Legal Directories

Legal 500 — 2009 Edition

UK Overview – Commercial firms 41-50
K&L Gates’ inheritance from UK firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham lends it a strong and diverse platform, and the firm is ranked in many practices across corporate, financial services, real estate, tax and TMT. Its brand management practice is newly ranked following work for clients including World Wrestling Entertainment Inc and the West Indies Cricket Board. Other new rankings include debt capital markets, where it represents clients such as Blackrock, and insolvency and restructuring, where it has developed relationships with the likes of KPMG and Baker Tilly.

US firms in London – Transatlantic mergers
K&L Gates resulted from the 2005 merger between century-old City firm Nicholson Graham & Jones and US-based Kirkpatrick & Lockhart. This 33-office, 1,800-lawyer firm has established itself as a reliable full-service player in London, with particular strength in corporate law, financial services and real estate. Construction and engineering disputes specialist Matthew Smith was promoted to partner in 2009. Clients include La Seda de Barcelona and Halliburton.

Arbitration
K&L Gates’ active practice has been involved on several major international contractual disputes, and group head Ian Meredith has a good reputation. Clients include the West Indies Cricket Board, Murphy Oil Corporation, and Del Monte.

Banking Litigation
K&L Gates, where Anne McCarthy represents both retail and commercial banks, and hedge funds.

Brand Management (formerly Advertising & Marketing and Sponsorship)
K&L Gates is the sole adviser in the UK to leading sports entertainment company World Wresting Entertainment Inc, which it recently acted for on a range of marketing initiatives. Dominic Bray - who has been appointed as board adviser to the Marketing Communications Consultants Association - is involved in advertising work, and has also been advising the West Indies Cricket Board on a range of matters including a high-profile dispute with a key sponsor. He is ‘superb’, ‘extremely bright, experienced and professional’.

Commercial Litigation
Headed by the experienced John Magnin, K&L Gates’eight-partner team is highly recommended. The firm has been representing three of the five directors of Farepak, following the company’s high-profile collapse. It also successfully represented Sedgwick Financial Services (a subsidiary of Mercer) in a recent case in the Court of Appeal. Other major clients include World Wrestling Entertainment, Laing O’Rourke, Murphy Oil and Del Monte.

Commercial Property/Development/Investment/Leisure
K&L Gates has expanded its capacity recently, bringing in regeneration expert Neil Logan Green from Eversheds LLP, and John Hussey, who focuses on institutional investment work, from Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP. The practice’s recent activities include work on a number of acquisitions and disposals, such as acting for Henderson UK Retail Warehouse Fund and Aviva in the £91.5m sale of Cambridge Retail Park to Deka Immobilien Investment. New client wins include City & Capital.

Construction
Kevin Greene heads the construction team at K&L Gates , which recruited Cathy Harris, formerly head of projects at Osborne Clarke. The team’s appointment to the London Underground panel has led to significant instructions. Key clients include Laing O’Rourke and Henderson Global Investors, which the firm advised on £60m worth of developments.

Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency
The ‘fantastic and responsive’ Tony Griffiths and Edward Smith at K&L Gates.

Corporate Tax
Recommended.

Electoral
In a quiet year for electoral law, K&L Gates continued to advise longstanding client the Liberal Democrats and several returning officers, particularly on postal voting. Clients praise practice head Piers Coleman for his ‘in-depth knowledge of election law’, along with Jane Harte-Lovelace, who works on election petitions at European, general and local elections.
Leading Individual: Piers Coleman

Employee Share Schemes
Ian Fraser at K&L Gates is noted for his US-focused practice.

Employment
K&L Gates has some household name clients such as Microsoft and McAfee.

Environment
Maria Cull’s team at K&L Gates recently won a mandate to advise Microsoft on European and UK regulations. The firm also advised the EBRD in developing a legal framework for clean fuel in Mongolia.

EU and Competition
Recommended.

Flotations (Small and mid cap)
K&L Gates’ issuer-focused practice advised Afren on its £120m accelerated book build placing, and received first-time instructions from Arbuthnot Securities, Alexander David Securities and Ambrian Partners. Jeremy Landau and Owen Waft are recommended.

Finance – Debt Capital Markets
You can count on them for innovative solutions’, say clients of K&L Gates. The ‘client-focused, commercial and personable’ Andrew Petersen and Trevor Beadle advise clients such as Blackrock.

Insurance – Insolvency and Restructuring
New entrant K&L Gates acts for Vantis, KPMG and Baker Tilly, with the well-regarded Edward Smith a key contact.

Insurance Litigation for policyholders only
Jane Harte-Lovelace leads the insurance coverage group at K&L Gates , and is ‘very knowledgeable’ about claims procedures. Sarah Turpin (now special counsel) is recommended for her work on D&O policies, and new partner Matthew Smith is ‘in demand’ on project insurance matters. The practice is acting for Flexsys America LP, a subsidiary of NYSE-listed Solutia Inc., in a coverage dispute with XL. Major clients include Transport for London, Laing O’Rourke and Man Group.

Intellectual Property
K&L Gates’ Dominic Bray has been advising the trading division of the largest privately owned construction company in the UK on a claim about alleged copyright/design right infringement. The firm has also been growing its patent litigation practice.

Licensing, Gaming and Betting
K&L Gates advised Digital Strip on licensing and regulatory issues concerning online gambling in 2008, while other clients include Betfair, Evolution Gaming, Arena Leisure, and Sportech, which it advised on the re-branding of Littlewood Pools. Warren Phelops is the contact partner.

M&A: Lower mid market, £50m-£250m
International deals up to £100m remain the sweet spot for Kevin Dean’s 16-partner UK corporate group at K&L Gates. Clients declare themselves ‘well satisfied’ with its service, highlighting ‘impressive bench strength’. Jeremy Davis is a ‘good communicator’.

Partnership
Recommended.

Pensions and Pensions Dispute Resolution
K&L Gates partner Danny Tsang and associate Louise Waldron ‘work hard to understand’ clients, who feel the team takes ‘a genuine interest’ in their success. For disputes, Anne McCarthy and Peter Morton are ‘go-to partners’ for professional negligence cases, with a track record that predates the creation of the non-contentious practice.
Leading Individual: Danny Tsang

Private Finance Initiative (PFI)
Cathy Harris’ team at K&L Gates is advising the preferred bidder (Northern Ireland Health Group) on the £240m-capex South West PFI Hospital in Northern Ireland, the largest health project to be procured in Northern Ireland to date.

Property Finance
K&L Gates acts for a number of high-profile lenders, and notably advised Anglo Irish Bank on the restructuring and restatement of a £210m loan facility secured against a nationwide portfolio of industrial and commercial properties. Clients say ‘advice is always spot on and the strength of the team is excellent’. Richard Williamson is ‘a great leader’, jointly heading the practice along with Elizabeth Shell, who ‘always performs extremely well’. The group lost Justin Salkeld to Baker & McKenzie LLP in 2008.

Sport
Warren Phelops’ team at K&L Gates advised new client the West Indies Cricket Board on a range of issues, including its global media rights agreements and a dispute with sponsor Digicel in relation to the Stanford 20/20 tournament. Other clients include the Pakistan Cricket Board, World Wrestling Entertainment and the NGRC.

VAT and Indirect Tax
Recommended.