LONDON – Reed Smith practices earned Tier 1 rankings in commodities disputes, trade finance, insurance litigation: for policyholders, fund finance, media: digital content & social, and shipping; while the firm as a whole strengthened its reputation for work in renewables, environment, ESG, artificial intelligence, and media: film & TV, in Legal 500 UK 2025 rankings announced yesterday.
Star award

Overall, the international law firm earned a total of 51 practice listings, and 59 individual Reed Smith lawyers received endorsements. 

Tier 1 rankings

The following six Reed Smith practices were ranked Tier 1.

  • Dispute resolution: Commodities disputes
  • Finance: Trade finance
  • Insurance: Insurance litigation: for policyholders
  • Investment fund formation and management: Fund finance
  • TMT: Media: digital content & social
  • Transport: Shipping

Individual recognitions 

Twelve London-based Reed Smith lawyers earned Hall of Fame designations. Five Reed Smith lawyers (Gautam Bhattacharyya, Sarah Caldwell, Sophie Goossens, Gregor Pryor and Lucy Winnington-Ingram) earned endorsements in more than one category. A number of lawyers added new Legal 500 UK rankings in cutting-edge categories. Here is the full list of recognized lawyers from Reed Smith.

  • Alex Andrews, Transport: Shipping
  • Gautam Bhattacharyya, Dispute resolution: International arbitration and Industry focus: Emerging markets
  • Daniel Birch, Finance: Trade finance (new entry) 
  • Chris Borg, Finance: Derivatives and structured products
  • Nick Breen, TMT: Media: Advertising & marketing (new entry)
  • Tamara Box, Finance: Securitisation
  • Claude Brown, Finance: Derivatives and structured products (Hall of Fame)
  • Sarah Caldwell, Finance: Derivatives and structured products and Finance: Securitisation
  • David Calligan, Corporate & commercial: Financial services (non-contentious/regulatory)
  • Margaret Campbell, Insurance: Insurance litigation: for policyholders
  • Delphine Currie, Corporate & commercial: Equity Capital Markets - Small-Mid Cap (Hall of Fame)
  • Mark Drury, Finance: Derivatives and structured products 
  • Jennifer Ellis, Finance: Derivatives and structured products
  • Kyri Evagora, Dispute resolution: Commodities disputes (Hall of Fame)
  • Matt Evans, Investment fund formation and management: Private Funds (new entry)
  • Elizabeth Farrell, Dispute resolution: Commodities disputes
  • Brendan Gallen, Investment fund formation and management: Private Funds
  • Sophie Goossens, TMT: Artificial intelligence (new entry) and TMT: Media: digital content & social (new entry)
  • Richard Gunn, Transport: Shipping (Hall of Fame)
  • Richard Hakes, Finance: Transport finance and leasing
  • Peter Hardy, Insurance: Insurance litigation: for policyholders
  • Andrew Harper, Finance: Transport finance and leasing
  • Charles Hewetson, Insurance: Professional negligence
  • Brett Hillis, Finance: Derivatives and structured products
  • Marjorie Holmes, Corporate & commercial: EU and competition
  • Nina Howell, Projects, energy and natural resources: Oil and gas
  • Simon Hugo, Finance: Securitisation
  • Tallat Hussain, Real Estate: Environment
  • Andrzej Janiszewski, Risk advisory: ESG (new entry)
  • Bronwen Jones, Investment fund formation and management: Fund finance
  • Stephen Kirkpatrick, Transport: Shipping
  • Thor Maalouf, Transport: Shipping
  • Michael Maxtone-Smith, TMT: Media: media finance (Hall of Fame)
  • Andrew Meads, Dispute resolution: Commodities disputes (Hall of Fame)
  • Brigid North, Real Estate: Commercial property: development
  • Cynthia O'Donoghue, TMT: IT and telecoms
  • Vassia Payiataki, Dispute resolution: Commodities disputes (Hall of Fame)
  • Gregor Pryor, TMT: IT and telecoms and TMT: Media: music (Hall of Fame) and TMT: Media: digital content & social (Hall of Fame)
  • Tariq Rasheed, Finance: Derivatives and structured products
  • Oliver Rawkins, Dispute resolution: Banking litigation: investment and retail
  • Laura Riddeck, Real Estate: Construction: non-contentious
  • Iman Roy, Finance: Derivatives and structured products
  • Alexander Sandiforth, Transport: Shipping
  • Laura-May Scott, Insurance: Insurance litigation: for policyholders
  • Paul Skeet, Dispute resolution: Commodities disputes
  • Michael Skrein, TMT: Reputation management
  • Jonathan Solomon, Finance: Trade finance (Hall of Fame)
  • Nick Stainthorpe, Finance: Derivatives and structured products
  • Leon Stephenson, Investment fund formation and management: Fund finance
  • Kyrstin Streeter, Investment fund formation and management: Fund finance
  • Patrick Sutton, Industry focus: Emerging markets
  • Richard Swinburn, Dispute resolution: Commodities disputes (Hall of Fame)
  • Andrew Taylor, Transport: Shipping (Hall of Fame)
  • Philip Taylor, Corporate & commercial: M&A: lower mid-market deals, £100m-£750m
  • Julie Vaughan, Real Estate: Environment
  • Charles Weller, Transport: Shipping (Hall of Fame)
  • Tom Whelan, Corporate & commercial: Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £500m)
  • Rob Wilkins, Finance: Transport finance and leasing
  • Lucy Winnington-Ingram, Dispute resolution: International arbitration and Dispute resolution: Public international law

Practice recognitions

This is the full list of Legal 500 UK practice categories ranked in by Reed Smith. As mentioned before, six of these were Tier 1, the highest rank. 

  • Corporate & commercial: Corporate tax
  • Corporate & commercial: Equity capital markets - small-mid cap
  • Corporate & commercial: EU and competition
  • Corporate & commercial: Financial services (contentious)
  • Corporate & commercial: Financial services (non-contentious/regulatory)
  • Corporate & commercial: M&A: lower mid-market deals, £100m-£750m
  • Corporate & commercial: Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £250m)
  • Corporate & commercial: Venture Capital
  • Dispute resolution: Banking litigation: investment and retail
  • Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation: premium
  • Dispute resolution: Commodities disputes (Tier 1) 
  • Dispute resolution: International arbitration
  • Dispute resolution: Public international law
  • Employment: Employment: employers
  • Employment: Pensions (non-contentious)
  • Finance: Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans
  • Finance: Corporate restructuring and insolvency
  • Finance: Derivatives and structured products
  • Finance: Securitisation
  • Finance: Trade finance (Tier 1)
  • Finance: Transport finance and leasing
  • Industry focus: Emerging markets
  • Insurance: Insurance litigation: for policyholders (Tier 1)
  • Insurance: Professional negligence
  • Investment fund formation and management: Fund finance (Tier 1)
  • Investment fund formation and management: Listed funds
  • Investment fund formation and management: Private funds 
  • Projects, energy & natural resources: Oil and Gas
  • Projects, energy & natural resources: Renewables (new entry)
  • Real Estate: Commercial property: development
  • Real Estate: Commercial property: investment
  • Real Estate: Construction: contentious
  • Real Estate: Construction: non-contentious
  • Real Estate: Environment (new entry)
  • Real Estate: Property finance
  • Real Estate: Property litigation
  • Risk advisory: Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
  • Risk advisory: ESG (new entry)
  • Risk advisory: Regulatory investigations and corporate crime
  • TMT: Artificial intelligence (new entry)
  • TMT: Intellectual property: Patents (contentious and non-contentious)
  • TMT: Intellectual property: Trade marks, copyright and design
  • TMT: IT and telecoms
  • TMT: Media: advertising & marketing
  • TMT: Media: digital content & social (Tier 1)
  • TMT: Media: Film & TV (new entry)
  • TMT: Media: media finance
  • TMT: Media: music
  • TMT: Media: video games
  • TMT: Reputation management
  • Transport: Shipping (Tier 1)