Vinson & Elkins RLLP > London, England > Firm Profile

Vinson & Elkins RLLP > Firm Profile

The firm: Vinson & Elkins is a large international law firm, which has experience across a number of industries and has been repeatedly ranked as the world’s leading energy law firm.

Lawyers at Vinson & Elkins are committed to excellence and steeped in the energy and finance industries, offering clients experience handling transactions, investments, projects and disputes worldwide. The firm’s deep bench of approximately 720 lawyers worldwide collaborating across 12 offices allows a multi-disciplinary approach, whether clients need guidance on complex transactions or litigation.

London serves as a coordinating centre for Vinson & Elkins’ operations in Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe, with respect to clients operating out of Europe, the US, London, and elsewhere. The firm is accustomed to working not only in mature markets, but also in less familiar and more challenging environments, under developing local regimes and with evolving communications or infrastructure.

Since the early years of Vinson & Elkins’ existence, the firm has represented a broad cross-section of the top players in the energy industry and is now recognized as a global leader in energy-related transactions. The firm’s lawyers have worked on, or are currently working on, some of the most high-profile, complex and unique deals to take place in the international oil and gas sector. Vinson & Elkins brings insight and know-how, building on a strong foundation that offers clients an understanding of the intersection of energy, finance and the law.

Vinson & Elkins’ London office also has extensive experience across multiple other industry sectors, including construction, infrastructure (including telecoms infrastructure) and private equity.

Principal areas of work: Cross-border M&A; private equity; corporate finance and securities advice (including international equity and debt capital markets); joint ventures and other strategic alliances; banking and finance (including acquisition and bridge financings); international energy transactions; project development and finance transactions; construction; litigation and arbitration; restructuring; legal and regulatory compliance; tax; real estate finance; international telecom infrastructure transactions; and employment.

Clients: KKR, Macquarie, The Carlyle Group, Equilor, Cairn India, Helios Investment Partners, Republic of Iraq Ministry of Oil, Riverstone LLC, J.P. Morgan, Agrica Oil Corp., SOCAR, TPG Sixth Street Partners.

International: The firm’s clients include the governments of sovereign nations as well as public and private companies from around the world, domestic and international financial institutions, investment firms, portfolio companies, cities and government agencies, new enterprises, joint ventures, project companies and individuals.

The firm has offices in Austin, Dallas, Dubai, Houston, London, New York, Richmond, Riyadh, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, DC.

Recruitment: The firm currently offers between four and six training contracts per year, commencing each September. The training structure at V&E comprises of four seats. During the first year the trainees rotate through two different practice areas each for six months. During the second year, while trainees will be located in a further two practice groups, the year does not run on a rigid seat system, but instead a trainee will gain wide experience in all practice areas, working with a wide variety of associates and partners from across the firm. At the start of each rotation each trainee will be assigned to a supervisor with whom they will share an office, however they are expected to receive work from everyone within the assigned practice area, not just the person they are sharing an office with. Whist the trainees are based in London, the firm undertakes a regular secondment programme to other offices (particularly its offices in Dubai and its headquarters in Houston). In addition to the Training Principal (currently Andrew Nealon) and their supporting team, trainees will have the support of an associate mentor (appointed for the full two-year training contract for continuity) to provide an extra, and often first, port of call for support and assistance.

Administrative partner: Alex Msimang

Lawyer Profiles

Photo	Name	Position	Profile
	Nadine Amr	Partner	View Profile
	Andrew Callaghan	Counsel	View Profile
	Camilo Cardozo	Partner	View Profile
	Lauren Davies	Partner	View Profile
	Roberta Downey	Partner	View Profile
	Nick Henchie	Partner	View Profile
	Nabil Khodadad	Partner	View Profile
	James Loftis	Partner	View Profile
	Alex Msimang	Partner	View Profile
	Andrew Nealon	Partner	View Profile
	Angus Rankin	Partner	View Profile
	Scott Stiegler	Partner	View Profile
	Alistair Wishart	Counsel	View Profile
	Louise Woods	Partner	View Profile

Vinson & Elkins RLLP > Firm Profile

For over a century, Vinson & Elkins’ lawyers have provided innovative business solutions for clients whose needs are as diverse as the entities they represent. In today’s challenging environment of global markets, volatile economies and complex human and environmental issues, the firm’s time-tested role as trusted adviser has become even more critical. The lawyers’ extensive experience, combined with the responsiveness and efficiencies of the firm’s global reach, enables V&E to serve clients from start-up, to the negotiating table and boardroom, and before legislative and regulatory bodies in the courtroom and beyond.

Main areas of practice: Core practice areas include: admiralty and maritime; antitrust; appellate; business transactions; capital markets and securities; climate change; condemnation and land use; construction; contracts; corporate governance and compliance; e-commerce/internet; executive compensation and benefits; employment, labor and OSHA; energy; environmental; finance; financial institutions; government contracts; infrastructure; intellectual property; international dispute resolution; litigation; mergers and acquisitions; oil and gas; outsourcing; private equity/venture capital; project finance and development; real estate; regulatory; REITs; restructuring and reorganization; securities litigation; structured finance; syndicated finance; tax; technology; telecommunications; and white-collar criminal defense.

International work: Vinson & Elkins’ 11 offices worldwide allow the firm’s lawyers to work efficiently across time zones, as well as with local lawyers in foreign jurisdictions, to accomplish the client’s objectives. In addition to legal experience, V&E has strong personal relationships with business people and other professionals that offer significant benefits to the client, including broad experience in transactions spanning multiple jurisdictions, cultures and languages.

The firm efficiently guides its clients through a wide range of transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, public and private offerings of securities in the developed and emerging capital markets, as well as development and financing of a variety of projects.

The firm’s international dispute resolution team engages in international arbitration under all leading institutional rules, as well as international civil litigation in US courts and in other jurisdictions. V&E’s lawyers work with clients to develop effective solutions to the complex problems and unique challenges of international business.

Clients: Since the firm was founded in 1917, it has attracted an outstanding and diverse group of lawyers who serve an international clientele. Clients include the governments of sovereign nations and North American states, cities and municipalities, public and private companies, domestic and international financial institutions, new entities, joint ventures and project companies.