In the 2021 edition of The Legal 500 UK, WilmerHale is named a top-tier firm for international arbitration, fraud: white-collar crime, and is recommended in four other practice areas. The guide names five partners to its "Leading Lawyers" list, two to its “Next Generation Partners” list, one counsel to its “Rising Stars” list and recognizes 12 of the firm's London-based lawyers overall.
In addition to the top-tier rankings, WilmerHale was recognized for:
- Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime;
- Corporate and Commercial: Financial Services, Contentious;
- Public International Law; and
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms)—Intellectual Property.
Partners Gary Born, Steven Finizio, Stephen Pollard, Franz Schwarz and Justin Watts were named elite "Leading Lawyers" in their practices spanning six Legal 500 categories. Mr. Pollard was listed in Fraud: White Collar Crime, Corporate and Commercial: Financial Services, Contentious, Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime; Mr. Born in International Arbitration and Public International Law; Mr. Finizio and Mr. Schwarz in International Arbitration; and Mr. Watts in TMT—Intellectual Property. Charlie Caher and Duncan Speller were named “Next Generation Partners” in International Arbitration, and David Rundle was named a “Rising Star” in Financial Services: Contentious.
The below commentary from The Legal 500 UK highlights the WilmerHale lawyers recognized in the 2021 edition.
International Arbitration
Handling a large portfolio of major international disputes, WilmerHale's "terrific" London group is "one of the most experienced teams of arbitration practitioners in the world." It is devoted exclusively to international arbitration, conducts its own advocacy and has a distinctive track record in complex, high-value disputes. The practice also stands out for its core team of partners, both in the UK and internationally. Having acted as counsel in over 650 arbitrations, Gary Born's experience includes several of the largest arbitrations in ICC and ad hoc history; Charlie Caher has significant experience in arbitrations governed by English law; Steven Finizio has notable expertise in energy, shareholders, telecoms, financial services, joint ventures, and M&A disputes; and Franz Schwarz is global vice-chair of the firm’s international arbitration practice, alongside Washington DC–based Rachael Kent. Also key to the practice is Duncan Speller, who is highly experienced in high-value and high-profile hearings.
Public International Law
WilmerHale fields "a leading practice in international commercial arbitration, but is also well-known for PIL cases'. It is consistently involved in significant state-to-state disputes; groundbreaking intra-state arbitrations; high-stakes international human rights proceedings; disputes involving PIL issues; and investment arbitrations. Gary Born chairs the firm's international arbitration practice group, and has many decades of experience as lead counsel in PIL matters; he recently led advice to the Government of Fiji on the drafting of the Fiji International Arbitration Act and subsidiary legislation for arbitration-related court proceedings. Also highly rated is Steven Finizio, who assists with international law and treaty issues.
Fraud: White Collar Crime
WilmerHale continues to be involved in many of the biggest white-collar crime cases brought by the SFO, NCA, Police and HMRC. Under the strong leadership of the 'tactically astute' Stephen Pollard, the team handles the full gamut of business crime and securities enforcement work. Clients include individuals from the public and private sectors, with a particular focus on financial services. Areas of advisory expertise include fraud, bribery, corruption, cartels, money laundering, market abuse and insider dealing.
Corporate and Commercial: Financial Services, Contentious
WilmerHale specialises in FCA-related enforcement actions, with particular expertise representing senior executives facing regulatory exposure. The firm has experience handling cases involving a range of authorities and regulators, including the Bank of England, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Financial Reporting Counsel, the New York Department of Financial Services, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Australian financial regulator. Stephen Pollard leads the team and is known for FCA matters. He can call on the expertise of counsel David Rundle, who focuses on financial crime and regulatory enforcement.
Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime
The London office of WilmerHale’s white-collar defence and investigations department is an integral part of its world-renowned practice. It receives significant direct instructions from major clients and represents both corporates and individuals. The team advises international businesses on criminal, regulatory and reputational matters. Head of practice Stephen Pollard is recommended for business crime and securities enforcement work, and has worked on a plethora of high profile SFO investigations. Counsel Christopher David handles cases involving fraud, bribery and corruption, insider dealing, tax evasion, cartels and money laundering.
TMT (technology, media and telecoms)—Intellectual Property
WilmerHale’s patents offering made its mark in the field of FRAND licensing litigation through Anthony Trenton and Matthew Shade’s representation of multinational clients in high-profile proceedings in parallel with their US counterparts. Complementing that, key team members Justin Watts and Trevor Cook are noteworthy for handling pan-European patent infringement litigation in the pharmaceuticals and technology sectors including EPO opposition proceedings.
The Legal 500 recommends law firms and individuals based purely on merit. Researchers surveyed and interviewed more than 250,000 corporate counsel and clients over the course of 12 months. The list of WilmerHale's rankings, including commentary, can be viewed on The Legal 500 website.