Legal Business Awards 2010

In what was a classic example of being proactive and refusing to concede defeat, CMS Cameron McKenna’s team won one of the most coveted legal slots in the TMT market in 2009. Despite not being one of the firms originally invited to tender for a place on BT’s global legal panel, CMS Cameron McKenna surprised everyone by becoming one of just three firms appointed to the panel, alongside two longstanding incumbents.

There was intense competition from about 50 City and international firms invited to tender, including a number of longstanding advisers to BT. CMS Cameron McKenna was not one of them. But head of telecoms Watson spotted the upcoming panel review in the press and contacted BT head of legal Anne Fletcher. Once the firm’s TMT strengths across Europe were explained, an invitation to pitch was extended. In the end, the team’s creative, flexible and passionate pitch clearly paid off, with BT convinced by a firm that guaranteed them truly co-ordinated legal advice in 28 jurisdictions.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

BAKER & McKENZIE

Paul Rawlinson

Representing L’Oréal in a groundbreaking trade mark victory in the European Court of Justice concerning copycat packaging was a major coup for this team. The high-profile case was considered to be a watershed for luxury cosmetics companies in their fight against cheap imitations, bolstering their ability to stop competitors free-riding on their substantial investment in their brands through use of look-alike packaging and comparison lists.

BIRD & BIRD

Mark Hilton

Hilton’s team completed the first comprehensive analysis of intellectual property rights in carbon capture technology for Gassnova SF, the Norwegian state enterprise for carbon capture and storage (CCS). This mammoth project included registering 1,200 new patents and identifying all intellectual property risks associated with building the world’s largest carbon capture facility. It is vital to ensure that CCS projects are as free from intellectual property risks as possible, to prevent patents being used to delay construction or increase the costs of operation.

BRISTOWS

Philip Westmacott

Smith & Nephew could waste no time in fighting a patent dispute over Negative Pressure Wound Therapy, which concerns the use of suction over a wound, useful in treating injuries suffered by military personnel. In taking just seven months from the start of appeal proceedings to judgment, Bristows’ ‘rocket docket’ enabled victory at an unprecedented pace, pushing the boundaries of patent litigation procedure.

LINKLATERS

Richard Cumbley

This team advised JPMorgan Chase on its successful and politically charged participation in a consortium bidding for a tender run by the Department for Work and Pensions to supply a benefits account service for four million state benefits recipients for the next seven years, keeping many Post Office branches alive in the process.

MORRISON & FOERSTER

Chris Coulter

Coulter led a team advising Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group, Europe’s largest exhibitor, on the roll-out of digital cinema in Europe, a project that may well be the tipping point for the digital conversion process globally, and a transformative deal for cinema in Europe.

OLSWANG

Steven Baker

After fighting a battle on three fronts for two years – the UK, US and Estonia – Olswang helped Skype settle its dispute with the founders of its peer-to-peer technology, Joltid, over an alleged breach of licence terms. This dispute had left a $2.75bn business in the balance.

Award sponsored by LECG