Legal 500, one of the leading international legal directories which provides rankings of law firms based purely on client feedback, published their Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) results yesterday.

The results show that Hassans is ranked in the top tier for each of the 10 sections covered by the directory and is the only firm ranked in the top tier in Corporate, Commercial and M&A, Investment Funds, Private Client, and Tax.

These results also reveal Triay and Triay as the firm’s closest competitor this year. The two firms share 4 top spots in Banking and Finance, Dispute Resolution, Real Estate and Construction and Shipping. Hassans has also retained its top spot in Gambling Law, which was a new section for Legal 500 EMEA last year, sharing the ranking with boutique gaming specialists, Ramparts. 

The Legal 500 directory differs from its closest competitor, Chambers and Partners, in that it breaks down its rankings into 10 separate areas of work allowing more detailed reporting and has therefore managed to truly demonstrate Hassans’ breadth and depth of service offering.

The directory also sensibly takes a look at the next generation of lawyers coming through, and in which this year Aaron Payas, a Senior Associate in Investment Funds (“a certified financial analyst and is highly recommended; he understands the ‘mathematical technicalities of trading algorithms and fund structures’”) and Anne Rose, a Senior Associate in Shipping (“shows patience and understanding of the client’ and is highly recommended for her work in shipping litigation and ship arrests”) were given much deserved recognition.

An extract from Legal 500 commenting on the Gibraltar market stated: 

“The online gaming and e-commerce sectors continue to thrive in Gibraltar and law firms frequently advise clients in these sectors on a wide range of matters. Private client and shipping-related work are also core focuses. Low tax rates continue to attract businesses and individuals to the country and law firms routinely attract work from individuals applying for ‘Category 2’ residency status. 

Following its launch in 2015, the Gibraltar Stock Exchange has now been recognised as a regulated market by the European Securities and Markets Authority and law firms have seen an increase in work from companies wishing to be licensed and listed on the new exchange. There has also been a steady increase in funds work. 

Hassans is the largest law firm in Gibraltar, followed by Isolas and Triay & Triay….”  

Valuable client feedback continued to feed the directory with resounding praise across the board for the Hassans’ lawyers and teams, with some of the many highlights including quoting the Banking and Finance team as ‘always professional’, the Dispute Resolution team as having ‘‘invaluable industry knowledge’, and that the Investment Funds team possesses ‘a depth of knowledge’ about the funds industry and provides ‘excellent value for money’.

Individuals also received accolades such as: “extremely efficient, intellectually excellent and creative” (James Levy), “very responsive” (Michael Castiel), “excellent at contracts and as a negotiator” (Nyreen Llamas), “attentive and professional” (Anthony Provasoli), “sound knowledge of the e-gaming sector (Vikram Nagrani) and“wealth of experience in overcoming difficult situations” (Kenneth Bonavia).

Javier Chincotta, Managing Partner at Hassans, commented:

“Both Legal 500 and Chambers, albeit they operate slightly differently, provide us with a benchmark as to how the firm is performing in terms of service – which is paramount to Hassans. We are delighted that both are in agreement and consistently rate us as a Tier 1 firm across all core areas. This is the service we continuously strive to achieve and we are very pleased that these rankings demonstrate that that is what our clients are experiencing across the board. We once again thank our clients and intermediaries for taking the time year on year to provide their confidential feedback to this valuable process.”

The full results for Hassans can be seen [here] and the full rankings for Gibraltar can be seen here http://www.legal500.com/c/gibraltar