Allen & Overy LLP - Who's Who Legal 70

What is the Who's Who Legal 70?

Allen & Overy LLP in Who's Who Legal

	Management Labour & Employment
	5

	Corporate Governance
	3

	Trademarks
	4

	Capital Markets
	15

	Oil & Gas
	1

	Construction
	1

	Environment
	6

	Project Finance
	19

	Internet & e-Commerce
	2

	Real Estate
	3

	Corporate Tax
	7

	Patents
	4

	Mergers & Acquisitions
	10

	Commercial Litigation
	6

	Mergers & Acquisitions
	10

	Insurance & Reinsurance
	1

	Commercial Arbitration
	7

	Competition
	11

	Insolvency & Restructuring
	6

	Life Sciences
	4

	Business Crime Defence
	1

	Banking
	13

	Aviation
	6

	Public Procurement
	10

	Regulatory Communications
	2

In 2007, A&O became the first foreign law firm to be granted a licence to open an office in Abu Dhabi and in September of the same year it also established an associated office in Riyadh with Abdulaziz AlGasim Law Firm. A&O is, once again, one of the most prominent firms in the publication, with 138 practitioners listed in 22 of our 30 chapters.

Project Finance
Other international expansion includes the September 2008 launch of A&O's São Paulo office where project finance is one of the core practice areas. Bob Kartheiser and the "fabulous" Aled Davies (who is based in Japan) advised on Petrobras's REVAP modernisation project. David Slade, like Kartheiser, is based in New York and is a "great deal facilitator". Sources were also quick to praise the firm's practice in the Middle East. Bimal Desai is based in the firm's Dubai office and was nominated for his "professionalism, dedication and enviable area expertise". The same positive attributes gain him entry into the oil and gas chapter where he is the firm's sole representative. Fellow partner Duncan Macnab also features in our Dubai list. Five partners from the firm's London office appear on the following pages. Alan Rae Smith (who wins this year's award for project finance lawyer of the year) is an "incredibly competent and knowledgeable player" and global PFI/PPP head Anne Baldock was recommended for her "calm and resourceful" approach and expertise in projects, derivatives and lending. Andrew Trahair, Christopher Rushton and the "very active" Christopher Andrew are also recognised.

In Europe, Peter Stenz in Frankfurt was praised for his "busy and popular practice". In the Netherlands Bart Meesters is "great for renewables projects" and Paris-based practitioner Tim Scales are also included. Catia Tomasetti in Milan is a "real star" as is the "excellent" Marcell Németh who represents the Budapest office. Németh also features in the banking chapter. Aside from the aformentioned Aled Davies in Japan, five other Asia-based lawyers can be found in this chapter. Nicholas Crossin and Kayal Sachi are listed in Singapore. Sachi also appears in the banking chapter. Hong Kong-based lawyer Thomas Brown "ticks all the right boxes" and as the firm's Asia managing partner Brown has "seen it and done it". Simon Black is based in China and Hong Kong and completes the firm's unrivalled contingent in this chapter.

Corporate Finance
We identify 15 practitioners for the capital markets chapter. The London office is home to the biggest contingent, with seven practitioners featured. Boyan Wells is among the practice area's most recognised experts and is joined by Stephen Miller, "one of the main players in the market". Jeffrey Golden co-heads the firm's US law and derivatives practices and is joined on the following pages by Angela Clist, Roger Wedderburn-Day (who boasts "the nicest combination of presence and commercial and legal flair", according to sources) and Simon Haddock, a founding member of the derivative products group in London. Geoff Fuller completes the firm's London contingent.
The firm also has talent elsewhere in the EU. Johannes Bruski in Frankfurt is "one of the leading practitioners" for debt capital markets. Dirk Meeus heads the firm's corporate practice in Belgium and was one of the most nominated individuals in Belgium (he also features in the mergers and acquisitions chapter). Niels van de Vijver was consistently recommended in the Netherlands, as was Dan Lauder in Paris. In Hungary we found Zoltán Lengyel, who came very highly recommended as did Henri Wagner, partner in charge of the banking and capital markets practice in Luxembourg. Further afield in Hong Kong is Andrew Harrow, head of the firm's Asian capital markets practice. Kenneth Aboud is the partner in charge of the Singapore capital markets practice also features.

A&O is a "first-rate firm with talent across the board" in the banking arena and this chapter boasts 13 practitioners from eight offices. There are high-profile entries in Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Singapore, however, it is the London office that the majority of the selected individuals hail from. Michael Duncan is chairman of the firm's global banking practice and advises banks and borrowers on a wide range of matters. He is joined by the "excellent" Stephen Kensell, George Link, Timothy Polglase and David Morley. The firm also has multiple nominees listed in the Netherlands with Victor De Serière joins Bart Meesters. Another partner from the firm's banking department listed in this publication is Julia Salt, a "respected" authority for aircraft finance work. Five other lawyers join Salt in the aviation chapter.

Five experts feature in the corporate tax chapter. Patrick Mears commands "a great deal of respect and admiration" from our sources and he is joined in London by David Lewis. Jean Schaffner, the partner in charge of the tax department in the Luxembourg office, demonstrates that the firm's reputation is just as strong in Europe. Eugen Bogenschütz is head of the German tax practice and "clearly top of his profession", as is colleague Gottfried Breuninger. The insolvency and restructuring chapter also boasts five A&O practitioners. Gordon Stewart heads the firm's global restructuring group and is "one of the deans of the insolvency bar". He is joined by the "fantastic" Mark Sterling and the "top-notch" Ian Field. David Kidd heads the firm's Asian restructuring group and was praised for his understanding of the market in the PRC and Hong Kong. The "excellent" Rob Abendroth in the Netherlands focuses on domestic and cross-border restructurings.

Dispute Resolution
Dispute resolution is another strong suit for the firm, which has multiple nominees in the arbitration and commercial litigation chapters. The arbitration section features three London-based practitioners: Stephen Jagusch, Judith Gill and Anthony Sinclair. Matthew Gearing relocated from London to Hong Kong and gives the firm a greater presence in the region. Peter Thorp also practises in Beijing. Jan Schaefer appears in the German list and in Belgium, Luc Demeyere is regarded as "excellent counsel". In New York we identify Louis Kimmelman as "exceptionally good".

Seven star litigators from the firm can be found on the following pages, including two that feature in the arbitration chapter: Kimmelman and Demeyere. Guy Henderson is an "absolute star" and Tim House is "consistently excellent across a wide range of disputes in the banking and finance sector". The Brussels office is home to the "top-tier" Koen Van den Broeck. Willem van Baren, head of the litigation and arbitration department in the Amsterdam office (and a prominent nominee in the aviation chapter) is accompanied by Arnold Croiset van Uchelen.

Intellectual Property
Eighteen individuals feature across our IP related chapters with a number of them appearing in more than one section. Pierre Lenoir is head of IP and information technology in the firm's Paris office and appears in the patents, trademarks and life sciences lists. The "energetic and effective" Nicola Dagg also shares the same blend of expertise and is listed alongside him in all three chapters. Geert Glas appears in the patents and trademark chapters but also gains mention in the internet and e-commerce section where he is joined by Herald Jongen and Ian Ferguson. Three other practitioners join Lenoir and Dagg in the life sciences chapter. Marcus Grosch from Mannheim and Laëtitia Bénard in Paris complete the contingent in the patents chapter and Thierry van Innis and Paul Reeskamp bolster the ranks in the trademarks section.

Corporate
Sendrowicz also features in the competition chapter with nine other A&O practitioners. Among these are Philip Mansfield and Mark Friend in London. Sources noted that Mansfield "commands great respect". The biggest A&O contingent is from the Brussels office where Martin Bechtold, Dirk Arts and Michael Reynolds practise. Peter Eijsvoogel is one of the most highly recommended practitioners in the regulatory communications chapter and is one third of the firm's party in this chapter.

The firm performs extremely well in the mergers and acquisitions chapter, with 11 listed lawyers. Alan Paul is "vastly experienced" and also appears in the corporate governance chapter alongside Hans-Christoph Ihrig and two other colleagues. Paul is joined in the London M&A section by Mark Wippell and Wim Dejonghe. Other practitioners selected for inclusion include high-profile names in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the United Arab Emirates with Dirk Meeus in Brussels, Johan Dirk Kleyn in Amsterdam and Hans Rolf Koerfer in Düsseldorf coming especially highly nominated. Koerfer also features in the insurance and reinsurance section, where André Marc joins him.

Other Areas of Expertise
The firm also has considerable talent in the management labour and employment arena. Chief among them is former legal adviser to the Confederation of British Industry's employment affairs directorate, Mark Mansell and Karen Seward, one of the "best-respected" names on our list. They are two of the five strong contingent in this chapter.

The environment research identified Owen Lomas as a leader in the field. Lomas is head of the global environmental law group and is said to "deliver like no one else". Matthew Townsend and Antonella Capria join him in this section. The real estate chapter is the last to boast more than one practitioner with Adam Cleal and Daniel Gillet gaining a mention. Arent van Wassenaer is "streets ahead of the competition" according to our sources in the construction research and brings this round-up of A&O's capabilities to a close. It is clear from the high concentration of talent across a variety of chapters that Allen & Overy is one of the leading law firms in the world.