Ian Terry is a "fantastic, super-smart" lawyer and "a first-rate, brilliant tactician of considerable standing." Recently, he acted as lead partner acting for Vasily Anisimov in relation to Boris Berezovsky's claims of breach of trust and contract.

The "massively experienced" Ian Taylor ascends the rankings this year having been described as "a class act" who is at the "top of his game." He is also highlighted as a leading banking litigation practitioner.

Christopher Pugh is noted by sources as a "high-calibre" litigator and specialist in financial services and energy disputes. He heads the firm's dispute resolution department.

Paul Lomas recently acted for E.ON on allegations of anti-competitive practices in the coal industry, and for Tesco on OFT investigations into alleged retail price co-ordination. He has also been active in a number of corporate crime-related matters.

Raj Parker is an unflappable litigator and a calming presence in heated contentious matters. He heads the firm's contentious insurance and fraud department, and recently acted for Travelers in a coverage dispute relating to earlier professional indemnity litigation.

Paul Bowden is vastly experienced when it comes to disputes involving Hungary, particularly those in the realms of product, environment and public regulatory litigation. Market sources say he is a "very good operator" and a "master litigator with sound commercial judgement."

Hailed as "the godfather of corporate law in India," Pratap Amin is primarily known for his expert handling of major transactional deals, but clients also comment on his "good handle on corporate finance litigation" and willingness to oversee "all aspects specifically relating to India."

Now based in Hong Kong, Geoff Nicholas is head of the firm's international commercial disputes group and co-head of its global investigations unit. An acclaimed London solicitor, Nicholas has acted for many high-profile corporates and individuals in both litigation and arbitration contexts over the years, particularly in the software and advertising sectors.

The "fantastic" Ted Greeno "is absolutely number one. He's very calm and very good at making judgement calls." He recently sued Thomson Broadband on behalf of BSkyB, alleging breach of contract relating to defective set top boxes.

Sonya Leydecker is an enormously respected figure in litigation circles. Peers comment that she is "super-clever" and clients say: "She delivers a first-rate product."

Damien Byrne Hill has a wide-ranging practice as head of the firm's banking litigation department. Clients say: "If you want someone to work his way through an internal investigation in a forensic manner, he's great. He has a natural gravitas without being pompous, which means you can expose him to some pretty senior people without fear they will react badly."

"Top-quality litigator" Kevin Lloyd is praised as "imaginative and tenacious," and clients highlight his ability to "think outside the box." Lloyd represented audit firm Ernst & Young in its capacity as administrator of Nortel's European entities, in a number of multibillion-dollar disputes with the company's US and Canadian entities.

Philip Carrington has a broad practice encompassing professional indemnity, fraud, partnership, shareholder and insolvency disputes in the commercial sphere.

Fraud litigator Simon Bushell has an impressive pedigree in Russian/CIS disputes, heading that team within the firm. Sources say he is "truly exceptional" and note that he is able to leverage his understanding of the region to achieve truly commercial results for clients.

Former head of Herbert Smith's Singapore international arbitration group, Nicholas Peacock is noted for his understanding of contentious issues both there and in India. His recent caseload includes acting for a major Indian corporation and a Japanese electronics company on separate proceedings related to disputed tax payments.

Solicitor advocate Jon Holland heads the firm's financial services litigation practice globally and upholds a strong reputation in that field, acting for a mix of central banks, sovereign nations and large corporates.  

Chris Hardman is widely considered to be a leading practitioner on global litigation matters. He is a lead partner on BTA Bank's claims against Ablyazov.

Team leader Patrick Sherrington is recognised for his strong client service skills and his capacity to handle litigation with international aspects.

Markus Burgstaller is a member of the firm's international arbitration group who has worked extensively for Austrian law firms and universities, as well as for the Chancellor of Austria.

Michael Davison is admitted to practice in France and the UK. He speaks fluent French and spent six years working in France. He serves a number of high-profile clients from a range of industries, including defence, aerospace and energy.

In the firm's Moscow office, Alexander Scard is an English-qualified lawyer and expert in international arbitration. His sector specialisms include energy, shipping, commodities, telecoms and financial services.

Sources say Tim House is "one of those people with whom you solve disputes – he's not scoring points the whole time." His practice focuses on disputes in the banking and finance sector.

Simon Davis is "the complete package," "disarmingly charming" and possessed of "great intelligence as well as experience." Davis continues to act for Standard & Poor's on various litigious and regulatory matters concerning the ratings of European sovereign debt, and advised on the agency's recent downgrades.

Roger Best "is a very experienced senior litigator" praised by clients for his technical expertise. He acts for a number of major banks, and has advised on investigations from US regulators, criminal authorities and the FSA.

Private equity, contentious trusts and commercial litigation expert Jeremy Kosky can lay claim to experience in a number of offshore jurisdictions, and is highlighted for his expertise in Bermuda, where his knowledge of the local market is held in high regard. Sources comment his impressive dedication to demanding litigation in recent months. Examples of this include his headline-grabbing defence of mining tycoon Brian Gilbertson.

Clients rate Ian Moulding for his "calm and thorough" handling of litigation, and for his aptitude for strategic planning in particular. Moreover, he is noted for valuing the opinion of clients and excelling at working collaboratively. He continues to act in several cases related to the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Iain Roxborough has recently acted on a contractual dispute on behalf of a mining company involving allegations of fraudulent contracts, and for a prominent financial institution on global freezing orders for accounts held on deposit for a sovereign entity.

Market commentators highlight Roger Leese's "ingenious legal thinking and strategising," as evidenced in his work alongside Moulding on BEIG Midco's ISDA Master Agreement provisions dispute with Lehman.

Nicholas Munday recently joined the firm's Moscow office after heading the London office's dispute resolution and insurance litigation departments for several years.

Edward Sparrow is hailed as one of the the UK's premier litigators, with "huge gravitas, strategy and common sense." He continues to represent Imperial Tobacco in judicial review proceedings.

Ben Tidswell is widely recommended by market sources, and is "very commercial, fair and user-friendly." He has been leading a team acting for subprime market lenders Cattles and its subsidiary Welcome Financial Services on alleged audit negligence by PwC.

Ronnie King recently advised Tullow Oil on its acquisition of Ugandan interests from Heritage Oil, and on a subsequent GBP400 million tax dispute with Uganda's government. "It's clear that he has a great depth of experience," say clients, adding: "He is extremely practical and gives advice that non-specialists can easily understand."

Paul Friedman has an excellent reputation as a formidable litigator and a skilful writer. He recently acted on a high-profile professional indemnity claim against the former solicitors of the former owners of Liverpool FC relating to the club's sale in October 2010.

Neil Beresford has expertise in Colombia-related litigation, notably having defended a number of London-based reinsurers in class actions following the late-1990s Colombian recession sparked by banking crises in Russia and Asia.

Miranda Karali is qualified to practise Greek and English law, and is fluent in Greek, Spanish and French. She acts for a mix of public and private sector clients in a range of shipping disputes, as well as cases involving energy, banking and shareholder concerns.

Esteemed litigator Christa Band has been part of a committee of special advisers to News Corporation in the wake of the 2011 phone hacking scandal. She is highlighted by clients for her enormous technical capability: "You feel very confident in her opinion on how you should deal with certain things."

Commentators are quick to praise John Turnbull's "excellent judgement." Interviewees say: "He's very hard-working and he's got an extremely cool approach under pressure to quite complicated issues. People respect his independence and his integrity." He is also a part of the News Corporation advisory team.

Andrew Hughes recently acted as lead partner to RBS in its reputationally sensitive dispute with Texan hedge fund Highland regarding the latter's USD100 million fraud allegations.

Litigation chief Michael Bennett is a "thorough and meticulous" litigator, who is a major player in the team working for News Corporation. Sources say they are "incredibly impressed by his ability to assess a problem" and by "his management of complicated and multi-stranded issues."

James Gardner is a Hong Kong-qualified lawyer in addition to being admitted to practice in England and Wales. He handles litigation and arbitration matters, often involving fraud, regulatory and indemnity claims.

Sam Eastwood maintains a significant profile in bribery and corruption-related matters. He is a solicitor advocate and an accredited mediator.

Sherina Petit was promoted to partner this year. She specialises in international arbitration and ADR, with particular experience in energy, transport and trade, and focuses strongly on India-related cases.

Robert Turner was lead partner on a team advising CRC Credit Fund and others on numerous litigation matters arising out of the Lehman Brothers collapse.

Philip Vaughan specialises in energy, infrastructure and life sciences litigation.

Colin Passmore is now senior partner at the firm, having previously served as head of litigation. He acts on retail finance and professional negligence matters.

Nick Archer is "a highly experienced practitioner who instils confidence in clients with his huge experience and very good judgement." He represented Kazakh state-owned Alliance Bank in USD1 billion fraud claims against its former chairman, and in a separate matter against Metropol's Cypriot entity claiming USD1 billion in embezzlement and wrongful diversion.

Elizabeth Barrett recently acted for British Airways on separate investigations into cartel activity from the OFT and the EC. In the latter, BA was sole defendant in follow-on litigation brought before UK courts, and Barrett's team defeated its opponents' repeated attempts at 'US-style' class action suits.

Sarah Lee "has a very sharp mind" and "strong strategic insight." Alongside Richard Clark, Lee led a team responsible for the Telegraph's submissions to the Leveson Inquiry.

Deborah Finkler has been advising Glitnir on multi-jurisdictional recoveries and insolvency-related matters, involving asset tracing and interim freezing injunctions relating to possibly fraudulent pre-insolvency transactions. Her team successfully defeated the bank's former principal shareholder Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson in his attempt to overturn a global freezing order against his assets.

Department head Richard Clark is characterised by clients as "a strong leader who gives strong technical legal advice." He advises on a range of commercial and media disputes, and recently led the team advising the Telegraph on the Leveson Inquiry.  

Nick Gray recently acted for Euroclear on KfW's multimillion-euro claim alleging breach of contract and professional negligence arising out of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, concerning derivatives transaction securities.

John Fordham recently led a defence against USD1 billion proceedings for FIM and others in relation to the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme. He also maintains a popular mediation practice.

Shipping lawyer Mike Phillips has a noted expertise when it comes to claims for clients based out of India and South Korea.

Sean Gibbons is noted for his vast experience with Korean shipyards and owners.

Team head John Reynolds is described by clients as a "highly business-oriented" and "effective" litigator whose greatest strength is his "problem-solving approach," which keeps clients' commercial goals firmly in mind. He recently acted as lead partner on a GBP1.3 billion dispute, representing Turkish company Çukurova in proceedings against the Russian Alfa Group relating to shares in a Turkish telecoms firm.  

International arbitration expert David Goldberg has a highly visible Russian practice, with experience acting both as arbitrator and counsel. He is a native Russian speaker and divides his time between London and Moscow.

Andrew Keltie is a highly regarded litigator with expertise in fraud and asset tracing, pensions, insolvency and contentious trust claims. He is regarded as a highly effective manager of litigation, and a large share of his cases are multi-jurisdictional in nature.

Segun Osuntokun leads BLP's Africa group and frequently assists financial insitutions doing business in or from Sub-Saharan Africa. A "seriously amazing lawyer with amazing clients," he is considered a leader in the field in Nigerian litigation.

Roman Khodykin is based out of London but continues to focus on Russian-related cases. He is an arbitration specialist.

Chris Warren-Smith is highly regarded by peers and other market sources. He notably represented a number of insurers, including Ace, Novae, Pembroke and Brit, in connection with losses arising out of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme.

Experienced advocate Deborah Ruff joined the firm from Dewey & LeBoeuf, providing expertise in commercial and investor-state arbitrations. She has appeared in disputes conducted under a wide range of rules, including ICC, LCIA, SCC and UNCITRAL. Her practice has a particular focus on energy-related disputes.

Stephen Brown is well regarded by market sources and recently led a case for Procter & Gamble in two related sets of High Court proceedings, valued in total at GBP20 million.

Interviewees say that "highly business-oriented" department head Craig Shuttleworth is "astute," "immensely clever" and always on hand to provide commercially sound advice. He recently represented Wael Khoury in the Commercial Court's largest ever contempt of court application, arising out of the Masri dispute.

A "powerful" nine-partner litigation team at Latham & Watkins benefits from a strong international network and client base of sovereign states, large corporates and financial institutions. Its strength in international arbitration is also noted, particularly in energy and construction disputes. Recent work out of the firm's London office includes a major case for Convatech relating to breach of confidence, and trade mark and patent infringement.

Mayer Brown has a 29-strong litigation group, as well as eight partners focused on international arbitration. Representative clients include UBS, EMI, KPMG and Ernst & Young. Clients say the firm is "well organised and well equipped to handle matters demanding a lot of manpower."

Market sources say Alistair Graham is "highly impressive." He successfully acted for Henry Brothers in a claim against the Northern Irish Department for Education, alleging that it failed to comply with public tendering regulations by excluding Henry Brothers from the Schools Rebuilding Programme.

Department head Craig Pollack is a "superb big-picture guy" and "just the guy you want on big-ticket litigation." According to commentators, he "really commands the confidence of commercial clients – everyone from Russian oligarchs through to City bankers."

Alex Leitch recently acted on a major dispute in the frozen foods industry against the administrators of British Seafood. He is also a solicitor advocate.

Hilton Mervis has extensive experience in cross-border commercial disputes, and in contentious issues arising out of joint venture agreements and regulatory investigations

Russian expert Karyl Nairn is a highly respected litigator and arbitration lawyer whose big cases of the past year include Abramovich v Berezovsky, which she won for Abramovich, and successful Energy Charter Treaty and bilateral investment treaty arbitrations against the Republic of Georgia on behalf of investors Ron Fuchs and Ioannis Kardassopoulos. Her fine advocacy skills are well known, and one source commented: "She is the best lawyer I have ever worked with. She remains calm and focused under pressure."

This strong litigation team has had much international attention of late relating to its representations of both Boris Berezovsky and Mukhtar Ablyazov in the High Court. Clients say the firm offers "credibility in the larger-scale litigation in London" and "puts client service very highly."

Bird & Bird is an obvious choice for high-calibre commercial and banking disputes, particularly those involving elements of IP, IT, outsourcing, telecoms and life sciences. In the past year, sources say its losses in personnel have been more than made up for by its talented new arrivals.

Sunil Gadhia joined Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in May 2012, formerly having practised at Stephenson Harwood for more than 20 years. He is a respected name for banking and finance litigation, sources agreeing that "he's very experienced, clear about strategy and his advice is always results-oriented."

Guy Pendell heads the international arbitration group and is highlighted as "an up-and-coming star" in the arena. His practice covers commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, and in litigation he is recognised for his attention to detail and his handling of disputes arising out of Europe and Asia.  

Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry was previously a partner at Lawrence Graham, where he won praise for his strong financial services and natural resources practice. He serves both as a litigator and arbitration counsel, and is particularly well versed in Australian disputes.

Nick Marsh is very experienced in Russian/CIS disputes, and recently defended Russian supermarket tycoon Alexander Zanadvorov in a USD150 million High Court fraud and conspiracy claim arising out of a USD560 million restructuring of defaulted loan notes.

Leeds-based up-and-comer Josh Wong comes highly recommended by clients for his understanding of both English and Chinese cultures, and for his international expertise. 

Charles Gordon heads DLA's insurance and reinsurance team in London, and is especially well regarded for his reinsurance work. He has recently advised Munich Re, Swiss Re and 36 other major reinsurers on a complex reinsurance matter arising from BHP Billiton's USD1.5 billion claim for damage and business interruption following the Queensland floods in 2008.

James Gosling is recognised as an expert in cases involving Greece, and is a highly regarded shipping litigator. He is highly skilled in piracy and hijacking matters, and experienced in collisions, salvage, contract, insurance and criminal cases. In addition to this, he speaks fluent French and Spanish.

UAE expert Edward Newitt heads the firm's Middle East desk, and his practice emphasises shipping insurance claims.

The commercial litigation team at Lawrence Graham is particularly acknowledged for its handling of cartel, fraud and corruption investigations work in a cross-border context. In a recent instruction from the Municipality of São Paulo, the firm pursued claims against the city's former mayor relating to extensive money laundering involving offshore accounts.

Iain Mackie is noted for his ability to manage teams in large-scale litigation and "keep his finger on the pulse" of particulars. Recent High Court appearances relate to his role in the Berezovsky litigation.

Hardeep Nahal recently joined from Herbert Smith, and brings with him "in-depth, lateral and tactical thinking" and the ability "to pick commercial points and issues." An "outstanding" lawyer who can plot the course of litigation well, his recent highlights include a dispute over a USD1.3 billion transaction concerning an offshore oilfield in Nigeria.

Michael Tackley heads the team and is praised as an "intelligent, hard-working, responsive" lawyer who is "able to pinpoint problems." He recently acted for the majority shareholder BWE International on a dispute with a minority shareholder arising out of the company's recent restructuring.

Gautam Bhattacharyya is joint head of the firm's India group and recognised for his expertise in commercial arbitration across a range of industries. He recently acted for defendant TANESCO on two ICC arbitrations and related litigation proceedings, in which the total claimed reached more than USD150 million.

Benefiting greatly from its merger with McGrigors, Pinsent Masons can call upon an eight-strong Russian desk, featuring two dedicated and highly active dispute resolution specialists. Yuri Botiuk in particular has been singled out for praise, with sources noting his strong work ethic.