Four firms have won appointments to Network Rail’s core Legal Services England and Wales lot, as the government-owned rail infrastructure manager has unveiled its new legal panel.
Network Rail last updated its panel in 2019, and has tripled the total number of law firms appointed, as well as significantly increasing the value of the contracts.
Addleshaw Goddard (AG) was the sole firm reappointed to the lot after featuring in the last panel, which was valued at £70m – just over a third of the £209.4m allocated for the England and Wales lot in the new panel.
The other firms appointed to the last panel were Dentons and Eversheds Sutherland. Both firms submitted a tender for this category, but were unsuccessful, as was Bird & Bird.
Dentons was appointed to Lot 3: Rail Regulatory, while Eversheds Sutherland was appointed to Lot 4: Health, Safety and Environment Major Incidents.
The other firms appointed to Lot 1: Legal Services England and Wales alongside AG were Burges Salmon, TLT and Womble Bond Dickinson.
Brodies and CMS were the two firms appointed to Lot 2: Legal Services Scotland, while Winckworth Sherwood was the final newly appointed firm, with an appointment to Lot 5: Parliamentary Agents.
Kennedys and Osborne Clarke were the two firms that tendered for a spot on the panel that were not appointed to any lot. Each firm tendered for a place on Lot 4: Health, Safety and environment Major Incidents.
The full panel is set to be in place for a minimum of five years, with the option to extend it by up to two years.
Network Rail Legal Panel
Lot 1: Legal Services England and Wales (Value: £209.4m)
- Addleshaw Goddard
- Burges Salmon
- TLT
- Womble Bond Dickinson
Lot 2: Legal Services Scotland (Value: £18m)
- Brodies
- CMS
Lot 3: Rail Regulatory (Value: £10.8m)
- Addleshaw Goddard
- Dentons UK and Middle East
Lot 4: Health, Safety and Environment Major incidents (Value: £9.6m)
- Addleshaw Goddard
- Eversheds Sutherland
Lot 5: Parliamentary Agents (Value: £10.2m)
- TLT
- Winckworth Sherwood
