Mayer Brown LLP - The Who's Who Legal 100 2012

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

The firm’s real estate practice has a staff of more than 190 lawyers around the globe, enabling it to advise on both local and international transactions. Our research identifies six lawyers at the firm in this field, two of whom are located in the Hong Kong office. Andrew MacGeoch heads Mayer Brown JSM’s real estate development and commercial team, and his focus is on infrastructure developments and mixed use projects. His work in the hospitality field is considered “first rate” and his clients have included the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton and the Mandarin Oriental. Alongside him, Fun Kuen Au is a “leading practitioner” specialising in joint ventures, development and redevelopment of properties, project conveyancing and project and end-user financing matters. Jeremy Clay, based in London, is head of the global real estate group and a member of the Mayer Brown’s partnership board. Clay is a “well-known name” in the field with experience acting for developers, real estate companies, pension funds and banks in all types of real estate transactions. Keith Willner in Washington, DC, is one of the international firm-wide practice leaders of the real estate group and his notable work includes representing hotel ownership clients in acquisitions, dispositions, ventures and financings as well as institutional lenders, housing developers and opportunity funds.

In the insurance and reinsurance chapter the firm receives five nominees, representing the New York and London offices. In New York, David Alberts’ practice focuses on corporate and regulatory work for insurance and reinsurance companies assisting with contract wording, new product development and management of run-off liabilities. Senior partner of the London office Sean Connolly is “outstanding”, his expertise covering professional indemnity, financial institutions, product liability risks and complex insurance market disputes. Head of the London insurance and reinsurance group David Chadwick is “first rate” for policies involving political risk, financial risk, professional indemnity and reinsurance.

Five lawyers feature in the competition chapter, all based in US offices. In Washington, DC, head of the firm’s global antitrust practice Robert Bloch specialises in defending major corporations, not for profit entities and corporate officials in criminal and civil investigations. His practice is “internationally renowned”. Also in Washington, Richard Favretto is a “first-class” litigator. Representing the New York office, Richard Steuer is a “leading light” and his antitrust practice focuses on litigation, M&A, IP licensing, franchising and e-commerce. Lee Abrams, based in Chicago, also features in the franchise chapter and is “highly recommended” by peers and clients.

Mayer Brown’s corporate and finance sectors are “world class”, highlighted by their recent engagement where the firm advised a consortium of banks on the issuance and placement of a €500 million mortgage Pfandbriefe by Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG. In the banking chapter the firm receives four listings, including the “brilliant” Paul Forrester. Located in the Chicago office, he is considered a “highly skilled” lawyer and also appears in the project finance section, where he has considerable experience in the energy field. In New York, Jason Kravitt appears in both the banking and capital markets chapters and has a “long-standing reputation” for securitisation work. A further three lawyers are mentioned in the capital markets chapter, including Stuart Litwin, co-head of the global finance and structured finance and capital markets practice groups. Litwin is a “talented and very able” practitioner whose engagements include the first ABS offering in the US backed by Australian auto leases. In London, Ian Coles features prominently in the project finance and mining chapters and is head of the firm’s finance practice in Europe. Coles is a “pre-eminent” finance lawyer with considerable expertise in the mining field. Scott Davis is a “highly proficient” lawyer with listings in the corporate governance and M&A chapters. Davis is head of the US M&A practice group and often advises on transactions involving public companies valued over $1 billion.

Our research identifies the depth of expertise possessed by lawyers at the firm across its global network, with an impressive total of 12 of the firm’s offices fielding lawyers in our research.