BLP, Morton Fraser and A&O land roles on Heathrow panel
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and Morton Fraser have won new spots on Heathrow Airport Holdings’ legal panel following a review by the company formerly known as BAA.
The duo are among nine firms appointed to the airport operator’s adviser roster after the first rejig since the group rebranded as Heathrow last October and sold Stansted Airport earlier this year.
Existing panel members Allen & Overy (A&O), Blake Lapthorn, Brodies, Eversheds, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and Pinsent Masons have been re-appointed to the list, which has increased in size by one.
No firms have left the panel, with the only deletion coming in the form of longstanding adviser McGrigors, which merged with Pinsents last year.
The company now operates 11 sub-rosters for set practice areas, down from 9 before the review. The new areas are corporate, finance and taxation; regulation, competition and procurement; commercial, IT/IP and construction; trademarks/IP registration; litigation; property and planning; property management; employment and pensions; debt collection; routine commercial; and Scottish airports.
It has merged corporate (including M&A) with finance and taxation; added procurement to regulation and competition; combined commercial, IT and IP with construction; added planning to property; and combined employment and pensions.
Pinsents and Eversheds both increased their allocation of sub-panel spots, with the former earning positions on nine lists and the latter on six.
Aside from these, Blake Lapthorn and HSF have won the most positions with five each, followed by Freshfields on four, new panellist BLP on two and A&O, Brodies and new member Morton Fraser on one.
Morton Fraser merged with fellow Scottish firm Macdonalds earlier this year. Its addition is for Scottish airports, on which it will advise alongside Brodies, while BLP’s new role is in regulation, competition and procurement and property and planning.
Although firms have been informed of their roles, their appointments are subject to formal agreements being signed, a process expected to be completed by the middle of this month.
The review was carried out by general counsel and executive director Carol Hui, who joined BAA from construction company Amey in 2009 (17 March 2009).
Hui kicked off the revamp in November and later shortlisted and interviewed candidates, with added-value demands including secondments, training sessions and seminars and a telephone hotline for free advice.
She told The Lawyer: “Central to this review have been legal expertise combined with a commercial, practical approach, value for money and additional services such as the provision of secondees, training and free helplines.”
It is understood the latest process was less intensive for existing panel members than the last review in 2010, which was the first time BAA had set up a formal roster (15 April 2010).
The terms of the three-year 2010 panel expire this month. The latest appointments also last for three years. Heathrow also has the option to extend the new panel for two years and terminate firms’ appointments at any time.
The news follows Heathrow Airport’s sale of Stansted Airport, with Freshfields advising Heathrow on the disposal (21 January 2013).
In 2009 the Competition Commission ordered BAA to dispose of Gatwick Airport and and Stansted, as well as a Scottish airport, with Freshfields also advising on the 2009 sale of Gatwick to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) (21 October 2009). GIP also bought Edinburgh Airport in 2012, with McGrigors acting for BAA.
Freshfields also recently advised Heathrow Airport shareholder Ferrovial on the sale of a 5.7 per cent stake in the company to China Investment Corporation, which was advised by Clifford Chance (1 November 2012).
Heathrow Airports Holdings’ legal panel in full:
Corporate, finance and taxation
Pinsent Masons
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Allen & Overy
Herbert Smith Freehills
Regulation, competition and procurement
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Eversheds
Herbert Smith Freehills
Commercial, IT/IP, construction
Pinsent Masons
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Blake Lapthorn
Eversheds
Trademarks/IP registration
Eversheds
Litigation
Pinsent Masons
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Blake Lapthorn
Herbert Smith Freehills
Property and planning
Pinsent Masons
Berwin Leighton Paisner
Eversheds
Herbert Smith Freehills
Property management
Pinsent Masons
Blake Lapthorn
Eversheds
Herbert Smith Freehills
Employment and pensions
Pinsent Masons
Eversheds
Debt collection
Pinsent Masons
Blake Lapthorn
Routine commercial
Pinsent Masons
Blake Lapthorn
Scottish airports
Pinsent Masons
Morton Fraser
Brodies
