Cleary Gottlieb Wins Securities Regulation Team of the Year and Achieves Outstanding Results in Chambers USA 2010 Guide
June 14, 2010
Cleary Gottlieb was named Securities Regulation Team of the Year at the 2010 Chambers USA Awards for Excellence, which was held in New York City on Thursday, June 10th. The firm was also shortlisted for the Tax and Finance Teams of the Year honors.
In addition, Cleary Gottlieb and many lawyers in the firm’s New York and Washington offices were recognized in the just-released Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2010 guide. Chambers lists Cleary Gottlieb as one of the leading law firms in the United States, with 35 top-ranked practices. Seventy-six lawyers have been distinguished as leaders in their respective fields, many in more than one area of expertise.
Cleary Gottlieb was also recognized by Chambers USA for its practices in the following new or reorganized nationwide areas of law: Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Employee Benefits & ERISA; Energy: Mining & Metals (Transactional); Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional); Projects: PPP and Securities Litigation.
The following Cleary Gottlieb practices are recognized for being among the best in the United States, based on Chambers’ interviews of the firm’s clients and lawyers at other firms:
Antitrust and Antitrust: Cartel (National) – “‘Its deep bench of lawyers with government experience ensures that the group possesses a unique insight into the workings of the regulators. … ‘The group is as good as it gets – it has an accurate understanding of our business, effective communication skills and, most importantly, always gets it right the first time.”
Antitrust (D.C.) – “This practice has an enviable client base and a correspondingly superb M&A and litigation docket.”
Banking & Finance (National) – “This well-known team advises predominantly borrower-side clients, such as private equity investors and corporate acquirers, on a range of work including refinancing matters, leveraged and acquisition financings, debt buy-backs and debt-for-debt exchanges. ... ‘An excellent firm with a committed team offering creative solutions.’”
Banking & Finance (N.Y.) – “[Sources say] ‘consistently well prepared and accommodating, with a strong culture that produces excellent lawyers.’”
Bankruptcy/Restructuring (National) – “This New York-based group enters the rankings this year following its lead in a number of the industry’s most significant matters.”
Bankruptcy/Restructuring (N.Y.) – “This highly regarded team continues to rise in the estimation of the market, and it has played a key role in some of the largest bankruptcy matters. … ‘In addition to its talent for litigation, the group has a great blend of transactional and regulatory expertise and does an excellent job of communicating issues and maximizing its resources.’”
Capital Markets: Debt and Equity (National) – “Cleary has long been at the top of the pile for securities transactions, advice, compliance and disclosure work. … The firm’s global profile and stellar reputation for finding innovative solutions to non-routine transactions attracts a stream of A-list clients, including a high volume of non-US issuers entering the US securities market. … ‘Cleary is near the top of anyone’s list – it sets a very high bar in terms of intelligence and expertise.’”
Capital Markets: Derivatives and Capital Markets: Structured Products (National) – “Cleary’s excellence in securities regulation has seen it involved in most of the major developments to affect the market. This has included proposed tax legislation relating to derivatives, analysis of insolvency matters, the establishment of CDS clearing facilities and the launch of the Green Exchange to facilitate the trading of climate-related derivatives. … ‘We use the firm for complex, long-running matters because of its extensive legal and regulatory history.’”
Capital Markets: REITs (National): “Cleary’s REITs team draws on the expertise of various practice groups, including real estate and capital markets.”
Capital Markets: Securitization (National) – “Clients appreciate the superb partner attention, regular updates and in-depth client seminars provided by Cleary Gottlieb. … ‘Superb people running the deal, as well as excellent mid-level associates.’”
Corporate/M&A: The Elite (National) – “Cleary Gottlieb is arguably one of the leaders for international work, advising foreign parties entering the US market. The group benefits from the firm’s strong European presence, while utilizing the resources of the New York and Washington, DC offices to conduct nationwide work. … ‘You get a lot of partner attention.’”
Corporate/M&A: The Elite (N.Y.) – “Cleary Gottlieb represents both buyers and sellers on a wide range of corporate matters including public and private company acquisitions, dispositions, takeovers and proxy contests. It is best known for the international dimension to its practice. The firm is especially well regarded for its Latin American M&A offering, which is primarily conducted out of the New York office. Elsewhere, the group is a popular choice for European and Asian clients entering the domestic US market. … ‘Internationally there is no better firm. They have the consistency and quality, and the lawyers are not only incredibly smart but also skillful and creative.’”
Corporate/M&A & Private Equity (D.C.) - “This firm has one of the top international practices in the USA, which translates into a great deal of regulatory advisory work by the Washington, DC, team on behalf of US clients worldwide and for foreign entities investing in the US market. … ‘Very good in negotiations and very smart at solving problems. They tend to be better than others on the bigger regulatory issues.’”
Employee Benefits & ERISA (National) - “This New York giant dominates the financial services market and has a leading national practice in the ERISA fiduciary arena. … The group is also skilled in designing compensation arrangements, negotiating employment agreements and advising on the securities law aspects of executive compensation matters.”
Employee Benefits & ERISA (N.Y.) – “This firm is home to a stellar employee benefits and executive compensation group, which is lauded for its aptitude in ERISA fiduciary matters. It is also sought out by clients for its expertise in M&A and corporate restructuring. … ‘A fine team, which is rock solid from top to bottom.’”
Energy: Metals & Mining and Energy: Oil & Gas (National) – “One of the great names of the New York legal market, Cleary Gottlieb provides a full service to the biggest clients in industry, including energy and natural resources. The firm handles corporate M&A, finance, and securities work for major national and multinational companies around the world, including some of the largest mining and metals corporations, national oil companies, oil & gas super-majors and majors, and international power companies. Its leading reputation in the finance arena means that the firm is a favorite choice for underwriter’s counsel on large offerings. … ‘The best investment you can make is to hire the attorneys at Cleary.’”
Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Compliance), Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Enforcement & Investigation), Financial Services Regulation: Broker Dealer (Compliance) and Financial Services Regulation: Financial Institutions M&A (National) – “This group remains a dominant presence in financial services regulation, receiving excellent reports for its work across advisory, enforcement and transactional matters. … ‘We are consistently impressed with the quality of advice and excellent perspective the lawyers bring to highly complex matters.’”
International Arbitration (National) – “This firm is an experienced player in international arbitration, acting on both investor-state and international commercial arbitration. The firm’s strong global network sees it acting on some notable matters for high-profile clients. … ‘The team provides a good analysis of complex situations and builds an effective strategy.’”
Investment Funds: Private Equity: Fund Formation (National) – “‘The collegial nature of the firm allows for seamless cooperation between offices.’”
Latin American Investment (N.Y.) – “Cleary Gottlieb remains a market leader in this area, with a huge, talented team devoted to Latin America and unbeatable expertise in representing both sovereign and corporate clients in high-end capital markets, cross-border M&A and finance matters. … ‘A top-tier firm, which clearly outpaces the competition not only with its excellent legal advice, but in its knowledge of the region.’”
Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite, Litigation: Securities, and Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (N.Y.) – “This firm continues to impress with its prowess in civil and criminal litigation. Clients appreciate its integrated international capabilities and dedication to service, highlighting the efficient staffing of cases and clarity of advice. The proactive and attentive lawyers have particular expertise representing financial institutions in commercial disputes and high-stakes securities litigation. Market sources also note the firm is increasing its profile in the white-collar criminal defense and investigations area. … ‘A diverse and creative group of attorneys who bring strong business sense and intellectual talent to any matter.’”
Private Equity: Buyouts (National) – “This group has a particular forte in financial services acquisitions and is familiar with handling large consortiums of private equity sponsors. It offers a comprehensive service, advising on M&A, financings, securities and SEC compliance and filing issues. The team also has a good fund formation profile. … ‘This group excels at making sure you are represented by the attorney who can help the most.’”
Projects: PPP (National) – “Cleary Gottlieb is one of the USA’s premier finance firms and houses a group of high-quality attorneys with multidisciplinary expertise, who are particularly active in North and Latin America. The firm has represented major players in the power, oil and gas, and mining areas, but it is in the transportation infrastructure sector that the bulk of Cleary’s recent projects work has taken place. … ‘Cleary hires incredibly bright lawyers who are dedicated to the firm. They build from within so the culture remains strong and consistent across their offices. If a primary contact is not right for a particular matter, they will find the right person for you.’”
Real Estate: Mainly Corporate & Finance (N.Y.) – “This corporate and finance-focused real estate team is a significant player in New York. … The outfit is also recognized for its international strength; it regularly handles cross-border transactions throughout Europe and the US. … ‘This top-notch firm delivers consistently high-quality work.’”
Securities Litigation (National) and Securities Regulation (National) – “This group provides a full range of services in securities matters including transactional advice, compliance counseling, policy advice, enforcement and litigation. The group has a strong presence in both New York and Washington, DC, and is well known in Europe, Asia and Latin America. … ‘We have an enormous amount of respect for the group, which combines legal expertise with first-rate experience.’”
Tax: Corporate & Finance (National) – “This elite New York-based transactional practice has outstanding strength in M&A financing and cross-border transactions. Recently, the team has seen a substantial increase in complex corporate restructurings and bankruptcies. ... ‘A strong and deep tax department that is simply the best in M&A and financial products.’”
Tax (N.Y.) – “This superior transactional tax practice has unparalleled strength in financial products; in light of the economic downturn, it has also taken on corporate restructurings and high-profile advisory work. … ‘Creative, with a global focus, this firm is a transactional juggernaut.’”
For the full text of these rankings, please visit Chambers’ website.
In addition, Cleary Gottlieb and many lawyers in the firm’s New York and Washington offices were recognized in the just-released Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2010 guide. Chambers lists Cleary Gottlieb as one of the leading law firms in the United States, with 35 top-ranked practices. Seventy-six lawyers have been distinguished as leaders in their respective fields, many in more than one area of expertise.
Cleary Gottlieb was also recognized by Chambers USA for its practices in the following new or reorganized nationwide areas of law: Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Employee Benefits & ERISA; Energy: Mining & Metals (Transactional); Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional); Projects: PPP and Securities Litigation.
The following Cleary Gottlieb practices are recognized for being among the best in the United States, based on Chambers’ interviews of the firm’s clients and lawyers at other firms:
Antitrust and Antitrust: Cartel (National) – “‘Its deep bench of lawyers with government experience ensures that the group possesses a unique insight into the workings of the regulators. … ‘The group is as good as it gets – it has an accurate understanding of our business, effective communication skills and, most importantly, always gets it right the first time.”
Antitrust (D.C.) – “This practice has an enviable client base and a correspondingly superb M&A and litigation docket.”
Banking & Finance (National) – “This well-known team advises predominantly borrower-side clients, such as private equity investors and corporate acquirers, on a range of work including refinancing matters, leveraged and acquisition financings, debt buy-backs and debt-for-debt exchanges. ... ‘An excellent firm with a committed team offering creative solutions.’”
Banking & Finance (N.Y.) – “[Sources say] ‘consistently well prepared and accommodating, with a strong culture that produces excellent lawyers.’”
Bankruptcy/Restructuring (National) – “This New York-based group enters the rankings this year following its lead in a number of the industry’s most significant matters.”
Bankruptcy/Restructuring (N.Y.) – “This highly regarded team continues to rise in the estimation of the market, and it has played a key role in some of the largest bankruptcy matters. … ‘In addition to its talent for litigation, the group has a great blend of transactional and regulatory expertise and does an excellent job of communicating issues and maximizing its resources.’”
Capital Markets: Debt and Equity (National) – “Cleary has long been at the top of the pile for securities transactions, advice, compliance and disclosure work. … The firm’s global profile and stellar reputation for finding innovative solutions to non-routine transactions attracts a stream of A-list clients, including a high volume of non-US issuers entering the US securities market. … ‘Cleary is near the top of anyone’s list – it sets a very high bar in terms of intelligence and expertise.’”
Capital Markets: Derivatives and Capital Markets: Structured Products (National) – “Cleary’s excellence in securities regulation has seen it involved in most of the major developments to affect the market. This has included proposed tax legislation relating to derivatives, analysis of insolvency matters, the establishment of CDS clearing facilities and the launch of the Green Exchange to facilitate the trading of climate-related derivatives. … ‘We use the firm for complex, long-running matters because of its extensive legal and regulatory history.’”
Capital Markets: REITs (National): “Cleary’s REITs team draws on the expertise of various practice groups, including real estate and capital markets.”
Capital Markets: Securitization (National) – “Clients appreciate the superb partner attention, regular updates and in-depth client seminars provided by Cleary Gottlieb. … ‘Superb people running the deal, as well as excellent mid-level associates.’”
Corporate/M&A: The Elite (National) – “Cleary Gottlieb is arguably one of the leaders for international work, advising foreign parties entering the US market. The group benefits from the firm’s strong European presence, while utilizing the resources of the New York and Washington, DC offices to conduct nationwide work. … ‘You get a lot of partner attention.’”
Corporate/M&A: The Elite (N.Y.) – “Cleary Gottlieb represents both buyers and sellers on a wide range of corporate matters including public and private company acquisitions, dispositions, takeovers and proxy contests. It is best known for the international dimension to its practice. The firm is especially well regarded for its Latin American M&A offering, which is primarily conducted out of the New York office. Elsewhere, the group is a popular choice for European and Asian clients entering the domestic US market. … ‘Internationally there is no better firm. They have the consistency and quality, and the lawyers are not only incredibly smart but also skillful and creative.’”
Corporate/M&A & Private Equity (D.C.) - “This firm has one of the top international practices in the USA, which translates into a great deal of regulatory advisory work by the Washington, DC, team on behalf of US clients worldwide and for foreign entities investing in the US market. … ‘Very good in negotiations and very smart at solving problems. They tend to be better than others on the bigger regulatory issues.’”
Employee Benefits & ERISA (National) - “This New York giant dominates the financial services market and has a leading national practice in the ERISA fiduciary arena. … The group is also skilled in designing compensation arrangements, negotiating employment agreements and advising on the securities law aspects of executive compensation matters.”
Employee Benefits & ERISA (N.Y.) – “This firm is home to a stellar employee benefits and executive compensation group, which is lauded for its aptitude in ERISA fiduciary matters. It is also sought out by clients for its expertise in M&A and corporate restructuring. … ‘A fine team, which is rock solid from top to bottom.’”
Energy: Metals & Mining and Energy: Oil & Gas (National) – “One of the great names of the New York legal market, Cleary Gottlieb provides a full service to the biggest clients in industry, including energy and natural resources. The firm handles corporate M&A, finance, and securities work for major national and multinational companies around the world, including some of the largest mining and metals corporations, national oil companies, oil & gas super-majors and majors, and international power companies. Its leading reputation in the finance arena means that the firm is a favorite choice for underwriter’s counsel on large offerings. … ‘The best investment you can make is to hire the attorneys at Cleary.’”
Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Compliance), Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Enforcement & Investigation), Financial Services Regulation: Broker Dealer (Compliance) and Financial Services Regulation: Financial Institutions M&A (National) – “This group remains a dominant presence in financial services regulation, receiving excellent reports for its work across advisory, enforcement and transactional matters. … ‘We are consistently impressed with the quality of advice and excellent perspective the lawyers bring to highly complex matters.’”
International Arbitration (National) – “This firm is an experienced player in international arbitration, acting on both investor-state and international commercial arbitration. The firm’s strong global network sees it acting on some notable matters for high-profile clients. … ‘The team provides a good analysis of complex situations and builds an effective strategy.’”
Investment Funds: Private Equity: Fund Formation (National) – “‘The collegial nature of the firm allows for seamless cooperation between offices.’”
Latin American Investment (N.Y.) – “Cleary Gottlieb remains a market leader in this area, with a huge, talented team devoted to Latin America and unbeatable expertise in representing both sovereign and corporate clients in high-end capital markets, cross-border M&A and finance matters. … ‘A top-tier firm, which clearly outpaces the competition not only with its excellent legal advice, but in its knowledge of the region.’”
Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite, Litigation: Securities, and Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (N.Y.) – “This firm continues to impress with its prowess in civil and criminal litigation. Clients appreciate its integrated international capabilities and dedication to service, highlighting the efficient staffing of cases and clarity of advice. The proactive and attentive lawyers have particular expertise representing financial institutions in commercial disputes and high-stakes securities litigation. Market sources also note the firm is increasing its profile in the white-collar criminal defense and investigations area. … ‘A diverse and creative group of attorneys who bring strong business sense and intellectual talent to any matter.’”
Private Equity: Buyouts (National) – “This group has a particular forte in financial services acquisitions and is familiar with handling large consortiums of private equity sponsors. It offers a comprehensive service, advising on M&A, financings, securities and SEC compliance and filing issues. The team also has a good fund formation profile. … ‘This group excels at making sure you are represented by the attorney who can help the most.’”
Projects: PPP (National) – “Cleary Gottlieb is one of the USA’s premier finance firms and houses a group of high-quality attorneys with multidisciplinary expertise, who are particularly active in North and Latin America. The firm has represented major players in the power, oil and gas, and mining areas, but it is in the transportation infrastructure sector that the bulk of Cleary’s recent projects work has taken place. … ‘Cleary hires incredibly bright lawyers who are dedicated to the firm. They build from within so the culture remains strong and consistent across their offices. If a primary contact is not right for a particular matter, they will find the right person for you.’”
Real Estate: Mainly Corporate & Finance (N.Y.) – “This corporate and finance-focused real estate team is a significant player in New York. … The outfit is also recognized for its international strength; it regularly handles cross-border transactions throughout Europe and the US. … ‘This top-notch firm delivers consistently high-quality work.’”
Securities Litigation (National) and Securities Regulation (National) – “This group provides a full range of services in securities matters including transactional advice, compliance counseling, policy advice, enforcement and litigation. The group has a strong presence in both New York and Washington, DC, and is well known in Europe, Asia and Latin America. … ‘We have an enormous amount of respect for the group, which combines legal expertise with first-rate experience.’”
Tax: Corporate & Finance (National) – “This elite New York-based transactional practice has outstanding strength in M&A financing and cross-border transactions. Recently, the team has seen a substantial increase in complex corporate restructurings and bankruptcies. ... ‘A strong and deep tax department that is simply the best in M&A and financial products.’”
Tax (N.Y.) – “This superior transactional tax practice has unparalleled strength in financial products; in light of the economic downturn, it has also taken on corporate restructurings and high-profile advisory work. … ‘Creative, with a global focus, this firm is a transactional juggernaut.’”
For the full text of these rankings, please visit Chambers’ website.