Mayer Brown LLP - The Who's Who Legal 100 2013

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

The firm performs particularly well in the competition chapter, garnering six inclusions from four of its offices. Two names appear from the firm’s Chicago office including Lee Abrams, a “star” in the field, who is recognised for his competition and franchise expertise. Abrams has a “very active” litigation practice and is described as a “formidable opponent”. Andrew Marovitz is one of the firm’s practice leader for the worldwide litigation group and “excels” in antitrust litigation. He has represented national and multinational corporations in monopolisation, price fixing, market allocation and conspiracy cases, and represented BASF in In re Vitamin Antitrust Litigation, one of the largest price-fixing cases ever filed. In Washington, DC, Robert Bloch and Richard Favretto are “exceptional” competition lawyers. New York-based Richard Steuer litigates at all levels of federal and state courts and regularly advises companies on structuring their business practices, including distribution arrangements and licensing programmes. Christopher Kelly is based in the firm’s Palo Alto office and advises on the intersection between competition law and IP rights.

Mayer Brown also earns six listings in the trade and customs chapter. The Washington, DC office fields four practitioners including Mickey Kantor, a “first-rate” individual who specialises in market access issues. Susan Schwab is “very well known” and “her counsel is highly sought after”. In Brussels, Paulette Vander Schueren is one of the most highly regarded individuals in the research and earns high praise for her “strong knowledge” and “dedication to her clients and the profession”.

Five names represent the firm in the insurance and reinsurance chapter. In New York, David Alberts and Kenneth Pierce are highly recommended by our respondents. Alberts provides corporate and regulatory advice to clients in the insurance and reinsurance sector and is particularly renowned for advising on cross-border regulatory issues including risk transfer regulations. Pierce is the global coordinating leader of the firm’s insurance industry group and has more than 20 years’ experience in the sector as a lawyer and as an investment banker. He excels in transactions at the convergence of insurance and the capital markets, including sidecars, cat bonds, insurance-lined securities, transformer and structured insurance and reinsurance products. Senior partner in the firm’s London office Sean Connolly advises on complex insurance market disputes.

Real estate is a further key area of the firm with five individuals selected for inclusion. In Hong Kong, Andrew MacGeoch features in both the real estate and franchise chapters and is the head of the firm’s Asia hospitality and leisure group, the real estate development group and the commercial team. Alongside him, Fun Kuen Au is “highly knowledgeable” in the development and redevelopment of properties and also advises on compulsory sale and landlord and tenant matters, building, planning and property-related litigation matters. John Gearen in Chicago is “well versed” in a range of real estate matters. He represents commercial banks, national insurance companies and pension funds engaged in negotiating acquisitions, construction and permanent financing for real estate projects and workout negotiations. Marvin Katz in Houston is praised as a “great negotiator” while Keith Willner in DC is noted for his “brilliant, analytical mind”.

Mayer Brown’s capital markets practice is well represented in our research with five inclusions in the corresponding chapter. Douglas Doetsch and Jason Kravitt are both recommended in the banking and capital markets chapters, demonstrating their strong finance expertise. Co-head of the global finance practice and co-head of the structured finance and capital markets practice Stuart Litwin has a high profile in the sector. His experience includes the securitisation of virtually all asset types and he also regularly advises hedge funds and reinsurance companies in their alternative investments.

In addition to its first rate services offered to business, individuals and governments, Mayer Brown actively engages in pro bono work around the world. The firm’s work covers adoptions, asylum, death penalty cases, environment, international human rights and charitable organisations, to name just a few.