October 17, 2008
Latham & Watkins was named most innovative US law firm in Europe for innovation in expansion for the second consecutive year in the 2008 Financial Times Innovative Lawyers awards. The Financial Times noted: "Overwhelmingly, the legal market's recommended US firm in Europe. Innovation permeates the DNA of this firm from management approach to culture. Continues to make top lateral hires." Latham was also commended in the Management category, with the Financial Times stating: "Continually innovating in its management approach. Its forum for women, 'Women Enriching Business', for example, finds solutions for both female lawyers and female clients to workplace challenges."
Latham won praise in a number of Legal Expertise categories, including:
- Commended" in the Corporate category for the IPO of VTB, Russia's second largest bank, with the report noting: "[I]n the first foreign listing of a Russian bank, Latham came up with a novel new repurchase option structure to stabilise the transaction."
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"Highly Commended" in the Finance category for the Eurotunnel restructuring, with the report stating: "As adviser to Deutsche Bank, the pivotal creditor in the restructuring, the firm led the creditor negotiations" and "Commended" in the Finance category for Pensions First Limited's capital markets solution, which was described as "opening up the pensions sector to the capital markets, bringing transparency and efficiency. This transaction involved the first longevity bonds to be listed on a recognised stock exchange."
- "Commended" in the Commercial category for the team's work in the outsourcing arena with "a contractually innovative form of change management."
In the category of Technology & Know-How, Latham & Watkins received a "Highly Commended" ranking for the Technology Transaction Group's know-how system, with the report saying: "Latham & Watkins claimed its place by building on its pioneering introduction of wikis to the legal profession in 2003 with the creation last year of 'structured' wikis."