Profile: DLA Piper LLP

DLA Piper LLP - Who's Who Legal '70'

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

The firm’s biggest increase occurs in the real estate chapter, where its numbers have swelled from 16 to 23 – a number unmatched by any other firm. These practitioners hail from six countries and seven US states, demonstrating how well the firm’s commitment to real estate as one of its core service groups has paid off. In New York, the firm advised the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. In the US, New York practice group head Martin Polevoy is “a star”, garnering the most recommendations of the firm’s lawyers, which earns him a place on the list of the practice area’s highest-nominated practitioners. “Absolutely outstanding” retail sector expert Jay Epstein chairs the firm’s real estate practice group and operates from the DC office. He is joined by “major player” Frederick Klein. Five California players appear, including Michael Meyer, who is known as “the best in California for leasing work”. Alan White, Pamela Westhoff, Caryl Wellborn and Stephen Cowan are also listed. The firm’s Chicago office alone fields seven practitioners, including Portia Owen Morrison and Howard Kane, who is well known for his work in mixed-use land developments. Further representation comes from Charles Edwards, Theodore Novak, David Glickstein, Harold Pomerantz and Robert Goldman who contribute to the office’s deep bench strength. Edward Levin practises in Baltimore and is praised as a “prolific author and speaker”. Elliot Surkin, managing partner of the Boston office, was described as “one of Boston’s best”. Peers consider Dallas practitioner Philip Weller “one of the best lawyers in the state”.

Oskar Winkler heads the real estate group in Austria and central and eastern Europe, and Francois de Montpellier, who joined the firm in July 2007, represents the Brussels office. Joint global leader and EMEA group head of real estate David Taylor is a “major operator” working from the London office. Olaf Schmidt represents the firm’s interests in Italy and Tom O’Grady is the only individual to be selected in the United Arab Emirates for real estate work.

Construction is also an area of strength for the firm. Four lawyers feature in that chapter. In Chicago, Ross Altman, Daniel Brennan and Ty Laurie all received an impressive share of the votes, and respondents to the survey also highlighted Gordon Smith’s practice in Hong Kong. Jim Delkousis joined the firm’s Dubai office in late 2007 to head its Middle East litigation and arbitration group, where he advises suppliers, consultants, contractors, funders and industry bodies on resolving major construction disputes.

One of the firm’s environment specialists appears in this edition: Ludger Giesberts, who joined the Cologne office from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in March 2007. He is noted for his representation of airports and was praised as a “double-A” practitioner by one source.

FRANCHISE    
DLA also dominates the research for the franchise section – 16 US and Asia practitioners make the cut. Philip Zeidman in Washington, DC, carries the banner for the firm, garnering more votes than any other lawyer in the chapter. Considered a “guru of franchising”, he is valued as counsel by bodies such as NGOs and governments. He is joined on our list by Erik Wulff and John Dienelt, both considered “eminent” by their peers. Reston, Virginia is home to two “real stars”, Bret Lowell and Barry Heller while the Chicago office provides six more names for the chapter. Michael Brennan was until recently the chair of the International Bar Association’s franchising committee and Dennis Wieczorek is a “respected presence” in the market and competitors consider Stuart Hershman to be an “excellent” franchise practitioner. Joseph Sheyka, Marc Seidler and Richard Morey complete the picture in Illinois.

In Texas, Ann Hurwitz is “right up there with the best”, while over in Florida, Tampa practitioner David Beyer was deemed “extremely sound”. Richard Greenstein represents the firm’s Atlanta office and rounds off the firm’s US representation. In Asia, Richard Wageman’s Beijing practice attracted plaudits and Mabel Lui is “highly recommended” in Hong Kong.

INTERNET AND E-COMMERCE, IP AND TELECOMS
Seven practitioners fly the flag for this “worldwide powerhouse”, which is “particularly good for multi-jurisdictional work” and boasts companies such as eBay, Sun Microsystems, AOL and Amazon.com on its client roster. Silicon Valley practitioner Mark Radcliffe led in the voting for the firm. He is praised for his open-sourcing and internet licensing work. “Dedicated, experienced” Maureen Dorney is based in Palo Alto and David Bender is senior privacy counsel at the New York office, possessing “extensive knowledge and experience”. The “formidable” Jay Westermeier represents the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, offices. Head of the internet law group Patrick Van Eecke is based in Brussels, where respondents to the survey had “only heard good things” about him, and Lars Jakob Blanck in Oslo is recommended for his “extensive litigation and arbitration experience”. Gigi Cheah is a “rising star” based in Hong Kong, assisting western companies in their expansion into the Asia markets.

In the trademarks chapter, DC partner Ann Ford joins Chicago lawyer Mark Feldman in the rankings. Austria-based practitioner Claudine Vartian represents the firm in the regulatory communications chapter.

INSURANCE AND REINSURANCE, SHIPPING AND AVIATION
The firm’s insurance and reinsurance group musters six practitioners on the following pages. From DLA Philips Fox, the “very prominent” Michael Gill in Sydney is “well respected” in the community. He has a broad practice covering dispute resolution and regulatory work, and is chair of the General Insurance Claims Counsel for Australia. Herbert Palmberger heads the German insurance and reinsurance group from the Cologne office. His peers respect his knowledge of the market and noted his extensive in-house experience. Two Chicago lawyers round off the representation for the firm. According to sources, Stephen Schwab has “excellent skills” that encompass transactional, regulatory and disputes matters, and his colleague David Mendelsohn is “well respected” by respondents to the survey.

In the shipping chapter, five lawyers make the cut. DLA Philips Fox makes another appearance – this time in the Perth office, John Farquharson leads the insurance risk management and transport team. His broad-based practice covers wet and dry law in the litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution areas. Ron Salter is rated by one source as “number one in Australia” and Andrew Tulloch also received plaudits for his “strong international practice”. Auckland practitioner Neil Beadle specialises in both commercial work and dispute resolution. His expertise on insurance law was highlighted to researchers. Peter Shelford is managing partner of DLA’s Bankok office, and he is also recognised for his shipping and maritime practice.

Tulloch makes another appearance in the aviation chapter alongside the “excellent, very efficient” Mark Franklin. Franklin heads the London-based aviation group and is well versed in regulatory, liability and risk work and commercial dispute resolution within the field. Moscow practitioner Andrew Muriel was fêted as “one of the best local counsel I have ever dealt with” by one impressed peer.

CORPORATE AND FINANCE
DLA’s international capability also comes to the fore in the research for the insolvency and restructuring chapter, where four practitioners from Asia, the US, New Zealand and Europe bear testament to the firm’s impressive international footprint. Siv Sandvik, from her base in Oslo, concentrates on cross-border issues and is also “very well known in Norway”. Baltimore lawyer Richard Kremen is a “top name in the state”. Michael Bos in Auckland is considered a “leading” practitioner. Lampros Vassiliou of the Bangkok office completes the firm’s representation in this chapter.

Two corporate governance counsel represent DLA from opposite sides of the Atlantic. Brussels practitioner Pierre Van Ommeslaghe is considered an “éminence grise” at the firm and Henry Lesser, in the Palo Alto office, is a “high-profile practitioner”.

In the project finance section, Javier Lopez Anton is considered a “very fine finance lawyer”, working mostly on domestic projects such as roads, hospitals, harbours and schools. Recent addition Jack Langlois appears in the oil and gas chapter having joined the firm in 2008 from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to help set up a new Houston office for DLA. Corporate tax partner Alan Granwell received glowing recommendations from respondents to the survey, who praised his strong international credentials.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND LITIGATION
Business crime defence constitutes another area where DLA lawyers excel, especially Earl Silbert, “one of the deans of white-collar defence”, who co-chairs the white-collar group. Two UK partners also make the cut – Neil Gerrard and Richard Smyth both feature prominently.

Silbert also figures prominently in the commercial litigation chapter, and is joined by Michael Gill – who also appears in the insurance and reinsurance section, and received praise for his expertise in insurance litigation. In the commercial arbitration chapter, co-chair of the international arbitration practice Claudia Salomon was very highly nominated. Based in the New York office, she is well known for her handling of investor treaty and international commercial arbitration cases.

The Madrid office of DLA Piper Spain SL is home to the three practitioners appearing in the competition research, all deemed “old hands with great experience and high-profile cases behind them”. Antonio Creus was described by one impressed counterpart as “one of the most creative competition lawyers in Spain”. Brothers Jose Maria and Juan Jimenez-Laiglesia y Oñate also appear in the following pages.