PLC Which lawyer? Law Firm Awards 2008

Following voting conducted earlier this year among international in-house counsel, we unveil the winners of the 2008 PLC Which lawyer? Law Firm Awards including International Law Firm of the Year and Law Firm of the Year for the following regions: Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, US, Canada, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Offshore. We also reveal the top 20 law firms of 2008.
Claire Plarre, PLC Cross-border

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The winners of the 2008 PLC Which lawyer? Law Firm Awards

Law Firm of the Year: Western Europe

Winner: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263398)

Joint runners-up: Linklaters (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263419) and DLA Piper (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263508)

Law Firm of the Year: Central and Eastern Europe

Winner: Baker & McKenzie (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263478)

Joint runners-up: CMS Cameron McKenna (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20264347) and Allen & Overy (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263374)

Law Firm of the Year: Northern Europe

Winner: RoschierRaidla (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20265331)

Joint runners-up: Mannheimer Swartling (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20273921) and Kromann Reumert (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20264299)

Law Firm of the Year: Latin America

Winner: Baker & McKenzie (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263478)

Runner-up: Uría Menéndez (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20264757)’s network

Law Firm of the Year: Asia

Winner: Baker & McKenzie (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263478)

Runner-up: Herbert Smith (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263407)

Law Firm of the Year: Australia and Oceania

Winner: Blake Dawson (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20266305)

Runner-up: Minter Ellison (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263438)

Law Firm of the Year: US

Winner: Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20904006)

Joint runners-up: Greenberg Traurig (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20267635), Weil Gotshal & Manges (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263466) and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263383)

Law Firm of the Year: Canada

Winner: Blake Cassels & Graydon (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20266299)

Joint runners-up: Borden Ladner Gervais (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20269012), Fraser Milner Casgrain (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20268836) and McCarthy Tétrault (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20270947)

Law Firm of the Year: Africa

Winner: Bowman Gilfillan (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20271687)

Joint runners-up: Deneys Reitz (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20266413) and Webber Wentzel incorporating Mallinicks (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20272506)

Law Firm of the Year: Middle East

Winner: Baker & McKenzie (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263478)

Runner-up: Al Tamimi & Co (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20265596)

Law Firm of the Year: Offshore

Winner: Maples & Calder (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20264512)

Joint runners-up: Ogier (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263695) and Conyers Dill Pearman (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20267801)

International Law Firm of the Year

Joint winners: Baker & McKenzie (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263478) and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263398)

Runner-up: Clifford Chance (www.practicallaw.com/resource.do?item=:20263368)

 

Summary of methodology

Over 5,500 in-house counsel from across the globe, as listed in Law Department Profiles, were invited to vote for the most exceptional law firms in each category. Voters were free to pick their own winners or choose from the nominees suggested by the PLC Which lawyer? team*. The winners are those firms with the most votes from in-house counsel in each category.

*These nominees are based on firms’ regional scores after aggregating their PLC Which lawyer? rankings for each jurisdiction, as at 31 January 2008. The exceptions are: Northern Europe, where the top firms in each jurisdiction have been nominated; Africa, where nominees are all based in South Africa, and Latin America, where affiliated groups also qualify as nominees.