DLA Piper LLP - Who's Who Legal 70

What is the Who's Who Legal 70?

DLA Piper LLP in Who's Who Legal

	Internet & e-Commerce
	8

	Environment
	3

	Shipping & Maritime
	1

	Real Estate
	20

	Corporate Governance
	1

	Trademarks
	3

	Oil & Gas
	1

	Construction
	2

	Project Finance
	2

	Mergers & Acquisitions
	1

	Insurance & Reinsurance
	5

	Real Estate
	20

	Corporate Tax
	1

	Commercial Litigation
	2

	Insurance & Reinsurance
	5

	Competition
	2

	Commercial Arbitration
	1

	Trade & Customs
	1

	Insolvency & Restructuring
	2

	Life Sciences
	2

	Business Crime Defence
	5

	Public Procurement
	1

	Regulatory Communications
	2

	Aviation
	3

	Franchise
	15

It is also one of UK's largest law firms with over 2,800 people in eight offices. Eighty-nine of the firm's lawyers feature on the following pages.

Real Estate, Construction and Environment
The firm provides 23 names for our real estate chapter: a feat unmatched by any other firm. These practitioners are based in six countries - and seven US states - which demonstrates the firm's presence in the international real estate market. It is one of the firm's 12 core service groups, which employs over 600 lawyers across its 60-plus offices. Oskar Winkler is head of the real estate group in Austria and Central and Eastern Europe and has a broad and "impressive" domestic and international practice. In Belgium, François de Montpellier joined DLA Piper in July 2007 and has established an "enviable reputation" in the Brussels market. David Taylor in London is joint global leader and group head of the real estate practices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Taylor was described as a "major operator" on the international scene. The final European entry is Olaf Schmidt from Italy, who heads the real estate practice and is evidently very well regarded for his work in the area. The firm can also take pride in the inclusion of Tom O'Grady, the only individual selected in the United Arab Emirates. O'Grady is head of real estate in the Middle East and is based in Dubai. He is known for his expertise in the area of large-scale, mixed-use regeneration schemes and has worked on a number of them in the UK, including the $750 million mixed-use redevelopment in Bath.

The firm also excels in the US. Martin Polevoy heads the real estate practice in New York and is among the very best in the world in this area. He is well known for representing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as real estate counsel in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and was described to researchers as "a star". Jay Epstien is chairman of the firm's US real estate practice group and regarded as "absolutely outstanding" by his peers. He is particularly well known for his work in the shopping centre industry. Epstien is joined in DC by another "major player in the market", Frederick Klein. Klein represents both lenders and borrowers and is well versed in purchase and sale transactions and major development projects. In California the firm produces five partners for our real estate list. Michael Meyer is known as "the best in California for leasing work" and has worked with clients such as Bank of America, City National Bank and The Capital Group. The "very well-respected" Alan Wayte is senior counsel to the firm and is joined from the Los Angeles office by Pamela Westhoff, who "does a really good job", according to one source. Stephen Cowan is based in San Francisco and is a founding member of ACREL, the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. Cowan has worked on numerous multibillion-dollar real estate transactions.

The firm's Chicago office is the best represented of all the DLA Piper outposts. It provides seven practitioners for our list. Portia Owen Morrison focuses on structured finance, mortgages, joint ventures, mezzanine loans and structured debt placements on behalf of investors, developers and lenders. Howard Kane is best known for his work in mixed-use urban developments, regional shopping centres and industrial parks. Charles Edwards is active at the policy level and chaired a working group engaged in the drafting of state legislative proposals to clarify the use of compound interest in commercial loan transactions. Theodore Novak is chair of the firm's zoning, land use and condemnation practice and comes highly recommended, as does David Glickstein, whose broad practice attracted a great deal of praise. Glickstein's talent for complex financing transactions was also highlighted during our research. Harold Pomerantz is "a very fine lawyer", with experience representing national manufacturers, consumer product corporations, franchisors and real estate investment trusts (REITs). Robert Goldman "has built a great practice" in all aspects of commercial finance and development, including leasing, syndication, zoning, site selection and acquisition. Edward Levin is based in Baltimore and known as a "prolific author and speaker". Elliot Surkin is managing partner of the Boston office and was also involved in leading the team representing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center. He has done a great deal of redevelopment work in the greater Boston area and is known as "one of Boston's best". Similarly, the "technically brilliant" Philip Weller in Dallas is considered "one of the best lawyers in the state" by peers, who say his judgment is "second to none". In 2006 he assisted in the acquisition of the 1400 Smith Building in Houston for Brookfield Properties.

Three of the firm's four nominated partners in the construction chapter also practise in DLA Piper's Chicago office: Ross Altman, Ty Laurie and Daniel Brennan. The "excellent" Jim Delkousis joined the firm's Dubai office in late 2007 and completes the construction contingent.

Ludger Giesberts appears in the environment chapter and heads the litigation and regulation practice in Germany. His regulatory experience includes advising energy companies on the efficient management of waste incineration power plants. Michelle de Rijke who is based in the firm's office in The Hague appears in the oil and gas chapter.

Franchise
DLA Piper LLP dominates the research for the franchise chapter, with 16 practitioners featured. Washington DC's Philip Zeidman gained more votes than any other lawyer in this practice area. Zeidman has won our franchise lawyer of the year award every year since its inception and comments from his peers reflect the universal esteem in which he is held - as one source asked, "Who wouldn't recommend him?" Erik Wulff loomed large for his "excellent advice" for companies planning domestic and international expansion. Respondents also give John Dienelt "two ticks". Dienelt chairs the firm's franchise litigation practice and peers rate him as "one of the best and brightest". The firm's office in Reston, Virginia, produces two "real stars", according to sources. Bret Lowell is a "highly influential player" whose practice is renowned worldwide and covers industry areas including car rental, hotel and motel, financial services, high-tech and retail. Barry Heller's litigation and arbitration practice is noted, especially his work on termination matters and complex disputes. The DLA Piper office in Illinois produces the greatest number of nominations in the chapter: six of its lawyers appear. Deemed "very prominent", Michael Brennan is chair of the International Bar Association's franchising committee. His practice is divided between international and domestic matters. The "collected and knowledgeable" Dennis Wieczorek is "a respected presence" in the market. The "excellent" Stuart Hershman is "a trusted counsel" to many companies through the entire franchising process. "First-class counsel" Joseph Sheyka is co-author of General Franchising Considerations and also a frequent lecturer on the topic. Marc Seidler is "an inspiring litigator" with a successful domestic and international franchise arbitration practice - he is a member of the American Arbitration Association's large and complex case panel. Richard Morey completes the Chicago office's representation and has an extensive international practice working on transactions in Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Central America.

"Right up there with the best", Texas's Ann Hurwitz at the Dallas office counsels companies from industries such as hotel, retail, automobile rental, convenience store and communications on the structuring and operation of franchise programmes. David Beyer practises in Tampa, Florida. His counsel to companies on all issues of franchise law was deemed "extremely sound" by competitors, who drew attention to his representation of franchisors on technology issues such as website development. Atlanta practitioner Richard Greenstein's domestic and international practice focuses on establishing and maintaining franchise programmes. The firm's final two practitioners on our list highlight DLA Piper's strong presence in the Asian market, reflecting in turn the region's importance in the world of franchising. Richard Wageman at the Beijing office specialises in advising companies with existing franchise interests in China as well as those wishing to begin a programme there. Mabel Lui from the firm's Hong Kong office rounds off the firm's phenomenal performance in the chapter and was described as "an established name for cross-border transactions".

Internet and e-Commerce, IP and Telecoms
Four DLA Piper lawyers are included in the internet and e-commerce chapter and the firm concentrates on high-end multiparty project work with clients including eBay and Amazon.com. Co-chair of the technology and private sourcing group, Mark Radcliffe, from the Silicon Valley office leads in terms of nominations. Radcliffe was said to be "among the very best" for open-sourcing work. In Europe, respondents "have only heard good things" about Brussels partner and global co-head of the international e-business practice group Patrick Van Eecke. He impressed peers with his "vast specialist knowledge" of e-commerce, e-government, digital signatures and data protection and led a team that prepared a study of unfair trade practices in B2B electronic marketplaces for the European Commission. Lars Jakob Blanck is of counsel in the Oslo office and "has extensive litigation and arbitration experience in the area", especially as counsel to publishing companies. "Rising star" Gigi Cheah is based in Hong Kong and focuses on technology in Asia. She aids Western clients expanding into the Asian market such as Google on its Asia technology issues.

Four DLA Piper lawyers are listed in the life sciences chapter. The "very experienced" Bruce Jenett joined the firm in February 2008 as the global co-chair of the life sciences sector and partner in the firm's Silicon Valley office. Lisa Haile in the firm's San Diego office is "very well known". She specialises in patent protection with special technical experience including molecular biology, immunology and therapeutics. Kimberly Egan completes DLA Piper's representation in the chapter and counsels clients during all aspects of new drug development.

The trademarks chapter includes three DLA Piper lawyers, from the US and England. Mark Feldman was a popular choice in Chicago and has extensive experience counselling clients on domestic and international intellectual property registration, enforcement and licensing. Ann Ford from the firm's Washington, DC, office has a "renowned international reputation". Siân Croxon is known for her "excellent brand advice".

Claudine Vartian is the location head of the regulatory and government affairs practice group in Central and Eastern Europe and appears in the regulatory communications chapter.

Insurance and Reinsurance, Shipping and Aviation
Insurance and reinsurance is a strong focus for DLA Piper, with six partners featured in that chapter. In Singapore, Justyn Jagger is known for advising insureds, insurers and reinsurers on all aspects of non-marine insurance, and was consistently recommended during our research. The "excellent" Michael Gill from DLA Phillips Fox in Australia heightens the firm's international credentials. Gill is a "real personality" and is one of the country's most highly nominated practitioners. He is also the chairman of the Insurance Industry Code Compliance Committee and vice president of the International Insurance Law Association. Bengt Kärde is chairman of the board and head of the insurance and reinsurance group at DLA Nordic. Kärde is one of the most recognised names in the country for insurance and reinsurance work. In the US, Stephen Schwab displays "excellent skills" according to one corporate respondent. He currently coordinates the firm's global insurance group steering committee and his practice runs the gamut of contentious, regulatory and transactional matters. David Mendelsohn, who like Schwab practises in Chicago, is similarly well regarded. He is "very good for transactional and regulatory work". Lawrence Brandes from New York is a seasoned reinsurance litigator, who has acted as counsel, arbitrator, umpire or expert witness in more than 500 reinsurance arbitrations and litigations. A "real player" in commercial disputes, Brandes is also a frequent lecturer on reinsurance arbitration and litigation.

DLA Phillips Fox boasts prominent names in the Australia and New Zealand sections of the shipping and maritime chapter. Ron Salter "stands out", with one source rating him as "number one in Australia". His expertise on maritime arbitration and mediation was noted and he's also strong on insurance matters. John Farquharson's insurance practice is also noteworthy and he and Salter are joined in the publication by Andrew Tulloch, who specialises in insurance claims and risk management and also appears in the aviation chapter. Neil Beadle represents the firm in the New Zealand section and completes a strong regional showing. Peter Shelford, the office managing partner in DLA Piper's Bangkok office, was a popular choice internationally.

Head of the London office's aviation practice, Mark Franklin was praised for his "brilliant risk analysis and airport regulation work". Also in England, Graham Tyler is a "good negotiator and has tremendous depth of knowledge". Andrew Muriel from the firm's Moscow office was described by one source as "One of the best lawyers [he has] ever worked with." Andrew Tulloch leads the trade and transport practice at DLA Phillips Fox in Melbourne and has "strong international connections".

Dispute Resolution and Corporate
Earl Silbert from DLA Piper's Washington, DC, office co-chairs the firm's white-collar group, and is among the most highly nominated practitioners in our research. He was described to researchers as "the dean of the bar" and "the absolute top of everybody's list". He is joined in the business crime chapter by the "top tier" Neil Gerrard and "wonderful" Richard Smyth from the firm's London office.

Both of the firm's representatives in the commercial litigation chapter appear in other chapters of this book. Earl Silbert is renowned for his "excellent white-collar crime litigation" and Michael Gill was praised for his insurance litigation. The "very astute" Pierre Van Ommeslaghe from DLA Piper's Brussels office is featured corporate governance chapter. Diane Holt Frankle from the firm's Silicon Valley office is featured in the mergers and acquisitions chapter and Alan Granwell came "very highly recommended" in the corporate tax chapter.

Two brothers from the firm appear in the competition chapter: José María and Juan Jiménez-Laiglesia y Oñate. One contact said that they both have "great experience and are technically very strong".

Two DLA Piper lawyers are also listed in the project finance chapter: Javier López Antón from Spain and Tony Holland from the UAE. Both selections received international acclaim in the voting.

Siv Sandvik was described as "a top name in Norway" in the insolvency and restructuring chapter and since 1994 she has been the most frequently appointed administrator to the Oslo bankruptcy court. Richard Kremen is a partner in the firm's Baltimore office and specialises in giving chapter 11 advice and providing representation in bankruptcy court cases. Michael Bos from DLA Phillips Fox in Auckland completes the firm's representation in the chapter.