Cleary Gottlieb Receives Premier Recognition in 2020 Legal 500 UK

Cleary Gottlieb continues to achieve recognition as a premier law firm in the 2020 edition of The Legal 500 UK.

This year, the firm earned 14 practice rankings, and six Cleary lawyers were named “Leading Lawyers” in their respective practice areas: partners Maurits Dolmans, Sunil Gadhia, David Gottlieb, Jonathan Kelly, Nicholas Levy, and Sebastian Sperber.

The Legal 500 UK also recognized three Cleary lawyers – partners James Brady and Polina Lyadnova, and counsel Paul Gilbert – as “Next Generation Partners.”

Cleary received commendations from The Legal 500 UK and clients as a recommended firm in the following practice areas:

• Corporate and commercial: Corporate tax: “[Cleary’s] practice is geared towards the tax aspects of UK and international M&A, fund formation, and management work for banks and other financial institutions.”; “The team is very reactive and up to date.”
• Corporate and commercial: Equity capital markets – mid-large cap: “[Cleary] is sought out specifically for its advice on ‘the most complex and difficult securities law matters.’”; “has perhaps the best U.S. securities law partners in Europe.”; “Excellent technical knowledge of matters that are relevant to foreign issuers.”
• Corporate and commercial: EU and competition: “[Cleary’s] competition law group has demonstrated a strength in cross-border merger control work.”; “A truly excellent team, which is very practical and easy to work with. It is also strong at partner and associate level.”
• Corporate and commercial: M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, £500m+: “[Cleary’s] London office handles inbound and outbound transactions across multiple jurisdictions, using a cross-border practice to handle large complex transactions in both the public and private markets. Clients include corporates as both acquirers and targets, private equity firms and financial institutions, and the practice has notably recently developed a particular expertise in asset management deals.”
• Corporate and commercial: Private equity: transactions – High-value deals (£250m+): “[A] number of partners in London focus on the area... The firm also handles mandates such as stake acquisitions and works on a number of sell-side mandates on behalf of PE firms.”
• Dispute resolution: Banking litigation: investment and retail: “[Cleary] stands out for its handling of complex cross-border disputes, with matters involving financial and banking regulatory investigations and enforcement featuring heavily in the London practice.”
• Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation: “[Cleary] ‘fields a very strong team of lawyers who provide precise and correct legal analysis.’ The London litigation practice is well known for its representation of global corporations, financial institutions, and sovereign states in high-value and complex, cross-border disputes.”
• Dispute resolution: Competition litigation: “[Cleary] operates seamlessly Europe-wide and provides legal assistance to both claimants and defendants. The department’s client base is varied and includes large corporations, governments, and financial institutions.”
• Dispute resolution: International arbitration: “[Cleary’s] ‘very strong London office’ is well known for advising sovereigns and global corporations in high-value, complex, cross-border international arbitrations in key arbitral arenas, including London, Paris, New York, and The Hague.”; “The practice’s international reach and outstanding tradition in this area make it one of the leading forces – it also has a superb client base.”
• Finance: Acquisition finance: “[R]egularly handles big-ticket M&A financing mandates for core investment grade corporates of the firm... as well as for private equity sponsors.”; “Conversant with deals spanning the capital structure – including on bank and bond financings.” 
• Finance: Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans: “[Cleary] provides a ‘high-quality service’ to a primarily borrower-focused client base across the spectrum of financing requirements.”; “The team has deep knowledge and experience in the field of debt financing.”
• Finance: Debt Capital Markets: “The firm has deep understanding of the U.S. capital markets and regulatory environment.”; “The firm exhibits great teamwork and coordination through its offices and has a supportive and creative approach to transactional and regulatory work.”
• Finance: Emerging markets: “[Cleary] has a long track record of advising on emerging markets transactions from London for sovereign wealth funds, state-owned enterprises, and high-net-worth individuals.”
• Finance: High yield: “[Cleary] operates an integrated finance practice across jurisdictions and its high-yield group works closely with the firm’s banking, leveraged finance, liability management, restructuring, M&A, and other capital markets practices.”

View Cleary’s complete results on The Legal 500 UK’s website.