England - London • Corporate and commercial
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Highly praised by clients as a ‘strategic, practical and supportive’ team, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner offer ’tailor-made’ assistance on cross-border transactions for funds, public and private companies. The team acts for clients across a range of sectors, most notably in the agriculture, retail and sports and entertainment sectors. The London practice is helmed by the highly experienced Benjamin Lee, noted for his experience in the financial services, real estate and retail industry. Regarded by some clients as ‘the best corporate lawyer,’ the ’pragmatic, responsive and commercial’ Jinal Shah is a key port of call for cross-border transactions, especially in emerging markets. Servicing multinationals, investors, financial sponsors and entrepreneurs across an array of sectors, John Bennett operates a broad practice, with experience in corporate finance, M&A, shareholder activism, joint ventures and private investments. Andrew Hart is an expert in the retail and financial services industries, acting on acquisitions, joint ventures, carve-outs and issues of equity. M&A and corporate finance expert Marie Johnson and Simon Beddow are further key names to note. Ian Ivory left the firm to join White & Case LLP in January 2023, while Indi Heire left to join GIC in November 2022.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team make everything easy. They are strategic, practical and supportive, put you in a position to win deals, and complete transactions on short time frames.’
‘Jinal Shah is the best corporate lawyer I have worked with. He is down to earth, practical, and strategic. He co-ordinates the many workstreams across practice areas and lifts the burden from in-house counsel.’
‘The service provided by the team is really tailor-made, which is highly appreciated on our end. The team has the ability to build cohesive, high-performance teams to carry out targeted, high value-added missions (projects) in a risky, complex context. The advice goes beyond the purely technical and includes tactical elements adapted to the context.’
‘The personal relationship with Jinal Shah is highly valued, and his unparalleled negotiating skills make him an indispensable asset in any deal. All associates (both mid-level and senior) are extremely talented, which means that on certain deals, where working directly with a partner is not essential, they can deliver high-quality work.’
‘Jinal Shah is very pragmatic, responsive and commercial. He is a stand out partner in the corporate team.’
Key clients
- Manzanita Capital
- ME+EM
- McWin Food Ecosystem Fund
- Ocado Group
- Tristan Capital Partners
- Lumen Technologies
- RAW Charging Group
- Secure Income REIT plc
- Landsec
- The Office Group
- Carrefour Group
- Newmark Group Inc.
- Magdalen College, Oxford University
- Farfetch
- Playtech
- Dagenham JV Limited
- Moorfield Real Estate Fund IV
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading individuals
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Benjamin Lee, Joel Lander