International law firm McDermott Will & Emery has achieved sterling results in The Legal 500 UK 2023 with 16 rankings in key practice areas and 33 lawyers ranked. The Firm has received the highest number of rankings to date, with a 44% improvement over the past five years.

McDermott continues to hold preeminent Tier 2 positions in M&A: Lower Mid-Market Deals, Private Client: Contentious Trusts and Probate, and Private Client: Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate. We also gained a new recognition in Finance: Acquisition Finance (Tier 6) and moved up in rankings in Gaming and Betting (Tier 2), Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration (Tier 5), Finance: Bank Lending: Investment Grade Debt and Syndicated Debt Loans (Tier 6) and Finance: Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency (Tier 6).

Elite ‘Leading Individuals’ list:

• Nicholas Azis
• Ranajoy Basu
• Mark Fennessy
• Simon Goldring
• Nicholas Holland
• Andrew Savage
• Tom Whelan

‘Hall of Fame’:

• Ziva Robertson

Other highlights include:

Private Client:

• Tier 2 in Contentious Trusts and Probate. Noted for “exceptional service level and client care,” and for having “a perspective on trans-Atlantic private client litigation with which almost all firms cannot compete.”
• Tier 2 in Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate. Described as “one of the best Anglo US private client teams in London. Their breadth of experience is rarely beaten in London.”

Leading Individuals: Simon Goldring and Nicholas Holland
Hall of Fame: Ziva Robertson
Recommended Lawyers: Simon Gibb, Jannika Glendon (NEW), Astrid B. Owen, Anita Shah and Andrew Vergunst

Transactions:

• Tier 2 in M&A: Lower Mid-Market Deals. Noted for “significant global footprint and major deals for a range of operators in the worlds of life science, healthcare, energy, retail, and technology.”
• Tier 3 in Private Equity: Transactions Mid-Market Deals. The team “stands out in the market for its strong presence in the healthcare sector” and is “well-placed to handle cross-border deals.”
• Tier 4 in Finance: High Yield. A commentator noted “a unique element of McDermott’s practice is their deep commitment to the client that appears to go above and beyond… you feel that they truly partner with your business.”
• Tier 6 in Finance: Acquisition Finance (NEW). Described as “exceptionally strong,” “very knowledgeable, hardworking, and well-resourced,” noted for getting “a range of types of deals that is astounding given its size.”
• Tier 6 in Finance: Bank Lending: Investment Grade Debt and Syndicated Debt Loans (UP). Described as a “strong team with good bench of associates.”
• Tier 6 in Finance: Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency (UP). Described as “a highly accomplished, exceptionally reliable and consistently user-friendly team,” as well as “excellent, slick, proactive and knowledgeable.”
• Tier 6 in Real Estate: Property Finance.

Leading Individuals: Nicholas Azis, Mark Fennessy and Tom Whelan
Next generation partner: Shah Jahan Khandokar (NEW)
Recommended Lawyers: Arvin Abraham, Alexander Andronikou, Ranajoy Basu, Mark Fine, Nicholas Jupp (NEW), Aymen Mahmoud, Stuart Mathews, Sunay Radia, Marcia Shekerdemian (NEW), Priya Taneja, Calum Thom, Giulia Venanzoni (NEW) and Eleanor West

Litigation:

• Tier 2 in Crime, Fraud and Licensing: Gaming and Betting (UP). Described as “organised and efficient and on hand at the drop of an email,” the team “take the time to learn about the business function in order to provide focused and sensible advice.”
• Tier 4 in Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation Mid-Market. Noted for “innovative thinking… and sensible advice,” the team is “on top of the detail, with very clear, and commercial advice and excellent support to the counsel team.”
• Tier 5 in Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration. Noted as “an exceptionally strong team of very experienced individuals, who provide advice that is always incisive and exactly on point,” the “lawyers always do the utmost to secure a win for clients.”

Leading Individual: Andrew Savage
Rising Star: Kimberley Smith
Recommended Lawyers: Simon Airey, Michael Darowski (NEW), Romilly Holland, Armando Neris (NEW) and Edward Perkins

Healthcare:

• Tier 4 in Industry Focus: Life Sciences and Healthcare. Described as “innovators who think outside the box” and “a very can do firm, always seeking to find solutions rather than problems.”

Recommended Lawyers: Sharon Lamb and Hamid Yunis
Rising Star: David Gibson

Emerging Markets:

• Tier 3 ranking in Emerging Markets. Noted for continued “strong presence in emerging markets work.”

Leading Individual: Ranajoy Basu
Recommended Lawyers: Mark Fine, Romilly Holland, Andrew Savage and Priya Taneja

Employment:

• Tier 5 in Employment: Employers. Noted as “pragmatic” and “collaborative,” and “really enjoyable to work with, quick to mobilise and effective at advising on what matters.”

Recommended Lawyers: Katie Clark and Paul McGrath

Tax:

• Tier 5 in Corporate Tax. Described as a “very knowledgeable team, responsive, client focused with a broad understanding of the asset management business.”

Recommended Lawyers: Kevin Cummings (NEW) and Sarah Gabbai

About The Legal 500 

The Legal 500 organizes the rankings into a single national ranking. The Legal 500 is a guide with emphasis on teams, not individuals, with the notable exception of leading lawyers listing, Legal 500 does not rank individual lawyers. Legal 500 highlights certain key individuals within the editorial paragraphs, but the principal aim is to provide a snapshot of the market based on assessment of the overall strength and depth of a practice group. The website www.legal500.com has 4 million unique individual users each year, including 2.5 million corporate counsel. View the full Legal 500 UK 2023 rankings.

McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,200 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.