Gowling WLG

Gowling WLG is a law firm with more than 1,500 professionals and a range of business support teams working to deliver world-class legal advice across 19 cities in the UK, Canada, continental Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America.

The firm: Gowling WLG represents a natural evolution for its founding firms – Gowlings and Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co – who have both continually adapted to better serve their clients’ needs.

The firm strives to be adaptive, insightful and completely dedicated to the results that matter most to its clients. Gowling WLG knows the importance of investing in relationships that build knowledge and trust, all while providing legal advice that’s tailored to the world in which its clients live.

The firm provides multi-jurisdictional support in key global sectors including: life sciences; financial services; corporate; energy; infrastructure; real estate; natural resources; technology; automotive; aviation; aerospace; and defence. The firm is also home to one of the world’s premier intellectual property practices, and delivers a full suite of commercial law and litigation services.

Gowling WLG’s UK lawyers have outstanding legal expertise plus, crucially, the in-depth market knowledge its clients need to succeed. Clients in London, the UK and worldwide can be sure that whatever the deal, dispute or project, its lawyers are ideally placed to advise.

Gowling WLG is home to one of the UK’s largest real estate practices: a broad-based practice acting for institutions, investors, developers and occupiers. The firm is also the number one AIM firm by market capitalisation and is top-rated for its investment funds, pensions and private capital work.

Types of work undertaken: With expertise that covers a wide range of services and sectors, the firm understands the distinct challenges you face and is positioned to help you succeed.

Sectors include
Automotive: Gowling WLG is at the forefront of this exhilarating sector, matching its sector depth with the international reach of its clients. The firm offers leading technical excellence and a dedicated cross-firm team of lawyers who are passionate about all things auto.

Aviation, aerospace and defence: the team has expertise in crucial areas of: alliancing and outsourcing transactions, including outsourcing of mission-critical passenger services systems; public-private partnerships and other government projects; M&A; competition issues; contentious and non-contentious intellectual property issues; defence procurement contracts; sector-specific HR/employment issues; aircraft maintenance; dispute resolution; and health, safety and regulatory.

Construction and engineering: the firm has a ‘substantial group with an impressive client list’. Experience includes: innovative contract solutions for major developers; first ’new-build’ luxury hotel in London for more than 40 years; and Bicester town centre redevelopment.

Energy: Gowling WLG’s multi-disciplinary sector-focused energy team has a first-class reputation in the energy sector and offers clients proactive, commercially focused and innovative solutions. Areas of expertise include: project development; project and structured finance; construction, equipment supply and O&M; capital markets advice; mergers and acquisitions; joint ventures and IPOs; energy purchasing; supply and trading arrangements; government advisory and market reform; energy regulation; real estate, planning and environmental; dispute resolution; and tax.

Financial institutions and services: the team provides a full service in all types of general corporate and investment grade financing, through the following sub-teams: leveraged finance; asset finance/invoice discounting; general banking and derivatives; real estate finance; capital markets and securitisation; and restructuring and corporate recovery.

Infrastructure: the firm provides full lifecycle assistance to your infrastructure team, with substantial experience in all related service areas, including: procurement and regulatory; project development and PPP (P3) concessions; construction and engineering; operations and management; infrastructure M&A and funds; project funding/ debt and equity; and dispute resolution.

Life sciences: from biotech startups and research organisations to large pharmaceutical companies, the firm acts for a wide range of entities in the sector. Services include: clinical trials and drug manufacturing agreements; drug pricing and reimbursement; freedom to operate opinions; labelling, advertising and distribution; licensing, development and commercialisation agreements; joint ventures; patent and brand protection and litigation; and risk management among others.

Natural resources: Gowling WLG has extensive knowledge and understanding of the natural resources industries as a result of working with clients in these sectors. The firm’s natural resources expertise benefits clients in numerous industries, particularly oil and gas, mining and water.

Real estate: Gowling WLG is home to one of the UK’s largest real estate practices with a team of more than 275 commercially minded lawyers. The areas covered include: purchase/sale; development; leasing/landlord and tenant; financing/lending; disputes/property litigation; and planning and zoning.

Services include
Technology: the team’s in-depth sector experience is used to help its clients maximise their growth and protect and monetise their assets. Services include: banking and finance; corporate; commercial; competition and EU issues; data protection, privacy and security; dispute resolution; employment; intellectual property; information technology; investment; regulatory; software development and licensing; and systems implementation and integration.

Commercial: the Gowling WLG team appreciates that clients are looking for pragmatic legal advice which helps secure and maximise the right opportunities. Its advice is strengthened through its specific expertise in key industry sectors such as: life sciences; real estate; retail; financial services; food and beverage; automotive; IT; telecom; defence; health; government projects; aviation; and travel.

Competition and antitrust: the specialists at Gowling WLG provide competitive, technically sound, strategic advice. Key industry sectors include: agrochemicals; aviation; automotive; construction; energy; fast-moving consumer goods; food and drink; healthcare; heavy engineering; life sciences; and technology, media and telecommunications.

Corporate, M&A and capital markets: the very highest quality legal advice delivered through a partner-led service makes the Gowling WLG corporate team a popular choice with clients ranging from the world’s leading financial institutions and public companies to private businesses and entrepreneurs.

Employment, labour and equalities: the team advises a broad client base, comprising commercial, corporate and public sector entities, on the full range of employment issues. The team brings its knowledge and creativity to the employment service, giving advice that is timely, focused and practical.

Environmental: the firm’s role is to anticipate new developments in environmental law and deliver sound, practical advice and representation. It provides unparalleled depth and scope with regards to hazardous waste, chemicals, contaminated sites, shipments of hazardous goods, importation of new products, and environmental safety with respect to new products.

Insurance and professional liability: the teams have expertise in handling the defence of liability and property claims, as well as dealing with coverage issues when they arise. The firm understands and engages in all forms of dispute resolution, including litigation, domestic and trade arbitration, international arbitration under common institutional rules, and ADR – including mediation.

Intellectual property: with unmatched expertise in patents, trade marks, brands and designs, copyright, advertising, IP litigation and more, the firm has been winning IP cases for clients around the world for over 125 years, and offers exceptional representation in a dynamic and competitive market.

Litigation and dispute resolution: the team is renowned for securing successful results. Whether it’s the specialist divisions of commercial, chancery, companies and technology and construction in the English courts, domestic arbitration, adjudications or international arbitration proceedings under common institutional rules including ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, SIAC and DIAC, clients will be in safe hands.

Pensions: the team is renowned for communicating in plain English, delivering pragmatic advice and giving a clear view on grey areas. The firm has a tailored, efficient service with easy access to wider legal advice, delivering what its clients need while keeping them abreast of the latest developments.

Projects: Gowling WLG offers legal services that address all aspects of your project, whatever its nature, working for all project parties: governments, contractors, EPC/EPCM contractors, design-builders, operators, banks, consultants, advisers and debt providers, among others.

Tax: combining the skills of lawyers and chartered tax advisers, the 16-strong team advises on the full range of tax issues including corporate, real estate, dispute resolution, funds, individuals and trustees, private capital, and employment.

Other UK offices: London, SE1 2AU