Eversheds wins major Samsung Euro contract

Eversheds has won its third sole-provider contract this year after scooping a role advising Samsung on all its European legal requirements.

The firm has won lucrative contracts with Akzo-Nobel, Tyco and Samsung in the past six months.

Samsung UK legal adviser Julie Disney told The Lawyer: "We were looking at firms which could provide a full service at a reasonable price."

Disney and European legal adviser Jon East, the two lawyers in Samsung UK's team, have been working on the review of their legal providers for six months, having inherited a myriad of firms advising on property, litigation, commercial, HR, pensions and other legal issues.

"There was no coherence to it and no structure to it," said Disney.

Samsung invited Dundas & Wilson, which provided a lot of HR advice, Eversheds and Shoosmiths to pitch. It dispensed with the services of its main commercial adviser Laytons because it was felt that the Guildford-based firm could not provide the range of services required.

Eversheds won due to its ability to support Disney and East in their specialist areas of corporate and commercial law, and also to provide HR, property, pensions and litigation advice.

The firm may also be called on to provide IP and competition advice if needed.

Baker & McKenzie has been retained to provide immigration advice. As a Korean company, Samsung has a lot of immigration work and it was felt that the national firms could not provide a requisite service.

Eversheds property litigation partner Jon Kemkers will be Samsung's client relationship partner.