- Senior Partner: Colin Passmore
- Managing Partner: Jeremy Hoyland
THE FIRM Simmons & Simmons is a leading international law firm with fully integrated teams working through offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm’s strategy is designed to ensure it provides its clients with high-quality advice and delivers value through new ways of working. Simmons & Simmons applies considerable expertise to all business sectors but focuses on: Asset Management and Investment Funds, Energy and Infrastructure, Financial Institutions, Life Sciences, and Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT). Simmons & Simmons acts regularly on the most innovative cases, deals and transactions in its chosen areas of specialism and receives recognition for the quality of its work from clients and others within these industry sectors. In 2011 and 2012, for example, Simmons & Simmons was named a top tier law firm in the ‘Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Report’ and was a winner in the Dispute Resolution and Anti-bribery and Corruption categories; winner of the Best European Law Firm Award at the Hedgeweek Global Awards 2012; named Leading Law Firm at the Hedge Fund Journal Awards 2012; winner of the Energy and Natural Resources Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards 2012 and winner of the 2011 Best Regulatory Law Firm of the Year Award at the Thomson Reuters Accelus 7th Annual Compliance Awards. The firm’s commitment to corporate responsibility is well recognised. Simmons & Simmons was the highest ranked law firm in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2012 in the UK for the fourth year running and was also ranked in ‘The Times’ Top 100 Graduate Employers 2011.
PRINCIPAL AREAS OF WORK Five sector teams are drawn from the core practice areas of: corporate, dispute resolution, EU, competition and regulatory, employment, pensions and employee benefits, financial markets, IP, projects, real estate, information, communications and technology, and corporate tax. Recent major transactions handled by the firm include advising: CRC Credit Fund Limited, the lead respondent for the successful class of client money claimants in the client money application in relation to Lehman Brothers International; BlueCrest on the acquisition by its partners ofMan Group’s 25.5% stake in the BlueCrest group for a total consideration of $633m; Kier Group plc on its successful appeal against the size of its fine, following an investigation by the OFT; HMV Group plc on the sale of Waterstone’s to A&NN Capital Fund Management Limited; Amundi Investment Solutions in relation to the introduction of its ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) to the UK market; Plukon Royale B.V. on the merger of Friki Germany and the Stolle Group; energy supplier Argos Oil on its merger talks with energy supplier North Sea Group (the creation of the largest independent player on the North-West European market); the UK Ministry of Justice on two groundbreaking procurement competitions to provide Prisoner Escort and Custody Services throughout England and Wales and Custodial Services at four prisons; and Hang Seng Investment Management on the launch of the world’s first renminbi-denominated physical gold ETF listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Simmons & Simmons continued to advise on all major aspects of the financial crisis, from the effects of the collapse of Lehman Brothers through to the effects on its clients of the ensuing regulatory, enforcement and litigation requirements, and is known for its work on landmark financial litigation matters and appeals. The firm has one of the largest full-service dispute resolution practices of any firm headquartered in the City of London, covering financial markets litigation, contentious regulatory, corporate crime, professional and product liability and international arbitration, as well as insurance, IP and employment disputes. Firmwide, it has over 210 partners and a total staff of around 1,500 of whom more than half are based in its 18 offices outside the UK.
OTHER OFFICES Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Beijing, Bristol, Brussels, Doha, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Funchal*, Hong Kong, Jeddah**, Lisbon*, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Tokyo.
*Sociedade Rebelo de Sousa in association with Simmons & Simmons,
**Simmons & Simmons is in alliance with Hammad & Al-Mehdar