Mishcon de Reya was crowned Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2017, sponsored by Travelers, last night (27 June).
This year’s judges, which included in-house general counsel, Hot 100 listees and law firm managing partners, were impressed with the breadth of investment at the firm, which in the last 12 months launched Mishcon Discover – an in house e-discovery business; and announced revenues of £127.9m in 2015/16, with profit per senior equity partner (PEP) breaking £1m for the first time.
The firm’s client work was no less significant: taking on the biggest constitutional case in a generation: Gina Miller’s Article 50 legal challenge. The case generated over 2,500 media reports mentioning Mishcon de Reya in 25 countries ranging from Puerto Rico to Pakistan.
In addition to the Article 50 legal challenge, significant cases in 2016/17 include the representation of Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd, which were awarded £68m in a competition damages claim against MasterCard; advising a long-standing private investor client on the sale of 120 Holborn to Singaporean investor UOL Group for £229.6m; representing Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a fraud claim; and acting for Walid Giahmi in the high profile Society Generale case against the LIA. The Family department is also acting on behalf of Meera Thakkar in divorce and financial remedy proceedings.
Meanwhile, Dentons scooped up International Firm of the Year thanks to its much talked-about international expansion plan, which has seen it launch in Australia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and Panama in the last 12 months and implement a new strategy to boost cross-selling.
Channel 4 general counsel Prashant Naik took home the In-house Lawyer of the Year award after demonstrating his skills as a business leader and expert crisis manager.
Blackstone Chambers was a double-winner last night, taking home Chambers of the Year award, while Blackstone Chambers’ Lord Pannick QC won Barrister of the Year after his masterful handling of the Article 50 challenge on behalf of claimant Gina Miller in the historic 11-justice Supreme Court case.
Kemp Little took home the Boutique Firm of the Year award after a strong strategy of investment resulted in tech changes and a second year of double-digit growth.
The ceremony, which was held at the Grosvenor House in London, was hosted by comedian Rob Brydon and attended by over a hundred managing partners, barristers and top in-house lawyers.
The winners, in full:
Barrister of the year: Lord Pannick QC, Blackstone Chambers
Best client service innovation: RPC
Boutique firm of the year: Kemp Little
Regional firm of the year: Wright Hassall
Offshore firm of the year: Carey Olsen
Chambers of the year: Blackstone Chambers
Competition team of the year: Bristows
Corporate team of the year: Macfarlanes
Energy team of the year: CMS
Finance team of the year: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Funds team of the year: Linklaters
Real estate team of the year: Eversheds Sutherland
Litigation team of the year: Mishcon de Reya
Infrastructure projects team of the year: Gowling WLG
In-house banking and financial services team of the year: CME Group
In-house commerce and industry team of the year: Premier Foods
In-house energy and resources team of the year: National Grid
In-house lawyer of the year: Prashant Naik General Counsel Legal, Compliance & Governance, Channel 4
In-house public sector regulatory team of the year: Client Earth
In-house retail team of the year: Marks and Spencer
In-house TMT team of the year: Skyscanner
Most innovative use of technology: Simmons & Simmons
Pro-bono initiative of the year: Hogan Lovells
International firm of the year: Dentons
Restructuring team of the year: Ashurst
IP team of the year: Herbert Smith Freehills
Law firm of the year: Mishcon de Reya
Read this year’s full shortlist here