Legal Business Awards 2010

Greg Nott made international headlines this year after being retained by South African runner Caster Semenya on a pro bono basis to advise on all legal matters relating to her rights as an athlete. This is one of a string of human rights mandates for Nott, who successfully represented South African double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius in his effort to reverse the IAAF’s decision to exclude him from able-bodied track events.

While press recognition is a recent phenomenon, Nott’s commitment to human rights has a long and distinguished history. A political science graduate, Nott was drawn to civil law early on in his career, representing numerous victims of apartheid. After its abolition, he led a legal team in the first amnesty hearing before the Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In addition to his human rights work, Nott retains a wide and successful commercial practice specialising in telecommunications and energy. Significantly, since he took over the helm of Dewey & LeBoeuf’s Johannesburg office in 2004, headcount has quadrupled from three to 12 lawyers.

However, it is the fact that he is just as dedicated to the development of the firm’s pro bono practice as its corporate practice that sets him apart from his peers.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

DARREN FOX

Simmons & Simmons

One of the key issues of the financial crisis was the role of short-selling. Fox wins recognition for taking a leading role in the debate triggered by the Financial Services Authority’s decision in June 2008 to introduce the rule requiring disclosure of significant short positions without prior consultation. Simmons was the first firm to point out the difficulties with the FSA’s decision.

EDWARD FITZGERALD QC

Doughty Street Chambers

Fitzgerald QC is a tireless campaigner for the marginalised underdog and highly respected within the profession for his superlative record in criminal, public and international human rights law. He underlined his superb credentials in 2009 by leading an extremely high-profile victory in the High Court to force the government to change its position on the right of Gurkhas to settle in Britain.

CHRISTOPHER GRIERSON

Lovells

Former New York managing partner Grierson has been the first choice for a stream of complex disputes over the past two years. The internationally respected litigator recently advised the Financial Services Authority on matters relating to the collapse of Lehman Brothers and also advised Alfa-Access-Renova in the successful resolution of the long-running dispute over the management of TNK-BP.

DAVID JOHNSON

Slaughter and May

Corporate finance heavyweight Johnson has a mouth-watering client base, including Whitbread, Punch Taverns and Goldman Sachs, but among his recent transactions one stands out. Johnson led the team that advised GlaxoSmithKline on its groundbreaking agreement with Pfizer to create new specialist HIV company ViiV Healthcare. Sales of the combined portfolio were approximately £1.6bn but the deal’s historical importance was the real eye-opener.

SANDIE OKORO

Baring Asset Management

Okoro’s name has become synonymous with CSR in the legal community. In addition to being a director for International Lawyers for Africa and a trustee for LawWorks, Okoro has spearheaded initiatives such as Baring-sponsored mentoring programme, ‘Seeing the Possibilities’. The general counsel attracts praise for striving to demonstrate how personal principles can be allied to corporate goals for maximum effect.

ANDREW WHITTAKER

Financial Services Authority

In a year that has witnessed unparalleled turbulence in the financial services market, the FSA found itself in the eye of the storm. As general counsel of the FSA, Whittaker has painstakingly worked to amplify and bolster the profile of the regulator amid intense media scrutiny.

Award sponsored by Saunderson House