Clifford Chance LLP remains at the forefront of corporate defence work, particularly in the class action space. A go-to practice for aviation sector disputes in particular, the team also specialises in disputes stemming from share purchase agreements and joint ventures across a number of industries. Jeremy Kosky leads the firm’s commercial litigation group, handling disputes spanning multiple jurisdictions, including offshore, while Helen Carty – who heads the London litigation team – specialises in financial disputes. ‘Utterly brilliant’ litigator Julian Acratopulo boasts particular expertise in the aviation sector. Focusing on contentious M&A matters, ’seasoned litigator and excellent tactician’ Maxine Mossman often plays a leading role in group litigation. Chris Yates is a go-to figure for securities litigation under s90/90A FSMA, while Kelwin Nicholls handles fraud and shareholder claims. Matthew Scully is regularly called upon for post-M&A and shareholder disputes, while Claire Freeman boasts an active cross-border litigation practice. James Cranston is another name to note.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Maxine Mossman: The best of the best. She’s massively brainy, produces superb documents, and is a delight to work with. She's one of the biggest players in the market. Outstanding. Julian Acratopulo: He’s the full package: highly intelligent, an outstanding team-leader, a great tactician, and he strikes the fear of God into the opposition. Philip Hill: one of the most sophisticated commercial litigators in the UK. He’s incredibly clever; he’s enormously hard-working; he’s a first-rate tactician, always thinking how best to achieve the best result for the clients; and he’s an outstanding team-leader, A real superstar. Chris Yates: He’s the perfect package: he works harder than anyone, he’s a great lawyer, he’s charm personified, and he’s a winner: what more could you want. James Cranston: He’s superb. He’s terrifically clever, he produces first-rate documents, he’s massively tactically astute, and he’s enormously hard-working. A total superstar.’
‘Max Mossman - a seasoned litigator and excellent tactician.’
‘Fantastic team. the very highest quality service. knowledgeable, strategic and strength in depth’
‘Max Mossman is a great leader. Always calm she leads team with style and grace. Alice darling is a delight to work with. Always across the detail and super-efficient and clever.’
‘The team at Clifford Chance is first-class. What really sets them apart from other firms is their incredible bench strength from Associates to Partners, many of whom I have worked with (see answer below for more detail). The team's experience advising clients on high-value, complex, cross-jurisdictional matters means that they regularly act for clients in "bet the business" disputes. Clifford Chance has fantastic experience taking cases right through to trial (and winning!) but they will always prioritise the clients' commercial objectives. They don't just offer the legal work; they also offer practical and commercial solutions. In my experience, the firm always ensures that they put forward a diverse team which brings together individuals with different levels of seniority, experience, and ways of thinking. This helps enhance the quality of legal service offered to their client, as well as providing insights into different cultural nuances, which is particularly beneficial for clients with international matters.’
‘Helen Carty's judgement is second to none. She's a legal firebrand: analytically superb, tenacious, perceptive, incisive, and infinitely calm. Kelwin Nicholls is formidable: endlessly creative in his thinking. Maxine Mossman's command of her field is awesome. Associates to look out for include Melissa Oppenheim and Sam Harris.’
‘Outstanding department - so many brilliant and hardworking clever individuals who also work well as a team.’
‘Julian Acratopulo - utterly brilliant. The cleverest person in the room. The one who has done all the reading. The one who directs the strategy. The one you would want in a fight! Matthew Scully - hard working and excellent.’
Key clients
- Entain
- Airbus
- LzLabs
- Manchester City Football Club Limited
- News Group Newspapers Limited
- BT / EE
- Glencore
- Serco
- Aircraft Lessors including Avolon Aerospace, BOC Aviation, CDB Aviation, Hermes, NAC Aviation, and SMBC Aviation Capital
- Sibanye-Stillwater
Work highlights
- Represented Airbus in both sets of proceedings advanced by Qatar Airways who alleged they were entitled to compensation from Airbus under the terms of a Supplementary Commitment Letter the parties entered into in December 2020, which Qatar Airways alleged amounted to over $2.36bn as of 3 January 2023.
- Representing clients, including LzLabs, its subsidiaries and three individual defendants in proceedings, commenced by IBM United Kingdom Limited, concerning LzLabs’ SDM, a software platform that threatens IBM’s mainframe revenue stream.
- Acting for Serco Group PLC in defence of a claim brought by approximately 70 claimants under Section 90A and Schedule 10A of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
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 partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Jeremy Kosky, Julian Acratopulo, Helen Carty