Legal Directories
plc IT Rankings
May 2007
PLC published its new IT rankings in May 2007 (Information Technology - PLC Which Lawyer)
Recommended firms:
Kemp Little is one of 3 firms to appear in the top (leading firm) ranking for IT and e-commerce out of 35 listed firms. Kemp Little is also listed by PLC as a recommended firm for telecommunications.
Recommended individuals:
Richard Kemp is listed as one of 3 leading individuals and Calum Murray is listed as recommended in the IT and e-commerce section. Mike Conradi is listed as recognised is the telecommunications' section.
THE LEGAL 500 UK EDITION
September 2007
Corporate and Commercial
M & A Smaller Deals Up To £50m
Kemp Little LLP's client list, particularly in the technology sector, is impressive, including as it does T-Mobile, Expedia, Thomson Financial and Serco. Lucy Vernall's corporate team is leveraging off this foundation.
Venture Capital
Kemp Little LLP regularly acts for companies in the technology, telecoms and digital commerce sectors, as well as investors such as Pi Capital and Nordic Venture Partners. Partners Siobhan McElhinney and Lucy Vernall are particularly recommended.
Human Resource
Employment
The growing practice at Kemp Little LLP is recommended for its 'deep knowledge' of the technology sector, with clients including Skype and eBay. Recent work highlights include advising on a business-critical outsourcing for T-Mobile and defending a multiple rolled-up holiday pay claim. New partner Christopher Middleton acted for bmi in a deduction from wages claim affecting 1, 00 cabin crew. The practice's new head, David Williams, shows 'strong technical knowledge applied in a pragmatic way to sensitive situations', and his 'incredibly accessible and responsive' team can 'tackle all that we have thrown at them', say clients.
Technology, Media and Telecoms
Information Technology
Kemp Little LLP is an IT-focused boutique whose managing partner, Richard Kemp, has a very good reputation in the market for being ‘trustworthy' and ‘a complete star'. Calum Murray leads the IT team, which advises clients including MySpace. David Meredith left for SJ Berwin LLP, but the firm's outsourcing practice continues, and recently acted for acted for SITA - the largest provider of IT to the airlines industry - on the mid-term review of its outsourcing agreement with Orange Business Services. Paul O'Hare also has a good reputation. Clients ‘very happy' with the team.
Richard Kemp is listed as a Leading Individual.
Telecommunications
Kemp Little LLP is strong on IT-telecoms convergence. Calum Murray leads the team, whose clients include OnAir and which clients describe as ‘excellent and always aware of new market developments'. David Meredith has left the firm for SJ Berwin LLP.
chambers guide 2008
November 2007
Corporate Finance - Lower mid market
The Firm: Few firms can match Kemp Little for client satisfaction. “Tech-savvy, unstuffy and unbelievably responsive,” the firm offers “real intelligence and innovation , looking at issues from all perspectives,” according to interviewees. In a crowded market, the firm’s focus on technology, telecoms and digital commerce - areas in which “it really invests in educating its people” - has distinguished it to the point where it wins work off many so-called bigger firms. Indeed, Kemp Little has the personnel of a bigger firm, harbouring “a lot of big City lawyers who didn’t want to work in hothouses - but who’ve lost none of their quality .” The firm also benefits from a well put-together network of preferred firms, which clients attest “are very much like foreign versions of Kemp Little, with all the same values.” One typical deal in the past year saw the firm advise Cresta Group regarding its £18 million sale to SQS Software.
The Lawyers: Head of department Lucy Vernall came highly recommended. “She’s great on detail, rolls her sleeves up in acquisitions and has a superbly commercial mind.” One interviewee remarked: “She’s one of the brightest lawyers I’ve worked with, full stop.” Siobhan McElhinney is also a point of contact.
Clients/Work Highlights: McKesson; NEC UK; Digital River; Expedia; FTSE International and Dan Technologies.
Employment
The Firm: This employment group has a strong presence in the media sector. The outfit “works well as a team,” providing clients with “commercial and relevant advice.” Clients also find the group “cost-effective and value-added.” David Williams took over from Sarah Porter as head of the department in September 2006. Clients find these lawyers “useful to bounce ideas off” and appreciate the “tailored advice” they provide. Williams has the ability to “knock the other side for six, but in an extremely pleasant way.” The team has also made up one partner and taken on a lateral hire assistant from a City firm. It advises many technology-based companies and has picked up a raft of new clients in this area, including Skype and Shopping.com. Highlights include acting for bmi on a wide range of contentious matters, and advising Skype and eBay on reorganisation and complex dispute resolution matters.
Information Technology
The Firm: According to market commentators, the team consists of “IT specialists” who consistently “punch above their weight.” It has recently expanded its capabilities into the contentious domain with the recruitment of a litigation partner from White & Case. The division of its focus into four distinct technology markets - digital commerce and convergence; software and services; outsourcing, both for IT and business processes; and customer-side IT - emphasises the depth of its IT specialism. Clients remarked: “Its focus is on pure IT and its expertise is excellent .” Other reports emphasised the team’s “affable, approachable and confident style and its ability to understand business decision making.” It acted for Microsoft in licensing its common user interface to the Department of Health.
The Lawyers: “Still one of the best IT lawyers around,” Richard Kemp is a “fantastic, terrific lawyer” who clients suggest belongs in “a category of his own.” With “excellent technology and legal knowledge” he does the gamut of IT work, and assisted Burberry on its projects for e-commerce, redesign of its business processes and systems, and licensing for Burberry clothing and services. Head of the commercial practice, Calum Murray “knows what he’s talking about” and “looks at the impact of a decision on the client as well as the legal particulars.” Advising on regulatory and contractual components of IT development for both the private and public sector, he leads the team’s relationship with MySpace and Ticketmaster as they increase their activities.
Clients/Work Highlights: SITA Advanced Travel; Easynet; Sony Ericsson; Fox Interactive Media and Department of Health.
Intellectual Property
The Lawyers: Now at Kemp Little LLP, Paul Garland is expected to make a mark. Sources consider him to be “a very pragmatic lawyer who takes a clear-sighted, commercial view.”
Outsourcing
The Firm: Representing both customers and suppliers, this boutique “punches well above its weight” in the outsourcing arena: “Nothing fazes them - they’ve done it all.” It recently advised on various second and third generation ITO deals, and acted for a range of SMEs involved in ITOs for the first time. Other work includes advising on contract audit outsourcings and HROs, and assisting various insurance and financial services clients on outsourcings involving administration processing.
The Lawyers: Calum Murray heads the firm’s commercial technology department, while founding partner Richard Kemp and Paul O’Hare are also key members of the team.
Clients/Work Highlights: The practice represented SITA in the mid-term review of its outsourcing agreement with Orange Business Services. Other clients include CSC; EDS; Burberry; Mantilla Services and T-Mobile.
Telecommunications
The Firm: “It would be hard to find a more responsive team,” clients observed of this technology-focused firm. The team advises a range of clients from various sectors, including transmission, service provision, terminals, software and content and services telecoms. Work highlights have included advising OnAir on numerous matters, including its telecoms infrastructure agreements with Inmarsat and Monaco Telecom, as well as its development and procurement agreements for micro base station transceivers. The team also advised Sympac (subsidiary of Dutch incumbent KPN) on UK communications and regulatory matters relating to its UK service, including VoIP.
The Lawyers: Richard Kemp’s “consummate industry knowledge and experience, particularly in cutting-edge work” won clients’ acclaim. Recent work included advising T-Mobile on several licensing and regulatory issues relating to the acquisition and supply of film, ringtone and other content for its European mobile networks.
Clients/Work Highlights: Ezurio; Intelicoms; NEC; ArgoGroup and Inspired Gaming Group.
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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