Fieldfisher, Linklaters and A&O among winners at British Legal Awards
All the details of the winners at this year's ceremony in London's Finsbury Square
December 01, 2017 at 05:32 AM
4 minute read
Fieldfisher, Linklaters and Allen & Overy (A&O) were among the big winners at the British Legal Awards last night (24 November), which recognised the profession's brightest and best performers from another eventful year.
Fieldfisher (pictured) saw off competition from firms including Clyde & Co and Kirkland & Ellis to take home the coveted Law Firm of the Year award. The win comes after a year in which the firm revamped its strategy, expanded internationally and embraced technology to set itself apart from other more traditional firms.
Meanwhile, Linklaters took the award for M&A Team of the Year in the large deal category for the second year in a row, for its work advising National Grid on the largest UK infrastructure deal in the past decade.
A&O was named Banking and Finance Team of the Year, while the magic circle firm also took home the honour for Restructuring Team of the Year.
Boutique firm Signature Litigation took the award for Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team of the Year, while other law firm winners included Garrigues, which bagged European Law Firm of the Year; Kennedys, which took home UK Law Firm of the Year; and Cooley, which won the London Office of the Year award.
Meanwhile, the Legal Week Intelligence award for Client Partner of the Year – selected from a shortlist of partners who received the most recommendations from GCs in the annual Best Legal Advisers survey – was this year awarded to Keystone Law consultant solicitor Hilary O'Connor.
The in-house winners included Pearson's Bjarne Philip Tellmann, who was named General Counsel of the Year; Informa, which took the prize for Legal Department of the Year (TMT); and Royal Mail, which won the award for Legal Department of the Year (Commerce and Industry).
The City of London Law Society (CLLS) gave its Lifetime Achievement Award to Allen & Overy (A&O) veteran Philip Wood.
Wood, a finance expert who is now a special global counsel at A&O, has spent more than 40 years at the firm, including 10 as head of its banking practice. He has written 19 books, holds academic posts at three of the UK's top universities, and now heads up A&O's Global Law Intelligence Unit.
The awards were decided on by a senior independent judging panel that included BAE Systems group GC Philip Bramwell, ITV GC Andrew Garard, Heathrow Airport GC and chief of staff Carol Hui, and former Allen & Overy senior partner David Morley. The host for the evening was actress, television presenter and comedian Sally Phillips.
British Legal Awards 2017 winners in full
Supplier of the Year (Business Services): Calder PR
Supplier of the Year (Technology): iManage
Best Use of Technology: Mishcon de Reya
CSR/Diversity Initiative of the Year: DLA Piper
Chambers of the Year: Hardwicke
General Counsel of the Year: Bjarne Philip Tellmann, Pearson
Legal Week Intelligence Client Partner of the Year: Hilary O'Connor, Keystone Law
European Law Firm of the Year: Garrigues
Editor's Award: Penelope Warne, CMS
Private Client Team of the Year: Farrer & Co
TMT Team of the Year: Pinsent Masons
Commercial Team of the Year: Gowling WLG
Competition Team of the Year: TupperS Law
Regulatory and Investigations Team of the Year: Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May
Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team of the Year: Signature Litigation
Energy and Infrastructure Team of the Year: Gowling WLG
Property Team of the Year: Pinsent Masons
Restructuring Team of the Year: Allen & Overy
Banking and Finance Team of the Year: Allen & Overy
Private Equity Team of the Year: Reed Smith
M&A Team of the Year (Medium-Sized Deal): Pinsent Masons
M&A Team of the Year (Large Deal): Linklaters
Legal Department of the Year (TMT): Informa
Legal Department of the Year (Commerce and Industry): Royal Mail
UK Legal Department of the Year (Financial Services): TSB
Legal Services Innovation Award: Eversheds Sutherland
London Office of the Year: Cooley
Specialist Law Firm of the Year: ARC Pensions Law
UK Law Firm of the Year: Kennedys
Law Firm of the Year: Fieldfisher
City of London Law Society Lifetime Achievement Award: Philip Wood, Allen & Overy
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 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
Judges Q&A: How to Win at the European Legal Innovation and Technology Awards
5 minute read
Deadline Extended for The European Legal Innovation & Technology Awards
1 minute read
Trending Stories
- 1Google Makes Appeal to Overturn Jury Verdict Branding the Play Store as an Illegal Monopoly
- 2First Amendment Litigator Returns to Gibson Dunn
- 3In Record Year for Baker Botts, Revenue Up 11.8%, PEP Up 17.6%
- 4Loopholes, DNA Collection and Tech: Does Your Consent as a User of a Genealogy Website Override Another Person’s Fourth Amendment Right?
- 5Free Microsoft Browser Extension Is Costing Content Creators, Class Action Claims
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
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
