Foley announced today its rankings in the 2010 Legal 500 guide for the U.S. and Japan. The firm has a total of 17 practices recognized this year and was ranked in several new practices areas including Corporate Restructuring; Project Finance; Structured Finance; patent Licensing; Marketing and Advertising; Technology; Mergers & Acquisitions; and Tax.
Published for over 20 years, the Legal 500 guides provide comprehensive worldwide coverage on legal services providers in over 100 countries. These guides are widely regarded as offering the definitive judgment of law firm capabilities. Rankings are achieved solely on merit and based largely on the feedback received from firm clients and lawyers. The Legal 500 research team speaks to thousands of law firm clients and other lawyers to gather the independent insight needed to produce a solid qualitative assessment.
Among the firm’s ranked practices, the following Foley attorneys were recognized:
Corporate Restructuring: Harold L. Kaplan, Jill Murch Nicholson, Judy A. O’Neill
Attorneys in this practice are recognized as “proactive and thoughtful.” Kaplan is noted as “worthy of national recognition,” and O’Neill is described as being “bright, hard working, creative, and attentive to the client.” Murch Nicholson is singled out for her “hands-on approach to coordinating the work, which is outstanding.”
Project Finance: advice to lender: Mary Ann Christopher, James T. Tynion III
Foley is recognized in the Legal 500 guide as a regular feature in wind and solar energy projects. Christopher and Tynion are noted as being responsible for leading the team that successfully tendered to represent the Indiana Finance Authority on the Indiana Gasification SNG Plant.
Structured Finance: David M. Reicher, David B. Ryan
Reicher and Ryan are recommended for having developed a strong educational finance practice, which has acted as issuer’s and transaction counsel, underwriters’ counsel, bond counsel, or special tax counsel in the issuance of billions of dollars of student loan asset-backed securities since 1977.
Patent Licensing: David A. Charapp, Richard A. Kaufman, Stephen B. Maebius
Clients hold Foley’s patent licensing practice in high regard, recognizing that the firm has especially strong links to Asia and represents several Japanese clients.
Patent Litigation: high-tech, electronics and IT: John J. Feldhaus, Jeanne M. Gills, Steven J. Rizzi, Amar L. Thakur
Attorneys in this practice are recommended for providing “very client oriented service to an impressive client roster,” and clients state the firm benefits from “superb knowledge of often complex subject matter.”
Patent Prosecution: utility and design patents: Pavan K. Agarwal, James F. Ewing, Mark A. Kassel (Leading Lawyer), Stephen B. Maebius, Richard C. Peet
This practice is recommended for being “fantastic on all fronts,” and clients praise the firm for its “efficient and seamless work.” Kassel is listed as a Leading Lawyer and described as being “very, very good.”
Marketing and Advertising: Craig S. Fochler, Jeffrey H. Greene
Both Fochler and Greene are recognized for their “excellent response time and depth of knowledge.”
Sports: Mary K. Braza, Irwin P. Raij
The Sports practice at Foley is noted as being one of the biggest sports law practices in the U.S., handling transactions, litigation, intellectual property, antitrust and financing matters for local and major league teams.
Technology: data protection and privacy: Peter F. McLaughlin, Andrew B. Serwin
Clients acknowledge McLaughlin and Serwin as being “extremely knowledgeable, competent, and professional.” Serwin is listed as a Leading Lawyer and described as “highly responsive, always available, and a true expert on privacy and data security.”
Technology: outsourcing: James R. Kalyvas, Deepak Nanda, Michael R. Overly
This Foley practice is recommended for providing “expeditious and accurate service,” and clients say the firm’s technology lawyers are “the best in the business.” Overly is recognized as a “tough and fearless negotiator; the best technology lawyer in the United States” while Nanda is praised as an “excellent contract negotiator.”
Mergers & Acquisitions: middle market: Paul D. Broude, James C. Chapman, Curt P. Creely, Patrick Daugherty, Gardner F. Davis, Gabor Garai, Martin D. Mann, Susan E. Pravda, Jay O. Rothman, Bryan S. Schultz, Martin A. Traber
The Legal 500 guide recommends this Foley practice for “impressing clients by driving and counseling them through M&A deals.” Davis is described as having “excellent interpersonal skills,” and Traber is recognized for giving “straightforward advice and clear answers.” Clients note that Creely’s strengths are “complex thinking and speed,” and that Pravda “advises not only on the law, but also on the market and strategy.” One client stated that Mann, “aside from being an astute lawyer, has the ability to provide legal advice within the framework of good business application.”
Construction: Central: Jeffrey R. Blease
Clients describe Foley attorneys in this practice as “among the best.” Blease, listed as a Leading Lawyer, is noted as “well versed in his law practice and can provide the pluses and minuses of the legal options that are applicable to specific cases.”
Real Estate: Central: Elizabeth L. Corey, Wayne F. Osoba
Osoba is listed by Legal 500 as a Leading Lawyer and clients state he “drafts documentation which is always tight as a drum.”
Real Estate: East Coast: Daniel Bachrach, William C. Guthrie, Thomas M. Little, David T. Ralston, Jr., Fred S. Ridley, Albert P. Silva
The Legal 500 guide recommends this Foley practice, stating that its team has a “first-rate knowledge of the local markets.” Both Ralston and Silva are highly regarded for their “knowledge and availability.”
Real Estate: West Coast: Cherie S. Raidy, Van A. Tengberg
Attorneys in this practice are noted as having particular expertise relating to the hospitality and leisure industry. Tengberg is described as “exceptional in every way; he is a problem solver and very thorough.” Raidy was recognized for representing the Transportation Corridor System in a $4.2 billion asset purchase transaction for toll road extensions in South California.
Domestic tax: East Coast: Guillermo J. Fernandez-Quincoces, Albert P. Silva, Randolph J. Wolfe
Wolfe is recognized as “brilliant in all aspects and an excellent all-around business tax lawyer.” One client noted that Fernandez-Quincoces “rapidly solved a thorny tax issue which had left another law firm stumped.”
Intellectual property: Japan: International firms and joint ventures: Etsuo Doi, Michael D. Kaminski
Doi’s skill set is recognized as covering a range of IP and corporate capabilities and complements, and Tokyo managing partner Michael Kaminski is recognized as having “inspiring abilities as a litigator”. The group defended Takeda Pharma in the re-examination of the Ochiai patent.
