(LONDON) – Akin Gump Strauss Hauer &Feld LLP is pleased to announce that it has been named “Corporate Team ofthe Year” at the Legal Business Awards 2012.
The Legal Business Awardsrecognise “outstanding work from across the legal profession andacknowledge the accomplishments of the finest lawyers currently working in the UK andbeyond.”
At the awards ceremony inLondon lastnight, the firm won the category from a shortlist of seven leading law firms. It is the first time a law firm which isnot part of the UK’s‘Magic Circle’has won the award in over a decade. This award follows thefirm’s receipt of the “Emerging Markets Law Firm of the Year”award at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards 2011 in October.
Akin Gump was nominatedfor the award based on its successful advice to leading emerging market mobiletelecoms operator VimpelCom in acquiring Wind Telecom, which created theworld’s sixth largest mobile telecommunications carrier by subscribers,operating in 20 countries. The acquisition closed in April 2011.
Akin Gump’sLondon-based team advising VimpelCom was led by corporate partner Dan Walsh andincluded partners Fred Heller, Sebastian Rice and Harry Keegan, counsel LisaHearn, Alexander Lemke and Vanessa Evans, and associates Katie Spencer andFrancesca Rodd, with advice from New York-based corporate partners Bruce Mendelsohn and Pat Dooley. The team alsoincluded London-based litigation/arbitration partner Justin Williams and NewYork-based litigation/arbitration partners Steve Pesner and Bob Pees.
JeffMcGhie, General Counsel of VimpelCom Ltd commented: “This deal was transformational forVimpelCom. It takes the company to the next stage and positions us as a trulyglobal company. To make this deal happen we needed support from a team that notonly understood our business, but also had the creativity, skill and determinationto get the job done under enormous pressure. We trusted Dan Walsh and his teamat Akin Gump to deliver the result that we needed and they really came throughfor us. Our entire management team was very pleased with the service andprofessionalism of Dan and the Akin Gump team.”
StevenBlakeley, partner in charge of the Londonoffice, said:“We are delighted to have won this distinguished award. It illustrateshow well-positioned the firm is to advise international clients in theiremerging markets activities. Akin Gump remains committed to supporting itsclients in these challenging economic times.”
AkinGump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a leading international law firm, numbersmore than 850 lawyers and advisors in the United States, Europe, Asia and theMiddle East.
Further details of the Legal Business Awards 2012 can beaccessed here.
