‘A huge emotional release’ – DLA’s Adam Ibrahim on the longest trial of his career and winning Lawyer of the Year

‘A huge emotional release’ – DLA’s Adam Ibrahim on the longest trial of his career and winning Lawyer of the Year

Adam Ibrahim, UK co-head of litigation and arbitration at DLA Piper, was last month named Private Practice Lawyer of the Year at the Legal Business Awards, following a standout year in which he led a large DLA team to victory in a complex mass claimant action over break fees on loans to small businesses, dubbed “the biggest banking case out there” by top-tier silk Bankim Thanki KC.

This March, Mr Justice Zacaroli handed down a 185-page judgment in the case, Farol v Clydesdale Bank and National Australia Bank, comprehensively dismissing all claims against both banks, as well as allegations of deceit against 15 current and former employees of the banks, including four senior executives.

Here, Adam talks to LB’s Anna Huntley about what it was like to be involved in such a huge and long-running case, the rise of class actions, his approach to leadership and management, and what it was like to win the Lawyer of the Year award.

Continue reading “‘A huge emotional release’ – DLA’s Adam Ibrahim on the longest trial of his career and winning Lawyer of the Year”

Freeths, Freshfields and Vodafone take top prizes at Legal Business Awards

Freeths, Freshfields and Vodafone take top prizes at Legal Business Awards

Freeths, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Vodafone were among the big winners at this year’s Legal Business Awards, which were revealed last night to a packed house at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

Twenty-seven prizes were handed out on the night, with the event hosted by BBC journalist, broadcaster and Mastermind host Clive Myrie and introduced by global head of research and reporting Georgina Stanley (pictured right).

Freeths took the award for law firm of the year, narrowly pipping Freshfields, which was highly commended in the headline category. The national firm took the honour on the back of another consecutive year of double-digit growth, during which it also became one of the first law firms to achieve B Corp certification.

It also enjoyed an unprecedented year in the spotlight for its role in the Post Office inquiry, which was captured in the hugely successful Mr Bates vs The Post Office TV drama.

Freshfields went home with two of the top practice area awards, including corporate team of the year for successfully steering UBS through its historic acquisition of Credit Suisse, and competition team of the year for its work for Facebook parent company Meta on the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into its collection and use of advertising data.

The top two individual awards, Lawyer of the Year and Management Partner of the Year, went to DLA Piper’s Adam Ibrahim – described by one client as “the Magnus Carlsen of the banking litigation world – always three steps ahead of his opponent” – and former Allen & Overy senior partner Wim Dejonghe, for sealing the long-awaited, transformational transatlantic merger with Shearman & Sterling.

The award for US law firm of the year went to Paul Weiss, which has has made a huge splash in the London legal market over the last year, building a top tier English law practice at lightning speed through a series of eye-catching hires from leading UK and US firms.

The awards, which were decided on by a judging panel of senior business figures – including Lloyds Banking Group chief legal officer Kate Cheetham, Rio Tinto COO Chris Fowler, Financial Times GC Dan Guildford and News UK GC Angus McBride – also recognised the very best of the Bar and in-house.

Vodafone was named In-house Team of the Year after an eventful year which  included the proposed merger of Vodafone and Three’s UK businesses, the defence of the Phones4u litigation and a major in-house transformation project, while the company also shared the Legal Technology Team of the Year with TLT for their work on an interactive digital dawn raid simulator.

Awards host Clive Myrie

Everton Football Club chief legal counsel Katie Charles was named GC of the Year, while on the Bar side, Edward Henry KC of Mountford Chambers took the Barrister of Year award, with 3VB named Chambers of the Year.

The charity partner for the event was Hand in Hand International, which supports the 400 million women and girls around the world living below the poverty line by providing skills, education, training and resources to start their own businesses and generate jobs. Click here for more information on the charity’s work.

Full list of winners

Energy/Infrastructure Team of the Year – Baker Botts
Highly commended – Bracewell

Life Sciences Team of the Year – Gowling WLG
Highly commended – Pinsent Masons

Private Practice Lawyer of the Year – Adam Ibrahim, DLA Piper
Highly commended – Jenine Hulsmann, Weil

Barrister of the Year – Edward Henry KC, Mountford Chambers
Highly commended – Tahina Akther, Wildcat Law

Marketing Initiative of the Year – RPC
Highly commended – A&O Shearman

Boutique Law Firm of the Year – Milberg London
Highly commended – Powell Gilbert

Boutique Law Firm of the Year (outside London) – Hawkswell Kilvington
Highly commended – Han Law

Chambers of the Year – 3VB
Highly commended – Twenty Essex

Commercial Litigation Team of the Year – Mishcon de Reya
Highly commended – Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Competition Team of the Year – Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Highly commended – Morgan Lewis

Corporate Team of the Year – Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Highly commended – Latham & Watkins and Dorsey & Whitney

ESG Programme of the Year – Green Tech Legal Collaborative
Highly commended – Bates Wells

Finance Team of the Year – Baker McKenzie
Highly commended – DLA Piper

GC of the Year – Katie Charles, Everton Football Club
Highly commended – Keith Austin, DHL

In-House Team of the Year – Vodafone
Highly commended – BAE Systems

International Arbitration Team of the Year – Skadden
Highly commended – Vinson & Elkins

Law Firm of the Year – Freeths
Highly commended – Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Legal Technology Team of the Year – TLT and Vodafone
Highly commended – Dentons

Management Partner of the Year – Wim Dejonghe, Allen & Overy
Highly commended – Jason Glover, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Most Transformative In-House Team of the Year – DHL
Highly commended – Jones Lang LaSalle

Private Client Team of the Year – Hughes Fowler Carruthers
Highly commended – Stevens & Bolton

Private Equity Team of the Year – Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Highly commended – Kirkland & Ellis

Real Estate Team of the Year – Eversheds Sutherland
Highly commended – Ashurst

Regional/Offshore Firm of the Year – Michelmores
Highly commended – Brodies

Restructuring Team of the Year – Kirkland & Ellis
Highly commended – Latham & Watkins

Rising Star In-House Counsel of the Year – Amman Ayub, Advanz Pharma
Highly commended – Benedikt Meyer, American Express

US Law Firm of the Year – Paul Weiss
Highly commended – Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Legal Business Awards 2024 – nominations now open

Legal Business Awards 2024 – nominations now open

Nominations are now open for the most prestigious showcase of talent in the industry, the Legal Business Awards 2024.

The event will take place on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at The Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. You have until 15 March to submit for any of the 26 categories open to teams or individuals. Continue reading “Legal Business Awards 2024 – nominations now open”