Linklaters, SJ Berwin, Macfarlanes and Diageo’s legal team were among the big winners at the 2005 Legal Week Awards.
Linklaters was named International Firm of the Year with Legal Week’s editorial team citing a year of international expansion, impressive financial performance and slick management.
SJ Berwin narrowly beat the highly-rated Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) to win the UK Firm of the Year prize after a period that has marked a sharp turnaround in the firm’s fortunes.
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary chief executive Nigel Knowles walked away as Partner of the Year.
Key in-house awards saw Diageo named Global Department of the Year, while Pernod Ricard won the Deal Team of the Year prize.
Barclays law chief Mark Harding and Reuters’ Rosemary Martin were respectively named Global and UK General Counsel of the Year.
The practice awards saw Macfarlanes scoop the highly competitive Mid-Market Corporate Team of the Year on the basis of glowing client feedback across a string of impressive instructions.
