IHG adds Greenberg to Euro line-up alongside heavyweight trio

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has completed a review of its EMEA legal advisers, with Greenberg Traurig Maher (GTM) winning a coveted first-time spot on the four-firm line-up.

The firm was appointed to the roster at the end of April alongside existing advisers Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Clifford Chance (CC) and DLA Piper.

London-based executive vice president, general counsel and company secretary George Turner kicked off the review last year, with 12 firms initially invited to pitch.

All four successful firms have been appointed for three-year terms, with each given a particular remit.

Freshfields will advise the hotel giant on major corporate transactions, while DLA Piper, which has worked with IHG for more than a decade, will advise on corporate, commercial and employment work. CC will provide insurance advice, with GTM working on corporate, commercial and environmental matters for IHG.

While GTM is a relatively new entrant to the UK market, Greenberg Traurig has a strong hotel and leisure practice in the US, while GTM London head Paul Maher (pictured) has longstanding links with Turner though his client Imperial Chemical Industries, where Turner was senior counsel 
and deputy company secretary before joining IHG in 2008.

Turner commented: "We have not appointed a strict panel but do have a number of strategic relationships with certain law firms. We obviously instruct other law firms as and when necessary."

In recent years IHG has sold off many of its properties in exchange for franchises and management contracts, creating a steady stream of work for previous UK 
advisers such as Linklaters and legacy Lovells.

IHG houses seven hotel brands including InterContinental and Holiday Inn, with the company operating 4,400 individual hotels across 100 countries.