Legal Directories
THE LEGAL 500 UK EDITION
September 2006
Corporate and Commercial
M & A Smaller Deals
Clients enthuse that 'all of Kemp Little LLP's contacts are strong in their sphere of expertise'. The high technology specialists advised Tektronix Inc on its acquisition of Vqual Limited, and represented m-commerce concern Argo Interactive Group on its acquisition of ACTeSys GmbH. Siobhan McElhinney is quick, responsive and intelligent.
Venture Capital
The team at Kemp Little LLP is led by partner Siobhan McElhinney, whose clients include VC fund Pi Capital and young companies like Refresh Mobile and Reproro.
Human Resource - Employment
Kemp Little LLP successfully defended Standard Chartered Bank against a sex and race discrimination claim. David Williams completed an outsourcing of various call centres for T-Mobile. Employment head Sarah Porter shows 'exceptional commitment and dedication', while her team 'fully understands the requirements of a fast-moving business for highly responsive legal assistance', comments a client.
Technology, Media and Telecoms
Smaller firms that are particularly well positioned to capitalise on convergence include Kemp Little LLP.
Information Technology
Outstanding young partner Calum Murray leads the commercial technology group at Kemp Little LLP. He is one of a trio of talented young partners that managing partner Richard Kemp has attracted to the City's outstanding technology-focused firm. Kemp himself is described as 'one of the true gents of the sector and extremely knowledgeable'. David Meredith and Paul O'Hare also win plaudits. Clients include Microsoft, Tesco and T-Mobile.
Telecommunications
Calum Murray leads Kemp Little LLP's commercial department, which recently won a position on T-mobile's panel. David Meredith is also recommended.
chambers guide 2007
october 2006
Corporate Finance
Kemp Little's LLP's clients use the firm for all their corporate requirements including acquisitions, MBOs, contracts and employment advice. The team offers expertise in media and technology and in those areas the lawyers "really know their stuff - it's almost scary!." The growing client base includes such household names as T-Mobile and Expedia, and the team also offers finance and compliance advice to private and AIM-listed companies. Its lawyers have solid ties to venture capital providers. Lucy Vernall heads the team.
Employment
The Firm: This technology-focused niche firm remains adept in employment law, with clients regularly dipping into their expertise in discrimination claims, actual or threatened litigation, reorganisation and redundancy programmes. The team also takes on injunction proceedings and severance issues on the employee side. Transactional matters encompassing outsourcings have been forthcoming. The team holds a variety of seminars and forums offering networking and issue-focused sessions for clients. "Spot on" Sarah Porter heads the practice, offering "great commercial insight" on issues, particularly on senior severance arrangements and City sex discrimination claims.
Clients/Work Highlights: AKQA; Clinovia; bmi; Thomson Corp; and Chelsea Yacht & Boat Co.
Information Technology
The Firm: Described by clients as a "decent bunch" of lawyers, and divided into commercial, corporate and employment groups, this technology boutique recently identified four key areas on which it will be concentrating in the future. These are digital commerce, software and services, business-critical IT and telecoms implementation and business process outsourcing.
The Lawyers: The "absolutely brilliant" Richard Kemp is "one of the pioneers" in the industry and is also the "epicentre" of the practice. He recently acted for longstanding client T-Mobile International on its ground-breaking deal to put up Google as the default landing page on T-Mobile's mobile Internet service on a pan-European basis. He also advised SAP AG on a project concerning the application of the European software directive to SAP's operations. Commercial technology group head Calum Murray leads the firm's digital commerce work.
Clients/Work Highlights: Highlights for the practice include advising EDS on the £4billion MoD defense infrastructure project and SITA on the mid-term review of its network outsourcing to Equant/France Telecom. Other clients include Expedia; Microsoft; Intuit; SunGard; Sony UK; MIPS Technologies; Toshiba Information Systems UK; Palm Europe and Skype.
Telecommunications
The Firm: This "commercially minded" outfit is appreciated for being "available when needed." Its lawyers "don't waste a lot of time writing memos, but get straight to the crux of the issue and turn the work around quickly in a user-friendly format." The group's work includes customer side telecoms matters, especially in relation to Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks, and advising flagship client T-Mobile on commercial, IP and data protections issues. It is also conducting an increasing amount of convergence-related work, such as carrying out a detailed regulatory review for a large mobile network operator in preparation for supplying broadcast content over its network.
The Lawyers: Richard Kemp is described as "careful, considered and affable." Clients find that he "knows the industry inside out - you don't have to explain the law to him or how the regulator operates, because he's been in it from the beginning."
Clients/Work Highlights: Recent highlights include advising enterprise customer clients Burberry Group and Linklaters on global Multiprotocol Label Switching network projects. The group also acted for T-Mobile UK in its successful defence of a complaint by VIP Communications alleging failure to supply Global Systems for Mobile Communications gateways. Other clients include SITA, Measat Broadcasting and Ezurio.
Kemp Little LLP Solicitors, Cheapside House, 138 Cheapside, London, EC2V 6BJ
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7600 8080 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7600 7878
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