Fieldfisher: Difference between revisions
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The firm also provides specific experience across the following industry sectors: Hotels & Leisure, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Media & Entertainment, Retail, Technology & Telecoms, Sport and Public Sector. |
The firm also provides specific experience across the following industry sectors: Hotels & Leisure, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Media & Entertainment, Retail, Technology & Telecoms, Sport and Public Sector. |
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Field Fisher Waterhouse's international client base includes listed and unlisted companies, multinationals, banks and other financial institutions, professional partnerships, trade associations and Government departments. Known for its industry focus, the firm is acknowledged as a leading expert in the public sector, technology and media sectors.<ref http://www.chambersandpartners.com/UK/Firms/137-34245 |
Field Fisher Waterhouse's international client base includes listed and unlisted companies, multinationals, banks and other financial institutions, professional partnerships, trade associations and Government departments. Known for its industry focus, the firm is acknowledged as a leading expert in the public sector, technology and media sectors.<ref> http://www.chambersandpartners.com/UK/Firms/137-34245/</ref>. |
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== History of Field Fisher Waterhouse == |
== History of Field Fisher Waterhouse == |
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Revision as of 11:38, 2 June 2010
| Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP | |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 5 offices in 4 countries |
| No. of attorneys | 440+ (140+ partners & 230+ other lawyers) |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Revenue | £95 million |
| Date founded | 1989 (London) |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | www.ffw.com |
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP is a full service European law firm with offices in Brussels, Hamburg [1], London, Manchester and Paris[2] and exclusive relationships with Spanish firm Jiménez de Parga and Italian firm, La Scala [3].
The firm, which is ranked 31st by turnover in The Lawyer [4], has over 140 partners, 230 other lawyers and nearly 300 support staff.
The firm's main areas of practice are corporate and commercial, IP and technology, banking and finance, regulatory and real estate, with a particular expertise in employment & pensions, dispute resolution, tax and competition & EU law.
The firm also provides specific experience across the following industry sectors: Hotels & Leisure, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Media & Entertainment, Retail, Technology & Telecoms, Sport and Public Sector.
Field Fisher Waterhouse's international client base includes listed and unlisted companies, multinationals, banks and other financial institutions, professional partnerships, trade associations and Government departments. Known for its industry focus, the firm is acknowledged as a leading expert in the public sector, technology and media sectors.[5].
History of Field Fisher Waterhouse
The history of the firm can be traced back almost two centuries and the structure has changed significantly in that time. The main mergers, which created the firm in its current form, happened within living memory and many of the partners and staff who originally started with one of the legacy firms which went on to form Field Fisher Waterhouse, are still working for the firm.
Field Fisher Waterhouse was created in 1989 following the merger of Waterhouse & Co and Field Fisher Martineau. Both firms moved from their original offices and came together to the Vine Street premises in June 1990.
Waterhouse & Co was originally located near St Paul's Cathedral and in 1971 there were just nine partners. At this time all law firms were fairly small as up until 1968 law firms were not permitted to have more than twenty partners.
Shell was a key client of Waterhouse & Co at the time and the firm worked on all Shell’s real estate deals, in particular its move to the Shell building in the 1950s. It was the firm’s relationship with Shell which led to the development of the Japanese desk following a recommendation by Shell to Mitsubishi Bank.
Field Fisher Martineau was located at Lincoln’s Inn House in Holborn, close to Red Lion Square, a very convenient location for the law courts. In 1990, the firm moved to Minories in Aldgate, which was not a particularly salubrious corner of EC3.
The last major addition to the firm took place in 1998 when Allison & Humphreys (A&H) merged with Field Fisher Waterhouse. Allison & Humphreys’ alumni included Moira Gilmour who became Managing partner in April 2006. A&H was a leading media and communications specialist and therefore complemented Field Fisher Waterhouse’s IT and internet expertise. The BBC was one of the key clients that A&H lawyers brought with them to the firm. In June 2006 Field Fisher Waterhouse converted to LLP status.
Field Fisher Waterhouse time line
| Date | Event |
| 1835 | Edwin Field sets up Field Roscoe & Co |
| 1865 | Theodore Waterhouse founds Waterhouse & Co |
| 1897 | Charles Fisher started his articles with Thomas Peacock, the firm later becomes TF Peacock Fisher |
| 1930 | Field Roscoe merges with Treherne Higgins |
| 1969 | TF Peacock Fisher and Field Roscoe merge to form Field Fisher & Co |
| 1972 | Martineau and Reid merges with Field Fisher & Co to become Field Fisher Martineau |
| 1989 | Waterhouse & Co merges with Field Fisher Martineau to become Field Fisher Waterhouse |
| 1998 | Allison & Humphreys merges with Field Fisher Waterhouse |
Europe and international experience/locations
The firm has two offices in the UK in London and Manchester, three offices in Europe in Germany, France and Belgium and exclusive relationships with La Scala in Italy and Jiménez de Parga in Spain.
Germany
Founded by four partners on 1 April 2007, the Hamburg office now has six partners. The office is managed by Frank Moerchen.
Belgium
Founded on 1 April 2007, the Brussels office has grown rapidly and now has 14 partners.
France
The Paris office opened on 1 November 2007, and was fully incorporated into Field Fisher Waterhouse in May 2009. There are currently six partners and the office is managed by Bruno Paccioni.
Notable deals and matters in 2008-09
Advising Nuclear Decommissioning Authority(NDA) on the nuclear decommissioning of Sellafield.
Advised long-standing client, the BBC on the sale of the Outside Broadcasts division of the BBC’s wholly-owned commercial subsidiary, BBC Resources Ltd, to Satellite Information Services Ltd (SIS).
Advised the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Albania on a five year contract for the issuing of biometric ID cards and electronic passports to all Albanian citizens.
Advising the Government (the Home Office and Identity and Passport Service) on the various technology and related services procurements necessary to implement the National Identity Scheme which together have a combined value of £4-5 billion.
Advising the National Policing Improvement Agency on the procurement of the new Police National Database – as a result the firm was short listed for The Lawyer’s TMT award 2009.
Advising Hamleys on a franchising deal that saw the brand expand into India.
Advising in the American Reliable Insurance Company & Ors v Willis case which was mentioned as one of the top 10 court battles of 2009 in The Lawyer.
The firm has advised on the establishment of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and won a place on the Commission’s legal panel. The CQC is a newly created regulator responsible for the regulation of services across the health and social care sectors in England and Wales.
The firm advised DTT Multiplex Operators Limited, a consortium of digital television multiplex operators, on a deal with Siemens IT Solutions and Services Limited for the delivery of business-critical digital TV services in the UK.
The firm advised high-profile video-on-demand venture Project Kangaroo on its sale to Arqiva.
The firm’s corporate practice advised leading global entertainment organisation 19 Entertainment on the acquisition of a 51% ownership stake in Storm Model Management Ltd, the leading UK-based model agency.
The IP Litigation Team acted for Vestergaard Frandsen (VF) and won in the High Court, in the so-called "mosquito net wars" litigation.
The firm won a landmark tax and European law case for Great Ormond Street Hospital with major implications for cross-border philanthropy across Europe. The decision in the Brussels Appeal Court saw the hospital awarded over €1.5 million including interest.
Pro-bono work
The firm’s CSR Programme is organised into four main workstreams: Pro bono; Charities; Environmental; Equality and Diversity and People Development.
All these workstreams are governed by the firm’s CSR Principles which are, to behave ethically, to contribute positively to the economic and natural environment and to improve the quality of life for our own staff, for the local community and for society at large.
Awards and Nominations
Won Commercial Team of the Year - British Legal Awards 2009
Nominated for TMT Team of the Year - The Lawyer Awards 2009.
Brussels office was nominated for Best Place to Work in Brussels - Belgian Legal Awards 2009.
Eric Cusas was nominated as Managing Partner of the Year - Belgian Legal Awards 2009.
Partner Lewis Cohen was included in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2009.
Franchise Law Firm of the Year - ACQ Finance Magazine Law Awards 2009.
Belgium office won Aviation Law Firm of the Year - ACQ Finance Magazine Law Awards 2009.
Technology partner, Stewart Room, won Legal Innovator of the Year Award - FT Innovative Lawyers Awards 2008.
Knowledge Management/Information Team of the Year and Technology Implementation of the Year - Legal Technology Awards 2008.
The Legal Directories
The firm has 19 lawyers listed as leading individuals in Legal 500 2009.
Legal 500’s overview, 2009 refers to Field Fisher Waterhouse as follows:
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP stands out for its strength in TMT, with a top ranking for brand management, IT & telecoms, and media and entertainment, and it is a leading light in the new outsourcing and procurement section, where its strength across the public and private sectors has seen it attract instructions from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, BP and Orange. It is also a top-tier choice for administrative and public law, and professional discipline, and is rated in a host of other areas across corporate, disputes, claimant insurance, finance and real estate. It is ranked for the first time in banking litigation, defamation, personal tax, and pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The firm has offices in Paris, Hamburg and Brussels.
The firm has 65 lawyers listed as leading individuals in Chambers 2010.
Criticism
FFWUK.com[6]
Field-Fisher-Waterhouse.com[7]
Fieldfisher-Waterhouse.com[8]
FFW-law.com[9]
References
- ^ http://www.legalweek.com/Articles/1018474/Field+Fisher+rips+up+strategy+for+pan-European+launch.html
- ^ http://www.legalweek.com/Articles/1065127/Field+Fisher+hits+Paris+after+seven-partner+Dubarry.html
- ^ http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=126125
- ^ http://www.centaur2.co.uk/emags/thelawyer/Uk200_2009/
- ^ http://www.chambersandpartners.com/UK/Firms/137-34245/
- ^ http://www.FFWUK.com
- ^ http://www.Field-Fisher-Waterhouse.com
- ^ http://www.Fieldfisher-Waterhouse.com
- ^ http://www.FFW-law.com