The Legal 500 UK Recognizes Akin Gump Lawyers and Practices

(London) – The Legal 500, in its The Legal 500 United Kingdom 2016 guide, has recognized a number of Akin Gump practices and individuals in the firm’s London office as being among the leaders in their respective fields. The Legal 500 United Kingdom is an annual, independent guide that ranks individual practices and lawyers and provides editorial analysis of law firms operating in the United Kingdom.

In the category of Finance, Akin Gump is ranked as a top-tier firm in the category of corporate restructuring and insolvency for the second consecutive year. The practice is noted as providing “responsive, commercial and pragmatic advice to bondholders and noteholders” and for its “track record on many of the largest cross-border mandates.” Practice co-heads James Roome and Barry Russell are ranked by Legal 500 as Leading Individuals—noted as “fantastic” and “at the top of the pecking order for private placement workouts,” respectively—and partners Tom Bannister (noted as “top-notch”), Neil Devaney, Liz Osborne, Emma Simmonds and James Terry (noted as “excellent”) are recommended as well. Mss. Osborne and Simmonds are noted as “very good at navigating complex cross-border structures.”

Additionally in finance, Akin Gump is ranked in the following practice areas:

• Bank Lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans
  • Partners Robert Aulsebrook and Fred Heller are recommended. Mr. Aulsebrook is noted as “one of the best for Russian work in the City.”
• Debt Capital Markets
  • Akin Gump has a “full understanding of clients’ needs.”
  • Partners Robert Aulsebrook, Mark Mansell, Barry Russell and Sarah Smith are recommended. Mr. Aulsebrook is noted as “truly exceptional.”
• Emerging markets
  • Akin Gump has a “very strong team of US-qualified lawyers who are not afraid to get their hand dirty.”
  • Partners Robert Aulsebrook, Fred Heller and Lisa Hearn are recommended. Ms. Hearn “combines a deep understanding of local legal issues with the drive to move a transaction forward.”
• Securitisation
  • Akin Gump has a “sophisticated approach to complex matters.”
  • Sarah Smith and counsel Sam Brodie are recommend. Ms. Smith is noted as a “very good and knowledgeable lawyer.”

For corporate and commercial work, Akin Gump is ranked in the following practice areas:

• Corporate tax
  • Partners Jonathan Ivinson and Stuart Sinclair are recommended.
• EU and competition
  • Akin Gump is noted as having a “high-calibre practice.”
  • Partner Davina Garrod is recommended and noted as being “very knowledgeable.”
• Financial services (contentious and non-contentious)
  • Partner Helen Marshall is recommended and noted as a Leading Individual who is “strategic and tactical” and has “formidable technical knowledge.”
  • Partners Christopher Leonard and Rosemarie Paul are recommended as well. Ms. Paul has ‘great insight into how the FCA approaches regulatory responsibilities.’
• Investment funds: hedge and private funds
  • The “particularly strong” practice’s partners Christopher Gorman-Evans, John Holton, Ian Meade, Tim Pearce and Thiha Tun are recommended.
• M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, £250m+
  • Partners John LaMaster, Sebastian Rice and Daniel Walsh are recommended. Mr. LaMaster is “very calm, tenacious and persuasive.”
• Private equity: transactions (Large Cap deal capability)
  • Partners Vance Chapman, John Clark, Harry Keegan and “persuasive negotiator” Sebastian Rice are recommended.

For dispute resolution, Akin Gump is ranked in the following practice areas:

• Banking litigation: investment and retail
  • Partners Mark Dawkins and the “creative and knowledgeable” Richard Hornshaw are recommended, and Akin Gump noted as a “go-to firm for complex hedge fund disputes.”
• Commercial litigation
  • Partners Mark Dawkins, Richard Hornshaw and Justin Williams and “extremely smart” counsel Tom Evans are recommended. Mr. Williams is noted as “calm and experienced.”
• International arbitration
  • Partners Richard Hornshaw, Hamish Lal and Justin Williams are recommended. Mr. Williams “provides sound advice.”

For projects, energy and natural resources, Akin Gump is ranked in the following practice areas:

• Oil and gas
  • Akin Gump is noted for its “sound legal advice backed by solid commercial thinking.”
  • Robert Aulsebrook, Hamish Lal, John LaMaster and Justin Williams are recommended.
• Construction: contentious
  • Hamish Lal is recommended and noted as a Leading Individual who “provides a level of intellectual and factual rigour that is unmatched in the contentious construction market.”

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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