IFLR 1000
The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms

	Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Linklaters Slaughter and May
	Allen & Overy Ashurst Clifford Chance Gleiss Lutz Hogan Lovells Latham & Watkins Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom Van Bael & Bellis White & Case
	Arnold & Porter Baker & McKenzie Bonelli Erede Pappalardo Bredin Prat Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira Gibson Dunn & Crutcher Gide Loyrette Nouel Hengeler Mueller Herbert Smith Jones Day McDermott Will & Emery/Stanbrook O'Melveny & Myers Shearman & Sterling Sidley Austin Stibbe Uría Menéndez Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr
	Bird & Bird Covington & Burling Eubelius Garrigues Loyens & Loeff Macfarlanes Mannheimer Swartling NautaDutilh Norton Rose Salans Squire Sanders Hammonds Vinge

"In my experience it is clear blue water between them and the others, they are much more proactive," says a client, while another adds: "They are innovative in the sense that they look for commercial solutions [and their] knowledge is excellent; unparalleled as far as firms go."The fact that it is not a global firm seems to give it some advantages: "They are the most flexible of the law firms that we deal with," says a client.... [more]

"In my experience it is clear blue water between them and the others, they are much more proactive," says a client, while another adds: "They are innovative in the sense that they look for commercial solutions [and their] knowledge is excellent; unparalleled as far as firms go."

The fact that it is not a global firm seems to give it some advantages: "They are the most flexible of the law firms that we deal with," says a client. One competitor agrees and argues that "they are excellent with their network, you can go to [best friend firms] Uría Menéndez, or go to De Brauw, it works: it is a very flexible organisation which can adapt". On the other hand this also gives the firm a very Eurocentric approach: "In terms of quality and commerciality they are on a par with the magic circle firms [but] they are more Eurocentric, more London / Brussels -focused, whereas the others are more global," says a client.

As well as the leading lawyers, clients praise Chris Wright and Isabel Taylor for being "very good and willing to put clients' interest ahead of everything without prejudice" and "available 24/7". Sarah Cardell and Philippe Chappatte receive the thumbs up: "Certainly very optimistic in such a challenging context, and managing to maintain the optimistic approach throughout."

In recent work, John Boyce, Bertrand Louveaux and William Sibree were busy advising British Airways before the Commission and the UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on its $7 billion alliance with American Airlines and merger with Iberia and the Commission's investigations into airfreight cartel and passenger fuel surcharges. The firm was successful in all three.

Other UK clients included Asda and the Irish government owned electricity company ESB.

In non-UK client work, Claire Jeffs advised Google on an Article 102 investigation by the Commission and global chemicals group Ineos on a joint-venture application, while Boyce assisted McAfee on its acquisition by Intel and Reckitt Benckiser on its acquisition of SSL International.

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