moving from the London headquarters. Paolo Ricci heads the Italian corporate insurance practice and is a “skilled, technically brilliant and innovative lawyer”.

In the US, three partners are nominated in two states. Joe McCullough in the Chicago office leads the firm’s national insurance and reinsurance practice, and was described as “fabulous – very commercially astute and very practical”. Eric Haab is recognised for his international insurance insolvency litigation, and the team is represented in New York by David Alberts, a “very prominent figure in the market”.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Lovells performs strongly in the patent and trademark chapters. Seven of the members of the firm appear in Patents, led in the research by London partners Robert Anderson and Nicholas Macfarlane. In the Düsseldorf office, Andreas von Falck won widespread admiration for his transactional work and also for activities in the German courts and the European Patent Office. Dutch partners Bert Oosting and Klaas Bisschop add “an extra string to the bow” in Europe. The firm’s European practice in this area was further strengthened by the January 2008 lateral hire of Krystyna Szczepanowska-Kozlowska from Linklaters – a “real coup” for the firm. Further afield, Henry Wheare heads the Asia IP group from the Hong Kong office.

Wheare’s “broad and impressive practice” also earns him a place among the leading trademark lawyers, he is one of nine partners from the firm we feature in that chapter. The aforementioned Nicholas Macfarlane appears again, he is joined in London by David Latham (“superb” for intellectual property rights agreements). Verena von Bomhard is the founder and head of the firm’s Alicante office and “very active” in the defence of marks in the EU. Burkhart Goebel in Madrid is famed for his complex multi-jurisdictional trademark work, while Carsten Albrecht and Andreas Bothe represent the firm in our Germany list. Luigi Mansani in the Milan office is “excellent”, and Marc Wallheimer makes the cut in the Netherlands.

DISPUTES
Lovells is also “exceedingly strong” for disputes work, with multiple representatives in the litigation, arbitration and product liability chapters. Four of the firm’s five leading litigators in the publication are based in London. Patrick Sherrington heads the global dispute resolution practice and is a “very fine individual”. Christopher Grierson was described as “sensational” and is renowned for his insolvency expertise, he acted for the liquidators of BCCI. Graham Huntley is “a real talent”, praised for his “formidable” M&A and asset management dispute work. Neil Fagan heads the firm’s public policy unit and is known for his regulatory knowledge and litigation skills. Alexander Loos appears from the Düsseldorf office and possesses an “excellent reputation for dispute resolution”.

The firm also has three experts in the commercial arbitration chapter. Timothy Hill in Hong Kong is the current local representative of the LCIA and an “established arbitration expert” and is particularly good on construction disputes – he also appears in that chapter. He is joined by two further nominees from the German research; Robert Hunter and Volker Triebel, whose “extensive experience” was noted.

Lovells stands out in the European product liability research, with four partners listed in three countries. Rod Freeman in the London office is the highest rated individual at the firm in this area, a “real specialist in the field”. Head of the product liability team John Meltzer was strongly commended for his litigation work, particularly in relation to the financial implications of product failures. Ina Brock was described as “one of the best in Germany”, fêted for her blood products litigation in several European countries, as well as work in the automotive, consumer products and aviation industries – she also appears in the chapter dedicated to aviation law. The “very good” Francesca Rolla is well regarded in Italy for her tobacco-related work.

CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE
The construction research sees five further partners listed. In London, Nicholas Gould is a senior consultant in the firm’s engineering and construction group and “very experienced” in construction disputes. Tony Marshall is also in the English capital and “really knows his stuff”. He was involved in the construction of Hong Kong’s new airport. The aforementioned Timothy Hill also appears in this chapter and heads the projects (construction and engineering) group in Asia. Germany is home to two lawyers we feature; Roland Bomhard and Wendelin Acker.

The London office also provides two partners in the real estate research. Robert Kidby has been head of the practice since 1995, and “everyone knows him” in the local market. He is joined by Michael Stancombe, who was recognised for his real estate development, financing and investment practice.

COMPETITION
Lovells’ six-strong contingent in the competition research ranges across three countries. In London, Simon Polito is “right up there” among the leaders in the field. Lesley Ainsworth is recognised for her advice to private equity clients on the multi-jurisdictional merger clearance aspects of their transactions. Susan Bright heads the competition and EU law practice and was recognised for her work on behalf of MasterCard UK Members Forum in the joint appeal against the OFT’s ruling on the MasterCard interchange fee arrangements. The firm is also represented in the all-important Brussels marketplace, with Jacques Derenne praised as “excellent for state aid work”. Two “very good lawyers” from the Düsseldorf office appear – Martin Sura and Christian Bahr.

TMT
The internet and e-commerce chapter brings four new Lovells partners to the publication. The firm was described as having a “wonderful group”. Two hail from Munich: the “highly recommendable” Stefan Schuppert and Wolfgang Büchner are “very well known for their practice in Germany”. Schuppert advises clients with respect to technology, licensing and media law and works on disputes, contracts, outsourcing and privacy, while Büchner is a “great transactional lawyer”. In London, Conor Ward’s practice encompasses contentious and non-contentious law and he has vast experience relating to outsourcing transactions and data protection. Marco Berliri in Rome heads the Italian commercial law and technology media and communications practice and acts for eBay Italia, which he helped set up in 2001. In addition, Robert Lewis appears in the regulatory communications research and is the sole inclusion from China. Former general counsel for Nortel Networks in Asia, he is now managing partner of the Beijing office and an “invaluable source of local knowledge”.

FINANCIAL AND CORPORATE
Lovells also performed exceptionally well in the UK insolvency and restructuring research, with three practitioners making the final list. One competitor praised the firm for having “the most international practice in London”. Christopher Grierson and Robin Spencer have already been mentioned, Stephen Foster is known as “a go-to-guy for banks”.

Lawyers from the firm appear in two further chapters. Philip Boys from the Paris office represents Lovells in the capital markets section, and David Harper and Elizabeth Slattery appear as leaders in the field of labour and employment law.