CC scoops Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards

Clifford Chance scooped the top prize at last night’s Lawyer Awards, winning Law Firm of the Year after a stellar 12 months.

Senior partner Stuart Popham collected the trophy from the evening’s host, impressionist Rory Bremner, at the end of a sparkling event at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was the other big winner of the night, picking up prizes for Banking/Restructuring Team of the Year, M&A Team of the Year and Pro Bono Team of the Year.

The magic circle firm was also runner-up in Litigation Team of the Year, just losing out to Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Ernst & Young and the counsel team behind the Equitable Life defence.

DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary was named Global Law Firm of the Year and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett was crowned US Firm of the Year.

But prizes also went to smaller firms. Chris Lingard, the managing partner of Cornish firm Follett Stock, collected the Partner of the Year award for dramatically increasing turnover and profit at the firm.

Professional negligence specialists Four New Square walked away as Chambers of the Year after impressive growth, while Fountain Court Chambers’ Nicholas Stadlen QC was named Barrister of the Year for his work defending the Bank of England in the BCCI trial.

The ceremony was attended by 1500 lawyers from across the world. Entrants to the awards and guests on the night helped raise over £70,000 for the The Lawyer’s charities, ChildHope and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

For the full list of winners, visit:
http://www.thelawyer.com/lawyerawards/2006/index.html