Cleary Gottlieb Receives Outstanding Rankings in Chambers Europe 2024

Cleary Gottlieb continues to earn excellent rankings as a premier law firm in the latest edition of Chambers Europe.

Cleary earned 29 practice and 71 lawyer rankings in the 2024 guide, 21 of which were top-tier.

Commendations for our firm and lawyers included:

Arbitration (International)

• “The team is thorough, knowledgeable and experienced in international arbitration. The lawyers ensured that the project was oriented towards the needs of client; it is a highly responsive team.” (Europe-wide)
• “The overall client service is excellent, very attentive and rapid. All professionals working in our case are always available and provide speedy feedback.” (Europe-wide)
• “The team has very extensive experience in international arbitration and its members are prominent experts in the field.” (Europe-wide)

Banking & Finance

• “I was impressed by the depth of quality and expertise that the firm has. They prioritize what is important for us and always have their eyes on the bigger picture.” (United Kingdom)
• “Beyond their competence, responsiveness, and global coverage, Cleary is also a thoughtful place; the lawyers are very easy to work with and try to get things done in a productive fashion.” (United Kingdom)
• “The Cleary team is incredibly skilled at managing tricky business situations and has fantastic, smart, and pragmatic lawyers. They have a thorough understanding of the market and are skilled at finding solutions that take into account the different concerns of various stakeholders.” (United Kingdom)

Capital Markets (Debt and Equity)

• “The senior members of the team have deep technical expertise and are very confident handling complex matters.” (Europe-wide)
• “Cleary has a strong understanding of business constraints and market dynamics, extending their advice from legal to strategic when relevant.” (Europe-wide)“Cleary fields an efficient team with a solid international background that can quickly find the right solution in each difficult circumstance.” (Europe-wide)
• “Cleary’s team is good at dealing with tricky negotiating points, thorough in reviewing options, and clear and constructive in addressing our questions.” (France)
• “The team at Cleary always provides state-of-the-art work in a timely manner, even when they are presented with unprecedented legal issues.” (Italy)
• “Cleary have helped us navigate a range of complex issues beyond the day-to-day; their advice has been clear and cogent.” (United Kingdom)

Competition/European Law

• “The Cleary team we work with has relevant and detailed understanding of technological as well as legal matters and is able to explain complex issues in a simple way.” (Belgium)
• “What I really appreciate is Cleary’s pragmatic approach to understanding and addressing business issues and the fact it puts the right people on the task. The way it approaches work with a business-oriented and practical attitude is useful.” (Belgium)
• “The competition team at Cleary stands out for their knowledge, expertise, and dedication. Their strategic thinking, reactivity, and meticulous attention to detail make them a unique force in the industry.” (France)
• “Their ability to analyze intricate matters, formulate efficient defence tactics, and guide clients through the complexities of competition law sets the team apart.” (France)
• “The lawyers ask good questions, listen to my questions, and are super responsive and good to work with, so overall it has been a pleasure.” (Germany)
• “The team has a very pragmatic and hands-on approach and is very good at tailoring the service level to the needs we have. [They] can go into the details when needed, but also keep the helicopter view.” (Germany)
• “Their subject matter expertise sticks out; the lawyers are truly up to speed with current jurisprudence.” (Germany)
• “Cleary has an unbeatable level of expertise.” (Italy)
• “The advice has been very solid, sound, and reliable, and enables us to plan our work, so we are very happy with the team and would recommend them highly.” (Italy)
• “The team has great business acumen and a down-to-earth approach.” (Italy)
• “It is an intelligent and creative team with a good understanding of the business that helps the team to advise in an uncertain environment.” (United Kingdom)
• “It’s important having practical advisers who understand our business and make things easier, and Cleary does a good job at this.” (United Kingdom)

Corporate/M&A

• “The team at Cleary goes the extra mile with a very high level of service and solution orientation. It is a very strong team that gets things done.” (Belgium)
• “The lawyers have a deep understanding of the client’s DNA and also a deep understanding of the perspective of all stakeholders involved in complex transactions.” (Belgium)
• “The M&A team at Cleary has a strong ability to manage complex and sophisticated matters. The lawyers have strong negotiation skills and strong knowledge of corporate files with several aspects.” (Belgium)
• “Cleary’s lawyers can handle complex matters. They are able to act quickly and link the different pieces of the puzzle together.” (Belgium)
• “They are quick, straight to the point, and efficient at analyzing complex issues.” (Europe-wide)
• “The team made an excellent impression with highly proficient lawyers who have the ability to think and react fast. The lawyers helped us in a very fluid and seamless manner. We worked with the Cleary team due to the complexity of the deal, the high degree of sensitivity, and the need to go deep in the analysis to give very practical and reasonable advice in an international context.” (France)
• “With business savvy, strong technical skills, quick turnaround, and good knowledge of the local market. Cleary has strong capabilities across the team.” (Italy)
• “The Cleary team provides good coverage and is well coordinated across various aspects of a transaction to ensure seamless execution.” (United Kingdom)
• “The Cleary team is highly responsive and very skilled. They navigate difficult legal issues well and are able to predict pitfalls.” (United Kingdom)

Compliance

• “Cleary’s level of preparation is extraordinary and their knowledge of the subject is considerable.” (Italy)
• “Cleary’s team is able to give excellent assistance with extremely fast response times and feedback.” (Italy)
• “Cleary’s lawyers provide strategic advice on a number of complex matters and sound judgement on how to handle it before the supervisory authority.” (Italy)

Dispute Resolution

• “The lawyers are incredible in teamwork. They are the kind of people who can easily handle any type of case. They are team players who have great communication skills and can collaborate with anyone.” (Europe-wide)
• “Cleary is able to intervene in complex cases and mobilize the necessary resources.” (Europe-wide)
• “I think the firm’s responsiveness is really good, but also the team gives very clear and business-friendly advice which goes beyond the legal aspect of the case.” (France)
• “We have a good relationship with the Cleary team. The lawyers are very competent, with fluid communication and expertise in this area of law.” (France)
• “The litigation team is very quick, efficient, and, at the same time, always returns very high-level services.” (Italy)
• “The law firm is great at handling complex disputes. Their attention to the client’s needs and their responsiveness is remarkable.” (Italy) 

Projects & Energy

• “We have very tight or unlikely deadlines, and the team always seems to meet them. The team’s work is very good.” (France)

Tax

• “Cleary’s strengths are its exceptional availability, proactivity, quality and delivery of work.” (France)
• “I admire Cleary’s great ability to handle an international clientele.” (Italy)
• “They are very responsive and able to support customers, even at short notice where urgency requires it.”

Telecommunications

• “Cleary provides excellent quality of service and is always able to meet customer needs.” (Italy)

Chambers Europe overall cited a wide range of client and competitor feedback about the strength of Cleary’s capabilities across practices, industries, and regions.

To view the firm’s complete Chambers Europe 2024 rankings, click here.