BP completes panel review with two firms losing spots
Fieldfisher and Reed Smith have lost their places while six firms have won new spots
December 13, 2017 at 06:16 AM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com
BP has completed a review of its UK and international legal panel, with three firms losing their spots and six gaining new places.
Fieldfisher and Reed Smith were cut from the panel, while Atma Partners, Dentons, Euclid, Hill Dickinson, Hogan Lovells and PwC Legal were all added to the roster.
In total, there are 18 firms on the roster including several reappointments from the previous 2014 lineup. The law firms that retained their spots were Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst, Baker McKenzie, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Holman Fenwick Willan, Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright, Pinsent Masons, Simmons & Simmons and Three Crowns.
Although Sullivan & Cromwell is not on the panel, it is used as board counsel for disclosures on US security laws and occasional M&A work.
The panel will go live from January 2018 and will be in place for a three-year term. It covers the UK and the rest of the world excluding the US, which has its own panel. The process was overseen by BP's associate general counsel for special projects and chief of staff, Jens Bertelsen.
The cost of the legal work given to the panel is expected to amount to approximately £30m per year and will mainly cover litigation and M&A.
The day-to-day legal work is mainly covered by BP's 500-strong legal function, which is made up of about 350 lawyers.
Bertelsen said: "All the selected firms demonstrated a commitment to quality and value that is critical for BP Legal. The outcome of the selection process reflects the willingness of each firm to agree a rate card and other terms that meet our requirement for a high-quality service allied to highly competitive pricing, in an environment of strict cost control across BP."
Some of the firms have been added to the roster on a 'full-service, all locations' basis, while others will be instructed on more specific niche matters only. BP will also run 'mini tenders' and may go off panel for certain pieces of work. All panel firms agreed to this in their contracts with BP.
In previous reviews, BP has opted to use a reverse auction tender process, however during this review it used a traditional tender process. The process was cost and quality led, while also looking at firms' technology offerings.
The panel review was delayed earlier this year after Rupert Bondy, the oil giant's previous GC, left to join Reckitt Benckiser, with Eric Nitcher taking on the top legal role.
Meanwhile, Watson Farley & Williams were reappointed to BP's separate Investment Management panel.
The panel in full:
Linklaters
Freshfields
Herbert Smith Freehills
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang
Norton Rose Fulbright
Addleshaw Goddard
Baker & McKenzie
Simmons & Simmons
Ashurst
Pinsent Masons
Three Crowns
Atma Partners
Euclid
PwC Legal
Holman Fenwick Willan
Hill Dickinson
Hogan Lovells
Dentons
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Clifford Chance Under Fire for Human Rights Assessment of Saudi Arabia World Cup Bid
5 minute read
The Week in Data Nov. 7: A Look at Legal Industry Trends by the Numbers
Trump Win Ignites Global Legal Market: Lawyers Prepare for High Demand & Uncertainty
Netflix Offices Raided by Authorities in Paris and Amsterdam
Trending Stories
- 1Friday Newspaper
- 2Judge Denies Sean Combs Third Bail Bid, Citing Community Safety
- 3Republican FTC Commissioner: 'The Time for Rulemaking by the Biden-Harris FTC Is Over'
- 4NY Appellate Panel Cites Student's Disciplinary History While Sending Negligence Claim Against School District to Trial
- 5A Meta DIG and Its Nvidia Implications
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
