Most Highly Regarded Firms: Regulatory Communications 2011

• January 2011

• Regulatory Communications

We analyse the findings of our research in greater depth to identify the firms and practitioners who performed most strongly overall. In 2010, Bird & Bird was recognised for the fourth consecutive year as the world’s leading regulatory communications law firm by The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, and, true to form, the firm once again achieves more listings than any other in this edition.

With four lawyers listed, the London office is the chief contributor to the firm’s success in our research. Recent addition Tim Schwarz is noted for the international character of his work, having handled high-profile matters throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. Schwarz was formerly the chief telecoms lawyer for the World Bank in Washington, DC, and has since developed a “leading” reputation for his “practical and innovative” work in private practice. The “excellent” Rhys Williams is particularly well recognised for his outsourcing and export control work, and regularly advises clients in matters related to the implementation of new mobile and wireless technologies. David Kerr heads Bird & Bird’s international communications group and is a “big name” in international corporate transactions in the telecoms sector. Graeme Maguire advises clients on UK and multi-jurisdictional regulatory matters and comes highly recommended for his outsourcing work.

The firm amasses a further five listings from five offices throughout mainland Europe. Frédérique Dupuis-Toubol is a major player in Paris, where she specialises in commercial agreements and regulatory procedures, broadcasting rights issues and disputes for telecoms, internet and TV companies. Sven-Erik Heun has been at the forefront of the German telecoms and e-commerce sectors since the national deregulation of the communications markets in 1989 and he is a “very prominent” name in Frankfurt, according to peers. Marjolein Geus is one of the founding members of Bird & Bird in the Netherlands and has been managing partner of the firm’s office in The Hague since 2010. Sources praised her “first-rate” expertise in national and EU-wide communications regulation and litigation. Johan Tydén heads the Swedish communications group and is noted for his work in commercial projects and in issues related to digital convergence. Stephen Kines heads the firm’s Central Europe practice out of the Prague office, and respondents to our survey identify him as a “leading authority” on regulatory issues in the region.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP sees eight of its lawyers listed from offices throughout Europe and Asia. Thomas Janssens of the Brussels office specialises in EU regulatory and competition law, and is considered a “go-to guy” for TMT matters. He regularly represents clients in contentious matters before the European Commission (EC), the European Court of Justice and national authorities. Laurent Garzaniti is also listed in the Belgian capital and combines TMT work with a strong infrastructure and competition focus. Freshfields’ Vienna office also fields two lawyers. Stefan Köck’s “well respected” practice focuses on mergers, restructurings, takeovers and regulatory telecoms issues within an employment law context, while Bertram Burtscher is recommended for his media outsourcing work. German and EU telecoms and media law specialist Thomas Tschentscher represents the Düsseldorf office, where his work in matters related to network infrastructure, tariff regulation and commercial agreements is lauded. Cologne-based Norbert Nolte is the global co-head of the firm’s TMT group and an “exceptional” practitioner in telecoms disputes before the EC and the courts. In London, Natasha Good is recognised for her telecoms transactions and regulatory work on behalf of such clients as Saudi Telecom, Siemens and BT. Connie Carnabuci is based in Freshfields’ Hong Kong office and heads the Asian TMT group. Peers praise her as “one of the leading lights” in the region for IT outsourcing and telecoms agreements, having acted on behalf of Alibaba.com and TOM Online in recent matters.

Europe

Colin Long is the foremost name among the four professionals we recognise at Olswang LLP. Of counsel to the firm’s media, communications and technology group and head of telecommunications, Long has a “fantastic” reputation among peers who hail him as an “international leader” for his commercial transactions, competition and regulatory disputes and advisory work on behalf of clients in the communications and hi-tech sectors. Rob Bratby and head of broadcasting Selina Potter are also listed prominently in London, while Dirk Van Liedekerke is considered a “top-tier operator” in the Brussels office where he also serves as managing partner.

Two lawyers feature from the Brussels office of Jones Day. Bernard Amory leads the firm’s competition team in Europe and acted in the O2/T-Mobile infrastructure sharing and national roaming case on behalf of O2, as well as acting for Tele Denmark and AT&T in recent matters. Alexandre Verheyden has acted for clients in regulatory disputes before the EC and national courts, and peers consider him “top flight”. The “brilliant” Stefano Macchi di Cellere is based in Milan where he leads the firm’s Italy-wide antitrust and competition and TMT groups.

Christopher Watson is the head of CMS Cameron McKenna’s telecoms team and emerges as one of the most highly regarded lawyers in London. Watson’s practice concentrates on regulatory and competition-related EU law as it relates to cross-border telecommunications transactions, and he has acted for Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group, the National Grid and T-Mobile/One2One in recent matters. At the same office, Joanne Wheeler specialises in regulatory and commercial matters related to the space, satellite and communications sectors and counts Solaris Mobile and SkyWave Mobile Communications among her clients.

Stéphan Le Goueff of LG@vocats is our sole listing in Luxembourg and is “one of Europe’s leading lights” according to peers. He focuses on contracts, mergers and financing transactions in the media and telecoms sectors and has distinguished himself as a “skilled practitioner” in matters related to infrastructure sharing, licensing and IP rights. Michele Bernasconi represents the Zurich office of Bär & Karrer, where he acts in international litigation and arbitration and commercial transactions on behalf of domestic and multinational companies in the sports, media, telecoms and IT sectors. Almudena Arpón de Mendívil y Aldama possesses “great” expertise in corporate transactions and joint ventures, as well as competition and European community law matters related to the telecoms and audiovisual communications fields. Marco Dalla Vedova of Dalla Vedova Studio Legale Associato in Rome specialises in regulatory disputes work for IT, telecoms and media infrastructure clients, and sources praised his “sharp, focused” approach.

The Americas

We uncover 30 lawyers in Washington, DC, who are highly regarded for their work in this area. Bingham McCutchen LLP’s Andrew Lipman is the most prominent of these professionals according to our research. He has spent more than 30 years with the firm and is one of the architects of its “very well-thought-of” telecoms, media and technology group, in which he handles regulatory, transactional and disputes matters throughout the US, Latin America, Europe and Asia. At the same firm, Jean Kiddoo is a “true expert” in the regulatory and transactional representation of companies in complex telecommunications and media-related restructurings and transactions.

Two lawyers also feature from Goldberg Godles Wiener & Wright, including the “incredible” Henry Goldberg. With over 40 years of experience as general counsel and in private practice, Goldberg ranks among the most distinguished lawyers internationally in our research. Fellow name partner Jonathan Wiener also performs well in our DC listings.

Brazil is the best-represented jurisdiction in Latin America. Esther Donio B Nunes is one of two “high profile” names at Pinheiro Neto Advogados to appear here, and is particularly well thought of for her advisory work to US and Canadian entities doing business in Brazil, while the “first class” Raphael de Cunto specialises in corporate TMT matters. At Machado Meyer Sendacz e Opice Advogados, Camila Borba Lefèvre is “very talented and responsive” and receives praise for her projects and infrastructure work in this sector. At the same firm, Moshe Sendacz is considered a “leading name”. Barretto Ferreira Kujawski e Brancher (BKBG) fields founding, managing and senior partner Ricardo Barretto Ferreira da Silva, whose IT and communications work comes “very highly recommended.” Joining him is Fabio Ferreira Kujawski, whose practice combines communications, IP and contracts law with “excellent” public procurement expertise.

McCarthy Tétrault LLP is the “standout” firm in Canada for this work, with four lawyers listed. The “first rate” Lorne Salzman is among the most highly regarded names in North America for competition and telecoms regulation work. Laurence Dunbar is one of three lawyers listed from Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, where he chairs the communications group and frequently advises domestic and foreign public and private entities in wireless, satellite and internet regulations. Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP also sees three of its lawyers listed, and IT practice co-head Sunny Handa is singled out for particular praise for his telecoms and broadcasting work.

Asia Pacific

Our research identifies a small but highly active contingent of lawyers in New Zealand, among whom Malcolm Webb of Webb Henderson is considered one of the world’s leading professionals

in this discipline. Webb is “very highly recommended” and “extremely active” in commercial transactions and regulatory matters on behalf of international telecoms clients.

With three lawyers listed, Gilbert + Tobin is the most prominent firm in Australia. Peter  Leonard is hailed as an “international star” by peers who recognise his commercial and corporate transactions work in the TMT field as “first rate”. Leonard regularly acts in acquisitions, joint ventures and divestitures for communications clients, as well as assisting in telecoms infrastructure matters and services and licensing arrangements. Moya Dodd specialises in telecoms, online businesses and media convergence matters and spent several years in the legal departments of CRA International, Fairfax and Telstra prior to entering private practice. The “excellent” Peter Waters divides his time between Australia and Hong Kong, where he is a consultant to King & Wood.

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