DLA Piper LLP

Global Co-Chairs: Andrew Darwin and Frank W. Ryan

Co-Chief Executive Officers: Simon Levine and Frank W. Ryan

Number of partners: 1,700

Number of lawyers: 5,000

Languages: The firm speaks over 60 languages

Offices: Lawyers located in more than 60 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Further details can be found at www.dlapiper.com

Firm Overview:

Tenacious and driven, DLA Piper people translate legal complexities into commercial clarity: providing the right minds at the right time to help clients to navigate both risk and opportunity. Our lawyers deliverer pragmatic actionable solutions to your pressing business challenges, in every part of the globe, so you can understand, decide, and act.

Our people are as adept at spotting opportunities as they are in protecting you against risk. Our culture encourages fresh thinking, to anticipate what's next, supported by continuous investments in legal and business technology.

The result is joined-up legal counsel and informed commercial advice across multiple geographies and all sectors: creative solutions that draw on an international platform with the power to scale up and down, flexing to meet any client aspirations. We measure success one relationship at a time, serving you locally and in any location: we bring the world closer for our clients.

Main Areas of Practice:

Antitrust & EU Competition:

The firm helps clients find solutions to their antitrust and EU competition law needs around the world. The global team works closely and is able to provide a seamless service across multiple jurisdictions. It also works closely with the firm’s trade and global government relations practice, which gives it a unique perspective on the workings of governments and policymakers.

Commercial Contracts:

The firm provides commercial contract support for in-house legal teams and also handles major projects and business critical contracts for companies across sectors. The group’s advice covers all kinds of commercial agreements, including purchase and supply, partnering, agency and distribution, franchise, logistics and warehousing, facilities management, management arrangements, commercial outsourcing, joint ventures, partnerships and strategic alliances.

Construction:

The firm represents all the participants in the engineering and construction process — owners, contractors, design professionals, lenders and other supporting businesses. The team’s reach extends to the full range of construction projects and delivery methods and into all regions of the world.

Corporate:

The firm advises many of the world’s leading and emerging companies, as well as financial institutions and buyout and investment funds, on mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, public and private equity and debt offerings, venture capital and private equity investments, and other transactional matters. It also advises on securities compliance, corporate governance, IT, tax, and executive compensation.

Employment, Pensions & Benefits:

The firm provides guidance through structural change; handles senior executive appointments and severance; manages employee relations, policy matters; works with councils; and handles trade union issues and disputes. The team advises on and litigates on equal employment opportunity and discrimination-based issues, and defends and prosecutes claims involving the protection of business assets and reputations.

Finance:

The firm advises on all aspects of financing across a broad range of sectors. The team has extensive experience acting for a full range of clients, including banks and arrangers, lenders, lead managers, venture capitalists, corporations, issuers, real estate trusts, funds, project developers, monoline insurers, trading houses, utilities, vendors, government entities, major airlines, shipowners, lessors, train operating companies and manufacturers, on an extensive range of cross-border and national deals.

Intellectual Property:

The firm develops asset management and protection strategies designed to help clients manage risk, continue growth and protect market share around the world. It understands the commercial issues and pressures that arise from IP disputes or related negotiations, and provides innovative and strategic solutions to deal with them.

International Trade:

The firm’s practice draws on an in-depth knowledge of both the law and the political landscape across multiple jurisdictions to provide effective global strategies for those engaged in international trade and investment. The team has an outstanding record of successfully advising companies, trade associations and governments on the full range of trade issues.

Litigation & Arbitration:

The firm’s global team understands the legal, business and procedural developments in jurisdictions around the world. It aims to reduce the uncertainties involved in commercial disputes through innovative dispute resolution strategies and effective case management.

Product Liability:

The firm handles complex multi-party, multijurisdictional cases in a wide variety of industries, including mass tort and class action litigation, and individual claims. The team’s international reach enables it to advise on laws and regulations as they relate to products wherever companies do business, and to coordinate its services in all the jurisdictions involved.

Projects & Infrastructure:

The firm represents commercial banks and investment banks, private equity funds, insurance companies, multilateral financing companies, export credit agencies, joint ventures, institutional investors, contractors, developers, sponsors, trustees, sovereigns and government agencies in a wide variety of matters. The team has participated in the development, financing, acquisition and operation of complex infrastructure projects on nearly every continent.

Real Estate:

This firm’s practice is the world’s largest and is consistently top-ranked around the world. A full range of services is offered in areas including acquisitions and disposals, construction, financing, hospitality and leisure, land use, planning and development, leasing, environmental law, insurance and tax.

Regulatory & Government Affairs:

The firm provides a complete service to address regulatory risk advice on rules and practice guidance, lobbying, corporate defence, compliance and crisis management. The team draws its experience from criminal defence lawyers, former regulators and government affairs advisors.

Restructuring:

The firm’s dedicated lawyers around the world work seamlessly to deliver innovative restructuring solutions locally and internationally. The team has in-depth experience advising on all matters relating to public and private companies in underperforming and distressed situations. It serves a diverse client base that includes debtors, lenders, government entities, trustees, shareholders, senior executives and distressed debt and asset buyers and investors.

Tax:

The firm advises on local and national tax as well as a commercially integrated approach to cross-border structures and tax efficiency. It offers the full range of tax services that address the challenges of international commerce and business operations, including arranging operations to reduce effective global tax rates, transfer pricing, tax disputes and post-acquisition integration.

Technology & Media:

The firm’s technology and sourcing practice advises on complex transactions and multi-party, high-value, project work, frequently spanning multiple jurisdictions. It focuses on the development, protection, exploitation and use of technology related assets through various stages of a company’s growth, as well as the sourcing of strategic assets and services for use in a company’s operations. The firm’s media practice counts many of the world’s largest, most high-profile entertainment and new media companies, sports bodies and major financial institutions as clients. It provides legal advice covering many areas, including: telecommunications, patents, trademarks, copyright, intellectual property, film financing, M&A, anticounterfeiting, e-business, sports litigation and privacy.

White Collar, Corporate Crime & Investigations:

The firm’s global practice comprises a team of partners and associates who focus on criminal, regulatory and compliance problems affecting major corporations, their officers and employees. It represents corporations, business entities and individuals at every stage of the business risk cycle — from legislative monitoring and lobbying; to developing proactive compliance programs and conducting internal audits and investigations, providing advice during criminal or regulatory investigations; and defending clients in court when necessary.