Profile: Allen & Overy

Allen & Overy - Who's Who Legal '30'

What is the Who's Who Legal '30'?

PROJECT FINANCE

A&O performed remarkably in the Project Finance chapter: we
feature 19 partners from 13 countries. Leading the research, Graham Vinter scoops the Who's Who Legal Project Finance Lawyer of the Year Award for 2007. Vinter distinguishes himself by also appearing alongside his colleagues in the Banking and Oil & Gas chapters. Described as the "number one project finance lawyer in the world", he is joined in London by Alan Rae Smith, Anne Baldock, Chris Rushton and Andrew Trahair. Lawyers in the Continental European offices are also held in high esteem, gaining six inclusions. The "excellent" David Slade appears in New York, and the firm's Asian practice is represented in these pages by five lawyers from its offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and China. The UAE is also represented. The firm's recommended Oil and Gas partners hail from four major energy centres, with Vinter appearing alongside practitioners in China, Singapore and the UAE.

CAPITAL MARKETS

A&O's finance practice performed particularly well in the research, as indicated by the 13 nominees in the Capital Markets chapter divided between offices in the UK, Europe and the East Asia. Leading a group of five nominees from the London team is "the authority on debt and warrant offerings", Boyan Wells, who received more votes than any other practitioner in this field, winning him the Who's Who Legal Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year Award. Angela Clist, Jeffrey
Golden, Geoff Fuller and Simon Haddock join him in London. The Asian offices are represented by Andrew Harrow in Hong Kong and Ken Aboud in Singapore. The firm's Banking contingent - 13 in eight countries - is a recognised "force" according to the practitioners we canvassed. The London office is the "backbone" of A&O's banking practice. We list
five partners there, a total unequalled by any other firm. According to one source, Michael Duncan is a "stand-out" practitioner and David Morley was described as "pre-eminent". The "good, bright" Timothy Polglase along with Anthony Humphrey and Graham Vinter also appear in London. A&O also gets nominations in Hong Kong and on mainland Europe, including former head of the banking practice Iñigo Gómez-Jordana in Spain.

CORPORATE CREDENTIALS

A&O also comes highly recommended in the Merger and Acquisition research, with seven inclusions. Alan Paul was praised as "excellent for big ticket M&A". Consistently endorsed to researchers, he remains one of the jurisdiction's best-regarded practitioners. Paul is also described as "stellar" in the research for the Corporate Governance chapter. Johan Kleyn in Holland, Wim DeJonghe in Belgium and Marc Feider in Luxembourg make the cut. Jan Myska is included for the Czech Republic, as is Igor Palka in Slovakia. Keith McGuire is listed in the firm's Singapore office. The Corporate Tax chapter features five A&O practitioners. From the London office, Patrick Mears was praised as “one of the best in the country” and David Lewis was noted for his “strong UK and international practice”. They appear alongside the “very good” Siamak Mostafavi in France, Eugen Bogenschuetz in Germany and the “strongly recommended” Jean Schaffner from the Luxembourg office.

The firm offers clients a global platform in Insolvency and Restructuring. Four practitioners are recommended in two jurisdictions. London’s Gordon Stewart, head of the firm’s restructuring group, is one of the most highly recommended individuals overall, considered by one respondent to be “the best in the City for insolvency”. He is joined by the “up and coming” Ian Field, and the “well known” Mark Sterling. David Kidd in Hong Kong also makes the grade.

The 11 partners in the Competition research are drawn entirely from A&O’s European offices. Michael Reynolds in Brussels leads the voting. Described as a “legendary figure”, his clients include Sun Microsystems. Also in Brussels, Martin Bechtold and “rainmaker” Jaques Steenbergen also fare well in the research. Amsterdam’s Tom Ottervanger and Paul Glazener were described as “top league”. Silvia D’Alberti in Italy and Ellen Braun in Germany are also included. Four lawyers in the London office make up this group – Phillip Mansfield and John Wotton fared particularly well.

Among the international firms listed in Arbitration, Allen & Overy is outstanding. Three are based in the London office, including the very highly recommended Judith Gill. She is joined by Stephen Jagusch - a “superb advocate”- and Matthew Gearing, who, according to one source, “is going to be a star for years to come”. “Excellent operator” Luc Demeyere appears in Belgium. Finally, Louis B Kimmelman represents the New York office. Along with Luc Demeyere, Kimmelman is also “very well known” for Commercial Litigation. They are included in the chapter along with two other practitioners: Tim House and Guy Henderson in England.

The firm also has strong IP credentials with seven inclusions in the Trademarks research; Henning Harte-Bavendamm was described as “outstanding, one of the best”. Belgium’s Geert Glas, a “good all-round litigator”, and France’s Pierre Lenoir are included in the Trademark chapter. These two also represent A&O in the Patent research. A&O fields five practitioners in the Labour and Employment chapter. In Belgium, Pieter de Koster was described as a “top guy” with a “good reputation”. Karen Seward and the “highly thought of ” Mark Mansell receive praise in the UK, and Ferdinand Grapperhaus and Leonard Verburg in the Netherlands complete the group. The firm is represented in the Environment chapter by Owen Lomas. He is among the practice area’s most highly regarded individuals. Lawyers from A&O were recommended in a further six chapters, as indicated in the chart, a testament to the geographical and multidisciplinary breadth and depth for which the firm is renowned.