Arnold & Porter LLP - The Who's Who Legal 100 2012

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

Arnold & Porter stands out for its “stellar” competition practice, and has been ranked as fourth in the world in Global Competition Review’s GCR Global Elite 2012. Twelve nominees are selected for inclusion in this section. The group’s representative experience includes advising General Electric on the sale of a majority stake in NBC Universal to Comcast. The team finalised a consent decree with the US Department of Justice and also obtained the necessary approvals from the European Commission.

Five lawyers hail from the Washington, DC, office. Among them is head of the firm’s antitrust group William Baer: a “legendary figure” in the bar who represents companies in US and international cartel investigations, merger and acquisition reviews and antitrust litigation. Robert Pitofsky is a former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and has a “long-standing” reputation in the field of antitrust and consumer protection matters, representing companies such as Microsoft and Visa. Head of the US antitrust practice, Deborah Feinstein is “highly regarded” by peers and clients alike and has a strong focus on M&A matters before the FTC and the DoJ, representing clients in retail, food, health-care and automotive parts industries, among others.

Four lawyers represent the Brussels office. Head of the EU competition practice group, Marleen Van Kerckhove makes two appearances throughout the research in competition and life sciences. She has “extensive experience” in the pharmaceuticals sector and advises on the interplay between competition and intellectual property law. Luc Gyselen specialises in advising on merger control, abusive conduct, cartels and restrictive practices and state aid. Prior to joining the firm, Gyselen had a long career at the EC. Annette Luise Schild concentrates on M&A transactions and has experience with the EU, German and French competition authorities. Sources commented on her “astute mind” and “ability to solve the most complex problems”. In London, Tim Frazer is “greatly respected” and advised Kraft Foods on its hostile bid for Cadbury. The sole representative of the San Francisco office, Robert Taylor specialises in antitrust and IP law and, with over 30 years’ experience in the field, is considered a “renowned expert”.

Six lawyers represent the firm in the life sciences chapter and the firm has built up an impressive list of clients in the field, including Sanofi and Wyeth. Featuring most prominently in the research is our Life Sciences Lawyer of the Year, Ian Dodds-Smith. Dodds-Smith also garners recognition for his product liability practice and is co-head of the firm’s food, drug and medical devices practice group and head of its European product liability practice group. His regulatory proficiency is “second to none” and he has represented clients including Bayer, DuPont and Monsanto. Also based in London, David Perkins features across three chapters: life sciences, patents and trademarks, and is described as “highly knowledgeable” in our research. Perkins has built up his expertise over 40 years of practising multi-jurisdictional litigation, and he handles patent, trademark and antitrust disputes. In LA, the “excellent” Ellen Reisman is equally well regarded for her life sciences and product liability expertise, and represents major pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech companies.

A further two names complete the quartet in the product liability chapter. Alison Brown, based in London, is a “first-rate” lawyer focusing on product liability litigation and product safety matters. Based in Northern Virginia, Peter Grossi is a “pre-eminent” figure, his experience including acting as national counsel for Wyeth in its diet drug litigations which took place between 1997 and 2007.

The firm fields five lawyers to the environment chapter, four of whom are based in Washington, DC. Chair of the firm Thomas Milch is a “leading name” in federal enforcement and private party litigation under US environmental law and counsels companies on compliance issues and issues arising from corporate and real estate transactions. Alongside him in the capital is the “notable” Joel Gross, a former chair of the environmental enforcement section of the DoJ. Gross specialises in compliance and enforcement issues as well as advising clients on natural resource damages liabilities arising from contaminated sites. In New York, Michael Gerrard is one of the most highly regarded individuals in the research. His practice covers litigating cases in federal and state courts, as well as handling environmental aspects of transactions and development projects.

Arnold & Porter’s reputation as an elite law firm is earned through a commitment to solving clients’ most complex issues, and the depth of expertise held by lawyers in our research demonstrates the strength of its talent across key industries and sectors.