British Legal Awards 2007: Litigation and regulatory team of the Year
Winner: Clifford Chance
Other Finalists: Baker & McKenzie, Herbert Smith, Irwin Mitchell, Linklaters, Nabarro
The decline in the amount of litigation taking place in the
A key theme of this year’s entries was the continued rise in the importance of regulatory law, best illustrated by the complexity of Linklaters’ work for Citigroup following the sale of E12m (£8.7m) of bonds in under two minutes by the bank’s government bond trading desk in the MTS market. Linklaters’ work building up its regulatory practice, which included the establishment of bi-monthly roundtable meetings on enforcement issues for senior members of the banking community, caught the eye of the judges. To build an effective regulatory practice it pays to play an active role in the wider business and professional community.
As well as acting on a string of leading cases, Herbert Smith’s activities extended to carrying out a survey into the use of alternative dispute resolution by international businesses and teaming up with the London School of Economics to conduct research into principles-based regulations. But this year it was Clifford Chance and Irwin Mitchell that fought it out for the top prize. Both firms combined impressive litigation practices — Irwin Mitchell across a bewildering array of disciplines — with a strong suit in public affairs. Ultimately, though, Clifford Chance won on the day, thanks to the quality of its instructions, the profile and energy of its partners and its commitment to pro bono work.
