Oran Gelb > Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner > London, England > Lawyer Profile

The banking litigation practice at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner works closely with the financial regulatory, antitrust, and white-collar practices, advising high-profile clients on complex mandates as well as related regulatory or criminal consequences. Graham Shear and Oran Gelb lead the team, with Andrew Tuson and associate Rhys Corbett both prominent figures within the team. The team continues to grow, with the arrival of Ravi Nayer from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP in August 2022.

The ‘friendly, hardworking, and experienced’ team at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner act on high-stakes contractual disputes, with impressive multi-jurisdictional capabilities. ‘Very experienced’ Graham Shear leads the litigation and investigations practice at the firm, alongside the business and commercial disputes practice. Shear is praised for ‘thinking deeply and laterally… considering multiple different aspects simultaneously from several perspectives to develop powerful strategies’. ‘Intelligent litigator’ Oran Gelb is integral to the team, as is ‘seasoned litigator’ Joby Davies, and ‘brilliant technical lawyer’ Rachel Ziegler. The team was strengthened with the arrival of Ravi Nayer from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP in July 2022 – he handles both commercial and group litigation.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner advises on strategic acquisitions, litigation, in addition to a broad array of regulatory and commercial matters. The team is well regarded for its contentious expertise in judicial reviews. Jeremy Bark and Benjamin Lee jointly lead the team; Bark has a proven track record in handling new license applications, while Lee is a corporate finance specialist who is noted for handling ‘big-ticket work, particularly where there is a public markets element’. Marie Johnson adds to the corporate finance expertise at the firm, while Oran Gelb is a ‘go-to guy‘ for contentious work.

The team at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner is marked by its ‘sophisticated understanding‘ of contentious regulatory issues and cross-border investigations. Polly James, who acts as the global co-lead of the financial services disputes and investigations department, has a wealth of experience acting on substantial and complex cases for a wide range of clients, including international banks and other financial institutions, as well as individual members of their senior management. Oran Gelb, the global banking practice co-head, also provides oversight. In a key development, highly regarded expert David Rundle joined the group from WilmerHale in May 2023.