The Legal 500 U.K. 2024 ranked six Haynes Boone practice areas among the best in the nation, with one newly ranked practice group joining the fold this year (Investment Fund Formation and Management – Hedge Funds).
14 Haynes Boone lawyers were recommended by Legal 500: Partners William Cecil, Andreas Dracoulis, Markus Esly, Emily Fuller, Mark Johnson, Glenn Kangisser, Emma Russell, Andreas Silcher, James Tinworth, Ben Watford and Melanie Willems, Counsel Robert Blackett, and Associates Christopher Orford and Shu Shu Wong.
Notably, Melanie was also included in Legal 500’s “Hall of Fame,” which highlights individuals “who have received constant praise from their clients for continued excellence” and who Legal 500 deems as being “at the pinnacle of the profession.”
Legal 500 analyzes the capabilities of law firms across the world, based on feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, law firm submissions, and interviews with leading private practice lawyers.
Below is a list of the ranked practice groups along with sample client testimonials Legal 500 received regarding the groups:
Investment Fund Formation and Management – Hedge Funds
- “Ben Watford, James Tinworth and Christopher Orford have all displayed excellent legal expertise, fast responsiveness, a strong client service ethic and are good guys to work with.”
- “The team at Haynes Boone provide timely and commercially astute advice, in particular in guiding new managers on the launch of their maiden fund.”
- “Ben Watford really does live and breathe the hedge fund industry, from the start-up ecosystem to hosting charity balls for the great and good of the industry.”
Projects, Energy and Natural Resources – Oil and Gas
- “Haynes Boone’s Oil & Gas team in the U.K. has a deep understanding of the legal, commercial and practical issues involved in upstream and downstream transactions.”
- “An incredibly user-friendly team who make genuine efforts to understand client drivers/ pinch points to enable advice to be delivered in a tailored fashion and in an understandable format. They understand that the advice will be read by non-lawyers and adjust the messaging to suit. Very pro-active with instructions, with an ability to think outside of the box in complex matters and with a willingness to provide creative solutions. We consider their team members to be thought partners in a variety of instructions.”
Investment Fund Formation and Management – Fund Finance
- “Emma and Emily have a depth of knowledge and experience across fund finance, having represented both borrowers and lenders. They bring a pragmatic approach to negotiations.”
- “Emma Russell has valuable experience and a wide network of contacts across the market. Emily Fuller is very detailed orientated with good connections and relationships.”
Transport – Shipping
- “Andreas Dracoulis has an impressive background in maritime and shipping law, allowing him to provide specialised advice in this niche area.”
- “The team has an excellent reputation about newly built drilling rig arbitration, legal, contractual and commercial matters, and a very good understanding of the technical as well, which is quite rare.”
Dispute Resolution – International Arbitration
- “Melanie Willems and Markus Esly are outstanding advocates. They take the time to learn the client’s business and the challenges it faces, and to develop practical solutions.”
- “Melanie Willems is tenacious and has the energy to tackle obstacles that are in the way of her clients.”
- “The international arbitration team excels at coordinating cross-border disputes with parallel proceedings in different jurisdictions, and always keeps an eye on the big picture.”
Real Estate – Construction: Contentious
- “The team is assembled of individuals with diverse personalities and skills/focus areas. Their communication, thinking and planning work as a cohesive unit. Regardless of which team member you work with, the storyline, strategy and character are unified.”
- “Melanie Willems is an excellent lawyer and a superb strategist and manager of a case. She has a real flair for bringing the best out in everyone in the team. Markus Esly is exceptionally bright, immensely hard-working, dedicated and fantastic with clients. Robert Blackett is a terrific lawyer, very clever, extremely conscientious and very easy to work with.”