Chambers & Partners 2009
Litigation



London

"Charles Russell's lawyers provide real value for money and great-quality advice," with particular areas of strength including IT and telecoms, IP, contractual disputes, insolvency and partnership and shareholder disputes. The team represented The FA in court proceedings brought by football agent Paul Stretford concerning his acquisition of Wayne Rooney as a client. The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's decision to stay the proceedings in favour of arbitration. "Suave, sensible and good to deal with, "litigation and dispute resolution head John Sykes "provides thorough advice while being sensitive to what the client needs and expects," say interviewees, who also praised his "reasonable and careful approach."

Cheltenham

The lawyers at this prominent Cheltenham firm impress clients by "displaying a keen interest in what we do, and taking the time to explain complex issues." They have lately been active assisting companies such as Trifast and Xchanging Claims Services with a variety of disputes, particularly regarding fraud, IP and breach of trust claims. The firm also handles work with an international element, and recently represented Royalstone in arbitration proceedings relating to property development in Ukraine. The team's "top-quality individuals" include Patrick Gearon and Peter Scandrett. According to interviewees, Gearon "absorbs important information at lightning speed," and Scandrett "inspires a great deal of confidence in his clients."

Guildford

This firm's commercial litigation team assists clients with a range of matters and has handled a steady flow of shareholder disputes over the past year. The Guildford team deals exclusively with issues falling under the umbrella of commercial dispute resolution, working closely with the lawyers from the separate property litigation and insolvency teams and deriving support from the firm's tight-knit network of offices throughout the country. Experienced litigator Duncan Elson heads the team. This "incredibly efficient and devoted lawyer" has an impressive background in High Court litigation and has played a key role on a number of ground-breaking cases. The group represents clients such as Fiat Group and Virgin Media.