Our London office, which practiced as Nicholson Graham & Jones in the heart of the City from 1858, combined with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart on January 1, 2005. Our principal practice areas in London include corporate finance, real estate, finance, construction, tax, insurance coverage, intellectual property, technology, and dispute resolution.

Our corporate finance group handles a wide range of transactions from start-ups to the largest and most complex transactions.  We are involved in all aspects of fund raising, whether in the form of debt or equity, for institutions, as well as for companies and management.  The group is dedicated to providing focused, cutting-edge legal advice to ensure that transactions are completed on time, on the right terms and at a sensible cost. We have extensive experience advising on all aspects of M&A transactions as well as on corporate finance deals on both the full list and the AIM market.  Our tax group participates in structuring tax-efficient approaches to client transactions and effective executive and employee incentive schemes.

Our real estate group, recognized as one of the leading advisers in the U.K. property sector, offers a comprehensive and integrated portfolio of legal services.  We have played a significant role in some of the largest and most complex property deals of recent times.  The group has a wealth of experience covering not only mainstream property work, both transactional and advisory, but also strategic and practical advice on corporate and joint venture aspects, regeneration the financing of transactions, tax structures, construction issues (contentious and non-contentious), planning and environmental issues, and dispute resolution.

Our finance group has a widely acknowledged excellent reputation for its advice to banks and borrowers on all aspects of mainstream lending and commercial real estate financing.  Our work ranges from advising on straightforward bilateral and syndicated facilities to transactions involving highly complex vehicles, structures, and financing techniques.

The construction and engineering group at the London office is at the forefront in delivering up-to-the-minute legal and strategic advice.  Our clients include national governments and local authorities, international property developers, major contractors, global construction organizations, individual manufacturers, insurance companies, investment management groups, and commercial enterprises of every description.  Our work also includes PFI/PPP projects, for both the public and private sectors and many of the largest investment groups, in which we provide high-caliber legal advice in our role as appointed advisers to their investment and contracting teams.

Our intellectual property and technology practice group has extensive experience in the spectrum of fast-evolving IP issues including trademarks and passing-off, copyright, patents, designs, parallel imports, data protection, database rights, merchandizing rights, technology transfer, and IP licensing.   We advise clients in new and developing technologies such as e-business, WAP and a wide range of Internet, intranet and website protection and enforcement issues including build agreements, hypertext linking, domain name registration and action against cybersquatters. We have recently advised on a large number of next-generation Internet technologies, several of which are set to revolutionize the industries they serve.  The group has a well-deserved market leading reputation in sport and media-related matters.

Our dispute resolution and litigation group has established an enviable reputation in dealing with all aspects of adjudication, domestic and international arbitrations, alternative dispute resolution, and commercial litigation. The group advises on disputes in the banking, construction, employment, insolvency, planning and environment, private client trusts and offshore, property, sport, and travel and leisure sectors.  Our insurance coverage lawyers have extensive experience in presenting insurance coverage claims in the London Insurance Market and beyond.  Insurance coverage lawyers in the firm’s other offices also have extensive knowledge of the London Market and its structure, providing clients with a real advantage in litigation, arbitration, and settlement of their disputes.

The office advises on domestic UK and international matters including all aspects of EU regulation.