Shearman & Sterling LLP - The Who's Who Legal 100 2012

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

Shearman puts in its strongest performance in the project finance chapter, where 10 of its lawyers rank prominently. In the past year the firm has led project development and finance work related to a joint petrochemical venture between Dow Chemical and Saudi Aramco worth over $20 billion, as well as acting for China State Construction Engineering Corp on its investment in and joint venture for the $3.4 billion Baha Mar casino and resort development project in Nassau, Bahamas. The London office contributes four lawyers to the firm’s “hugely respected” team in this chapter, with office managing partner Nicholas Buckworth earning particular praise from peers for his work in infrastructure, natural resources and power projects such as the Croydon Tramlink and the Amorebieta Power project. Fellow London-based practitioner John Inglis joined the firm in January of this year from Ashurst. Abu Dhabi managing partner Philip Dundas is one of two lawyers to appear from that office. Earning recognition for his natural resources and transactional work for such clients as International Petroleum Investment Company and Mubadala, Dundas also features in the M&A and oil and gas chapters, alongside seven and five Shearman lawyers respectively. Also enjoying multiple listings, New York-based senior partner Cynthia Urda Kassis has acted for the Panama Canal Authority and Macquarie Specialized Asset Management in recent major projects, and her “first-rate” expertise in financial markets, natural resources and public law place her among the world’s leading banking, mining and public procurement lawyers, according to our research.

The firm’s financial services teams compose a considerable number of its overall inclusions, with the banking and capital markets sections playing host to seven and eight Shearman lawyers respectively. Lawyers from the firm have acted for the likes of Citigroup and Grupo Sura as well as advising the joint bookrunning managers in connection with Ford Motor Credit’s recent $1.25 billion notes offering. Appearing in both sections, Latin America affinity group head Antonia Stolper is praised as a “leading light” in New York and counts Volcan Compañía Minera and Aguas Andinas among her clients.

In 2011, Shearman advised Synthes in its $21.3 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson, and Fujifilm in its $995 million acquisition of SonoSite, attesting to the vibrancy of its “internationally recognised” corporate department, which sees numerous representatives listed in our research. Featuring in both the M&A and corporate governance chapters is San Francisco’s Michael Kennedy whose experience in transactional matters, private equity, and leveraged buyouts encompasses a range of sectors, including defence, automotive, financial services and health care. Düsseldorf’s Georg Thoma also enjoys listings in both sections and is applauded for his extensive work with state controlled companies and sovereign wealth funds. The corporate tax chapter features five Shearman lawyers from as many offices throughout Europe and the US, with principal tax partner for Asia, Toronto and the Bay Area Laurence Crouch garnering strong support for his work on behalf of Huawei Technologies, Visa and GXS, among other clients.

Seven lawyers from Shearman’s London, New York and Brussels offices appear in the competition section. Hans Jürgen Meyer-Lindemann is the managing partner of the firm in the Belgian capital, where ex-Howrey lawyers Trevor Soames and Stephen Mavroghenis are also “big names”. New York is also home to three listed lawyers, including former firmwide antitrust group head Kenneth Prince who is recommended for his “very well-established” practice in transactional matters and criminal antitrust defence, having acted for such clients as Cargolux and BASF. The firm’s trade and customs team is also represented, lawyers from which recently produced a victory for ArcelorMittal in an anti-dumping suit. Washington, DC-based of counsel Thomas Wilner heads the firm’s group in this discipline and appears in the corresponding chapter following numerous recommendations of his litigation and government policy and regulation expertise.

Arbitration is another of Shearman’s strong suits, having recently worked on several arbitration matters on behalf of the Republic of Algeria. Seven of the firm’s lawyers are listed in the corresponding chapter, five of whom are based in Paris. Emmanuel Gaillard is head of the international arbitration practice and a “legendary figure” in the marketplace with over 25 years of experience advising and representing corporations, states and state-owned entities, as well as acting as arbitrator in proceedings under ICSID, ICC, LCIA, IACAC and AAA rules and those of numerous international chambers of commerce. Richard Kreindler in Frankfurt and Asian arbitration group head Yu-Jin Tay bolster the firm’s contingent in this chapter.

Shearman enjoys additional listings in the aviation, environment, insolvency and restructuring, insurance and reinsurance, private funds and real estate chapters, further demonstrating the breadth and depth of its international expertise.