Pinsent Masons has regained its spot on Siemens’ UK panel in favour of Osborne Clarke after the conglomerate’s latest legal adviser review.
Undertaken by Simone Davina, Siemens’ UK and Ireland general counsel (GC), Pinsents joins Addleshaw Goddard and Eversheds Sutherland who have both been reappointed advisers for another three years.
Osborne Clarke, the third adviser to make up the 2016 trio, has not been re-appointed.
The panel was last shaken up by Siemens’ former longstanding legal chief Claire Carless in 2016, before she left to head up the legal division at mental health charity St Andrew’s. Pinsents, meanwhile, featured on Siemens’ 2013 panel alongside Reed Smith which was replaced by Addleshaw in 2016.
Davina commented: ‘These firms demonstrate deep expertise in Siemens’ focus areas of digitalisation, electrification and automation. We sought and identified a close alignment with our UK operations as well as our corporate values and purpose.’
The panel will be operating under the manufacturing giant’s significant restructuring last August, leaving it with three operating companies: digital industries, gas and power and smart infrastructure.
An Eversheds team of partners, including Kevin Elliott, Emma King and James Trafford, will be led by Richard Prowse, who leads the international commercial contracts team. ‘Siemens is a key client of our diversified industrials sector group both in the UK and internationally and we have enjoyed building a longstanding and close relationship with the Siemens team. We thoroughly look forward to that continuing,’ said Prowse.
Last year Pinsents advised Siemens on is acquisition of Sheffield-based computer software and technology licensing company Lightwork Design. Clive Seddon, technology, media and telecom partner at Pinsents, said: ‘We look forward to continuing to work together to support their strategy and operating companies. Our appointment underscores the breadth of our experience and deep knowledge of the legal and regulatory complexities across the markets that Siemens operates in.’
While these three firms make up the UK roster, the wider company has used a number of global elite players on key transactions, such as Latham & Watkins on its landmark proposed merger with French rival Alstom, which was later blocked by the EU amid competition concerns.
anna.cole-bailey@legalbusiness.co.uk
