Lawyer Issue 2017 Awards

LAWYER
Awards
Featuring Vargas & Vargas Abogados
Boutique Law Firm of the Year

FORTIS LAW
PARTNERS
Julie A. Herzog
Boutique Corporate &
Securities Law Firm
of the Year
Fortis Law Partners is an award winning law firm that is based out of
Denver in United States of America. They distinguish themselves from
other law firms by recognizing the fact that each of their clients is unique
and this is an aspect that must be kept in mind when designing strategies
for them. They address their client’s goals in a distinct manner and see to it
that their objectives are met in time and within their budget.
They have years of experience in this field with
major law firms around USA and this adds to
their depth of knowledge and expertise that
is very difficult to duplicate and rare to find as
well. They encompass the experience of a big
firm and yet don’t put the clients through all the
hassles that a big firm may have.
Their team of attorneys has represented both
domestic and international clients ranging from
start-ups to Fortune 100 companies on various
issues like assisting with choice of entity and
structuring issues, early stage funding, domestic
and foreign private and public debt and
equity financing, investment fund formations,
acquisitions and mergers, technology transfer,
corporate roll-ups, executive compensation
plans, employment matters, real estate
transactions and general corporate guidance
and governance. They deal in a wide range
of legal matters, from commercial litigation to
employment law.
Led by Stephen DeHoff, this team of
experienced lawyers has worked together for
years and enjoys and values its partnership.
They don’t just share their office space- they
collaborate with each other and address the
needs of each client related to their area of
expertise. This 14 member strong team ensures
that every client that comes to them is satisfied
with their services and the proof of this can be
seen by their long list of clients, many of which
are big conglomerates like Deloitte as well.
Apart from their work, they believe in giving
back to the society, both as individuals and
as a firm. They serve as supervising attorneys
at University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law
and give valuable guidance to the students
and give them the opportunity to apply the
concepts they have learned in college in realworld
situations. They also encourage each of
their lawyers to spend at least 50 hours every
year as pro-bono time. They support many
organizations and volunteer at many schools,
improving the lives of many in the process.
Over the years they have won various awards
including Best Law Firms Award from Best
Lawyers in 2016; they also emerged as a winner
at M&A Today Global 2016. With impeccable
service and an ideology that sets them apart
from many other law firms, it is then no surprise
that Fortis Law Partners emerged as a winner
at the 2017 Lawyers Issue Awards and won the
‘Boutique Corporate & Securities Law Firm of
the Year’ award.
With such a great track record in the past
and the recent award win by them, it can be
very safely said that Fortis Law Partners will get
many more clients in the years to come. With
the kind of service that they offer and their
idea of corporate social responsibility, this firm
is definitely on its way to greatness and will
experience unprecedented growth.
FORTIS LAW PARTNERS
Julie A. Herzog
1900 Wazee, Street, Suite 300
Denver, Colorado 80202 USA
JHerzog@fortislawpartners.com
Tel +001303 2959707
2 3

FERNANDA LOPES
& ASSOCIADOS -
ADVOCADOS
Fernanda Lopes
Full Service Law
Firm of the Year
Founded in 1995 in Maputo, Mozambique, Fernanda Lopes & Associados
– Advogados have become one of the most recognized local law firms in
Mozambique. Offering a wide variety of legal services to their clients, the
firm clearly shows why the won the Full Service Law Firm of the Year
award. This places as a leading firm across the full range of legal services
in not only Mozambique but throughout Africa
Founding partners, Fernanda Lopes
and Teodata Hunguana, both bring allencompassing
experience to the firm and all of
its activities.
With the three partners of Fernanda Lopes &
Associados – Advogados, Fernanda Lopes
and Teodata Hunguana plus newly appointed
partner, Carla Sousa, main area of practice
being in investment law; administrative law;
public law; company law; law of contracts and
litigations; labour law and property law, the
firm is definitely able to be of assistance to their
clients in whatever area of expertise they might
need.
Currently ranking as one of the oldest law firms
in Mozambique, Fernanda Lopes & Associados
– Advogados delivers intergraded legal services
to their clients and even frequently counsels
major international corporations seeking to
operate in Mozambique’s investment climate.
This has also led to the African firm having solid
relationships with many international law firms
across the world.
Through years of experience and practice,
Fernanda Lopes & Associados – Advogados
has built strong knowledge and skill in natural
resources, energy, as well as transport and
infrastructure matters. It’s easy to understand
how they won Best Energy Firm, Mozambique
and Best Corporate and Commercial Firm,
Mozambique awards in 2015 from World
Finance Legal Awards.
Fernanda Lopes & Associados – Advogados
have many areas of practice but mainly focus
on corporate; contracts; banking and finance;
employment; real estate; intellectual property
and IT as well as litigation. The firm provides
expert legal services in the fields mentioned,
and through doing so this has led to IFLR awards
for the firm as well.
Delving further into these categories, the
firm’s practices include legal services in the
corporate field; bankruptcy and insolvency;
restructuring of companies; contracts such
as sales, leases, distribution; employment
contracts; restructuring and dismal of
staff; transfer of staff; outsourcing; foreign
employees and expatriates; collective relations;
employment litigation; general employment
advice; property finance; property acquisition;
land law; industrial property; advertising and
marketing advice; consumer rights as well as
the litigation area.
The firm’s successful partners as well as their
team of highly-qualified lawyers at Fernanda
Lopes & Associados – Advogados dedication to
their many hours of work has evidently paid off
through the honour of receiving the Full Service
Law Firm of the Year. An award that proves why
Fernanda Lopes & Associados – Advogados
is one of Mozambique’s most prominent law
firms receiving recognition not only in the
African continent but in the international law
associations through their dedicated way of
meeting their client’s needsand values by
implementing their advice with pragmatic and
solution-orientated methods and offering an
in depth knowledge of the market and quality
legal services with efficiency and excellency.
FERNANDA LOPES &
ASSOCIADOS – ADVOCADOS
Fernanda Lopes
Rua da Frente de Libertacao,
de Mocambique, nº 224,
Maputo, Mozambique
fernanda.lopes@fla.co.mz
Tel +00258 21 49 69 74
4 5

GEHRKE
ZUMBROICH &
PARTNER
Matthias Gehrke
Boutique Law Firm
of the Year
Gehrke Zumbroich & Partner is an integrated and multidisciplinary office
based in Bonn and Berlin. Their teams of lawyers, tax advisers and chartered
accountants provide custom made individual advice on the highest level. They
treat each case as a different one and modify their methods according to the
requirements. Their standard is to always consider alternative solutions
and involve the most suitable consultants. They not promise your success
and even organize it no matter how complex the issue is.
They believe in class over mass and they
believe that the same is true for their clients
as well as their consultants who have merged
into a multi-disciplinary partnership and unite
different fields of expertise. They try to combine
all their legal, accounting and tax knowhow of
their specialists in meetings that will guarantee
their clients that their issue is being considered
from every angle.
They have four pillars of working by which
they help their clients succeed- specialization,
experience, internationality and networking.
They have an extremely qualified team that
is trained regularly as well to assure the clients
that their issues are in safe hands. Led by the
experienced duo- Matthias Gehrke and Jörn
Zumbroich, this firm has 5 partners in Bonn and 2
in Berlin.
Their motto is “The head is round so that our
thinking can change direction”, and they base
their services on this motto. They advise on
the basis of individual analyses and expertise
substantiated by the fact. They assign a
personal contact to each and every client
who is available to sort all their issues. They set
in motion everything that requires a measure
of vision and thinking outside the box. They
believe in not just working for you, but working
with you.
Their clients include companies of different
forms and sizes, entrepreneurs, freelancers and
self-employed persons. Their expertise is in the
field of transactions, capital markets, sales and
information technology. Their consultants are
very well qualified to understand extremely
complex company structures and help the
clients grow in a long term. They even give tax
advice and help their clients in tax planning.
They are even available for end of the year
audits of companies and this is done according
to the broker and development regulations
and the law on stock companies. They carry
this out with carefully designed evaluation
methods and even go to the extent of doing
the assessments in corporate accounting. They
also produce a prospectus for closed funds that
are vital for making decisions for sales partners,
brokers and investors.
With such a customer oriented approach
and great experience along the years, it is
no surprise that Gehrke Zumbroich & Partner
have catered to some big clients and
have produced some amazing results. Their
commitment to working and delivering the very
best to their clients is very much visible and has
brought many laurels to the company and this
is also the reason why Gehrke Zumbroich &
Partner has been awarded the ‘Boutique Law
Firm of the Year- Europe’ at the 2017 Lawyer
Issue Awards.
Considering their amazing track record and
their ever increasing tally of awards, it can
be very safely said that this firm is poised for
unprecedented growth in the upcoming years.
The recent award won by them is only going
to bring them more clients and increase their
credibility in the law industry.
GEHRKE ZUMBROICH & PARTNER
Matthias Gehrke
004930 8872950-0, Bregenzer Strasse 3,
Berlin, 10707 Germany
gehrke@gzp-legal.de
Tel +1 234 56754 4545
6 7

KEMP IT LAW
Richard Kemp
Boutique IT Law
Firm of the Year
Kemp IT Law is an information technology law firm based in London,
United Kingdom. Technology is an integral part of businesses and hence,
it is important to have a firm that deals specifically with the laws related
to it. Their skills in the IT sector allow them to cater to the businesses that
require assistance in the field and they have the ability and the willingness
to assemble the right skill sets to provide clear solutions to sector specific
business challenges of rapidly changing technology.
They are a small team of 3 extremely
experienced IT Lawyers- Richard Kemp, Deirdre
Moynihan and Nooreen Ajmal. Richard is widely
regarded as one of the world’s finest IT lawyers.
He combines commerciality and client service
with innovative legal solutions to the business
challenges of technology development,
deployment and regulation. He is the founder
of Kemp IT Law and has been leading it from
the forefront.
Deidre joined the firm in 2016 and Noreen Ajmal
joined the firm in the very same year as well.
Both these lawyers bring along with them some
rich and unique experience in the field of IT Law
and have been instrumental in the firm’s growth
across their tenure at Kemp IT Law.
The firm deals with two broad IT verticals- IT
Buy-Side and Technology Providers. On the
Buy-Side, they work with SME IT clients in a wide
range of industry sectors. They assist them in
contracting for IT and digital transformation
and in regulatory and advisory projects for
their digital operations. The various industries
they deal with are-air travel, financial services,
healthcare and law firms & professional
services.
On the technology providers’ side, they work
with technology provider clients who range
from start-ups to tech giants; they assist them in
licensing and supply, and intellectual property
and regulations. They have a particular
experience in the legal aspects of the 4th
industrial revolution and in cloud computing,
data, internet, services software and telecoms.
With such a broad range of services offered
by them, they have got some big clients along
the way at both national and international
levels ranging from small enterprises to large
conglomerates. Their job is to make the clients
look good; they do this through an intuitive
understanding of their needs and a sharp focus
on clarity. They work with overseas law firms
from North America, Europe and around the
world to provide clear UK IT law advice for their
clients’ UK operations.
Ever since it was established in 2014, Kemp IT
Law has been nominated in many awards and
won quite a few of them, they have managed
to get at least one award every year, and
this number is only increasing with every year.
They have had more than 20 nominations and
awards in this span of just 4 years and this just
goes on to show their quality of service and
dedication to provide the best for their clients. It
is no surprise then that they emerged as winners
at the Lawyers Issue Awards 2017 and won the
‘Boutique IT Law Firm of the Year’ award.
With such unparalleled services and their long
tally of awards, it can be safely said that Kemp
IT Law has a bright future ahead and is poised
for growth. The recent award win by them is
only going to bring them more clients and add
to their credibility.
KEMP IT LAW
Richard Kemp
77 Hendham Road, London,
SW17 7DT United Kingdom
julia@j-fawcett.com
Tel +0044 0 7709 486596
8 9

LEAP
Ben Aslet
Legal Software
Provider of the
Year – 2017
LEAP’s client management software was put forward and selected as Legal
Software Provider of the year based on its end user focus and excellent
customer support. With a focus on small firms they provide an outstanding
tool to support the legal industry, improving the quality and ability or
services offered to clients.
software addresses the needs of the lawyers
perfectly and has earned them many clients
over time. They strive to make their services
much better on a continuous basis and use
advanced technologies to reduce the costs,
and also to make them more user friendly so
that anyone familiar with operations of law firms
can adjust to them with minimal effort.
with the most up-to-date software solutions,
such as developing cloud technology. It is
this dedication to providing a stream-lined
product that always keeps the customer userexperience
in mind that has earned LEAP the
title of Legal Software Provider of the Year at
the 2017 Lawyer Issue Awards.
LEAP provides a range of case management
solutions to small law firms and sole
practitioners, with a specific focus on the
common areas of law that smaller firms are
more likely to practise, including legal aid,
personal injury, criminal law and family law.
With an emphasis on customer service, LEAP
practice management software has been
designed as a completely integrated legal
case management solution, combining such
productivity tools as billing, legal and client
accounting and automated document
production, available from any mobile or tablet
and across multiple devices.
LEAP has been designed with the client
in mind; the user-friendly software comes
available with pre-configured Matter Types
across the common areas of law, ensuring
that clients do not need to waste time
customising the technology to their practises.
Additionally, the LEAP legal mobile app is a
particularly convenient feature as it allows
users to communicate with clients, access
documentation and record time wherever they
are. Users can also integrate their email system
with the software and create professional
emails on the go.
Led by the charismatic and experienced
chairman Richard Hugo-Hamman, LEAP has
a talented and experienced team running
it. They have studied the requirements of
lawyers in small firms for more than 20 years
and have developed LEAP on the basis of
their observations; this is the reason why their
LEAP is committed to providing an outstanding
level of customer support, including training
videos, webinars and the affiliated LEAP
Partner Network. Although the company’s
focus is on small law firms, this certainly does
not mean that it thinks small; LEAP continuously
invests in its services to provide its customers
LEAP
Ben Aslet
Level 1, Regal House, 70 London Road,
Twickenham, TW1 3QS United Kingdom
peter.baverstock@leap.co.uk
Tel +0044 0 7961 470843
10 11

D.F ACHILLEOS &
ASSOCIATES LLC
Demetris Achilleos
Lawyer of the Year –
Corporate Law
D.F Achilleos & Associates LLC is an international firm that provides
tax solutions. They draw many years of practical experience in international
tax planning and offshore business. They are headquartered in Limassol,
Cyprus but have offices across 7 countries, mainly in Europe and Middle
East.
Apart from International Tax Planning, they
have a separate Cyprus Tax Planning service
available as well. Cyprus has very low
corporation tax and hence is an attractive
destination for maximizing after tax return on
worldwide investments. Along with the tax
services, they even provide legal advice on
corporate matters.
in 2009 and is now working as a senior
manager where he manages a diverse
portfolio of corporate entities while directing
a wide range of commercial transactions at
the international level. He even writes articles
on International tax and fiduciary services
developments.
The firm is headed by Mr. Athos Fouttis, who is
an international tax consultant and has more
than 25 years of experience in the field. Under
his leadership, the company has flourished over
the years and has won many awards. Along
with him is a strong management team of 7
members who have provided the necessary
impetus for the company’s growth. They do
live up to their promise of “Top quality services
combined with prompt and personal attention
to clients’ needs”.
Although it is a company that provides tax
solutions, D.F Achilleos & Associates has
expanded its services across the years. Now,
they are into Corporate Services, Accounting
and Auditing, Banking Facilities, Tax Services,
Legal Services, Virtual Offices, Immigration
Services and Financial & Licensing Services.
With such a broad range of services that
they offer, they have managed to get some
big clients like KPMG and Bank of Cyprus.
They have been recognized by the Cyprus
Government itself, which awarded them the 1st
prize for their services in 2005, 2007 and again in
2010.
They utilize the International “Agreements
for the Avoidance of Double Taxation”, the
European Directives and other legislations to
structure the most tax effective operations.
They provide consultations on international tax
issues and help to minimize client’s taxes. They
help in structuring cross border investments and
acquisitions, establishing corporate structures,
repatriation and exit planning.
This professional staff has provided some
unmatched services to clients and has brought
laurels to the company. Recently, Mr. Demetris
Achilleos won the Lawyer of the Year award for
Corporate Tax at AI Legal Awards. Mr. Achilleos
is a member of the Cyprus Bar Association and
has been practicing law for over 11 years now.
He has extensive experience in Corporate and
Tax Law. He joined D.F Achilleos & Associates
D.F ACHILLEOS & ASSOCIATES LLC
Demetris Achilleos
P.O. Box 59655, Limassol, 4011 Cyprus
accounts@oxfordcy.com
Tel +00357 25823330
12 13

PARDO JACKSON
GAINSBURG
Linda Worton
Jackson
Lawyer of the Year —
Bankruptcy Litigation
Pardo Jackson Gainsburg, PL is a Miami-based boutique law firm that handles
complex business deals, construction and commercial litigation. They specialize in
construction and commercial litigation, corporate and financial services, hospitality,
real estate and bankruptcy. They have extensive experience in representing leaders in
loan origination and work outs; and have handled all types of commercial litigation.
There area of practice ranges from Real Estate
Law to Condominium Law and there are a total
of 9 areas in which they operate; whether a
client is facing a complex transaction, litigation
or has already progressed to the appellate
process, they provide the highest level of legal
representation and in a manner that is not
too heavy on the pocket of the client. They
have made it their business to understand your
business and have become the go-to place for
those who need legal assistance in their areas of
practice.
Led by the experienced trio- Stevan Pardo, Linda
Jackson and Elissa Gainsburg, each one of the
attorneys in this company has unique experience
and expertise in their field of practice. They
collaborate as a team to provide the clients
with a complete legal representation without
any bureaucracy as they are a boutique firm.
They put their clients’ needs first and ensure that
they are well positioned to handle all the legal
matters to ensure the best outcome; they walk
an extra mile for you. Whether you need financial
assistance or expert advice, they are always
there for you; each field that they cater to has an
experienced attorney supporting it; this ensures
that you will get your desired outcome.
The company is specialized in Bankruptcy
and Creditors’ Rights, they help clients face
challenging economic times and assist them
in taking advantages of opportunities. They
provide innovative strategies to help companies
re-organize, assist buyers and lenders to
purchase or lend a distressed company; and
protect creditors and investors from all types of
insolvency, bankruptcy and frauds. They offer a
broad range of services and they work with the
owners to help them understand the best way
to sell off their business when the need arises.
They have handled cases of various industries
ranging from oil and gas, technology, retail and
manufacturing, to name a few.
Recently, Linda Worton Jackson was conferred
with the Lawyer of the Year award for Bankruptcy
Litigation. She has over 25 years of experience
in this field and a lot of businesses, lenders and
individuals have turned to her for guidance
through risks. She is best known for her ability to
get deals closed and react quickly in the ever
changing landscape of transactions; and rightly
so, she is called “Action Jackson” by her clients
due to this quality of hers. Her cases have gone
up to a magnitude of tens of millions of dollars;
her expertise has helped her clients and even
won her a couple of awards for outstanding
performance.
For start-ups and emerging companies, she offers
her expert guidance on financial structuring
and shareholder agreements among other
issues. She serves as a trusted advisor for mature
companies and guides them on growth, mergers
and exit strategies, to name a few. For banks and
other lenders, Linda has a unique expertise; she
represents them in all stages of loans even till the
extent of litigation or bankruptcy phase wherever
necessary. Across 25 years, she has become a
popular name among large companies and
banks alike in the nation. Till 2017, she was the
founding partner of Salazar Jackson and then
she joined Pardo, Jackson and Gainsburg as a
name partner. She has been a representative of
Florida Gaming, Sabadell United Bank, Avenger
Flight Group and Timberland Bank to name a
few.
Looking at the future of this company, with
talented attorneys like Linda and others, we can
expect some stunning growth in the upcoming
years. With markets in a bear mode currently, it
is sure that the firm will get lots of business from
corporates needing assistance to survive the
onslaught of economic crisis. The recent award
won by Linda and the powerful and experienced
background of others is sure to give them a great
opportunity to expand over time.
PARDO JACKSON GAINSBURG
Linda Worton Jackson
200 SE 1st Street, Suite 700, Miami Florida
33131 USA
srmiller@gartonmillermedia.com
14 15

BELIN
MCCORMICK PC
Steven E Zumbach
Lawyer of the Year -
Mergers & Acquisitions
Belin McCormick, P.C. is recognized this year in the area of Commercial
Real Estate Law, for outstanding services provided to individuals, small
businesses, corporations, and public institutions throughout Iowa and
nationwide. We outline the firm’s practice and individually acknowledge
attorney Steven Zumbach as 2017’s Lawyer of the Year in the area of
Mergers & Acquisitions.
Belin McCormick is a small but mighty fullservice
law firm established in Des Moines,
Iowa in 1978. Belin McCormick’s nationally
recognized team of attorneys provides
a wide variety of legal services to clients
throughout Iowa and the nation. The firm’s
areas of practice include taxation, trusts
and estates; real estate; health care; family
law; infrastructure and regulation; labor and
employment; and intellectual property. The
firm also charters a team of litigation practice
experts, who provide comprehensive litigation
services in all of the aforementioned practice
areas, offering a specialized focus on complex
commercial litigation.
The firm currently employs a team of 26
esteemed attorneys who are routinely
acknowledged for excellence in a variety
of practice areas. Some highlights of their
extensive experience include negotiating
lawsuits for hundreds of million of dollars,
managing highly complex corporate mergers &
acquisitions, defending and prosecuting class
action lawsuits, representing cases in state and
federal supreme courts, and advising some of
the region’s largest companies and institutions.
The firm is highly selective in their recruitment,
scouting top graduates from the nation’s most
prestigious law schools and also attracting
individuals who have previously established
achievement in the legal industry.
Belin McCormick caught our attention this year
for the finesse demonstrated by their real estate
law specialists. This team of attorneys provides
full legal services to developers, contractors,
landlords, owners, and institutions throughout
the state. Collectively and proficiently, the
team executes all aspects of real estate
law, including the acquisition, development,
financing and managing of commercial real
estate, and handling both commercial and
residential litigation. With a comprehensive
range of services, innovative approach, and
client-oriented focus, the real estate law
specialists at Belin McCormick have provided
tremendous benefits to local businesses and the
local economy.
Steven Zumbach has been an equity member
of Belin McCormick from the start in 1978.
Steven specializes in corporate transactions
focusing on mergers, acquisitions and financing
for closely held companies. He practices in
the area of estate planning with a primary
emphasis on coordinating the estate plan
with planning for the closely held business.
As part of this estate planning practice, he
has extensive experience advising nonprofit
organizations with their charitable giving.
Steven is a Certified Public Accountant and
holds a Ph.D. in Economics with emphasis
on finance. Based on his background in law,
economics, and accounting, he brings an
interdisciplinary approach to the corporate
transactional practice and estate planning
practice.
When Steven isn’t navigating complex mergers
& acquisitions, he channels his expertise
and unwavering commitment to helping
others as a volunteer and public servant
in the local community. He has received
multiple recognitions for his charitable work,
and is joined by many of the attorneys
at Belin McCormick who demonstrate a
shared personal initiative to give back to the
community in which their firm thrives.
BELIN MCCORMICK PC
Steven E Zumbach
666 Walnut Street, Suite 2000, Des Moines,
Iowa, 50309-3989 USA
bhildebrandt@belinmccormick.com
Tel +001515 245 8709
16 17

BARGATE MURRAY
Quentin Bargate
Maritime Law Firm
of the Year
Hailed as Maritime Law Firm of the Year, Bargate Murray proves to be
rightly so as it surges forward in providing consistent first class service to its
clientele. We look into what the firm has that makes it stand out.
Bargate Murray is a boutique luxury asset law
firm that was started from the ground up by its
Founding and Senior Partner, Quentin Bargate,
in 2004. He fulfilled his lifetime ambition when
he founded his own law firm, Quentin Bargate
& Co. (now known as Bargate Murray), thirteen
years ago. It is recognised today as one of the
leading law firms within the maritime industry
that provides services in superyachts, aviation,
commercial & business, luxury assets and
dispute resolution.
Quentin Murray has had over 30 years of
experience as a leading maritime lawyer. He
heads the firm’s Superyachts group and is a
known expert in all things yacht - from specific
yacht construction contracts, operation, sales,
taxation to general commercial shipping. He
also leads the Dispute Resolution practice,
which includes litigation, arbitration, and
mediation. He is a member of the Maritime
Authority of the Cayman Islands (MACI), the
London Maritime Arbitrators Authority (LMAA)
and the Nautical Institute.
There is no doubt to the premium that
Bargate Murray provides to each of its client.
Whether they are ultra high net worth (UHNW)
individuals, yacht captains, naval architects
or shipyards, the law firm stays true to its
commitment of “hands-on personal service”.
Bargate Murray ensures that the service it
provides is tailor fit to the needs of its clients.
Among the firm’s key clients are Made
Simple Group, Manse & Garrett, MTU, Trinity
Conferences and Westburry.
In an article published by Bargate Murray in
July 2016, Managing Partner, Adam Ramlugon,
gave his remarks on client satisfaction following
news of acclaims for the firm and its Founding
partner. “It is great to know that clients are
saying such positive things about Quentin and
the firm. We work hard as a team of colleagues
and friends and this approach is paying off.
We always say that happy clients are our best
advert and it seems we are right!”
As keeping its clients happy has been a
proven approach for the firm, Bargate Murray
also boasts of an experienced superyacht
team- composed of partners, associates,
trainee solicitor, paralegal, assistants, and
consultant- that add value to the firm and
provide excellent legal advice on specific
yacht concerns to their already-satisfied
clients. With superyacht service as its core,
the firm continues to provide a wide array
of experience in yacht sale and purchase,
negotiating, drafting, and reviewing yacht
construction agreements, conversion and
repair agreements, crew agreements,
contracts with professionals, bank and other
finance agreements, performance guarantees,
program management agreements, flagging
and registration, corporate issues and
ownership structures, and dispute resolution.
With the firm’s mastery of its specialised
services, keen attention to client needs, and
competent team of experienced individuals,
Bargate Murray deserves credit for providing
professional legal service to the world for more
than a decade.
Sources:
Bargate Murray. The Lawyer, retrieved
from https://www.thelawyer.com/issues/8-
march-2010/bargate-murray/
The Bargate Murray website. https://www.
bargatemurray.com/
Quentin Bargate (Individual Profile).
Chambers and Partners, retrieved from http://
www.chambersandpartners.com/HNW/
person/525093/quentin-bargate
BARGATE MURRAY
Quentin Bargate
020 7375 1393, 44 Worship Street, London
EC2A 2EA UK
lauren@bargatemurray.com
Tel +1 234 56754 4545
18 19

VARGAS & VARGAS
ABOGADOS
Luis Fernando
Vargas Rodriguez
Boutique Law Firm
of the Year
Vargas and Vargas is a renowned law firm based in the capital of Colombia-
Bogota D.C. It has got some specialized international publications that
have led to it being awarded firm of the year in 2014, 2015 and 2016 in
the practice of litigation and dispute resolution. They provide professional
services in advisory, consulting and litigation to private and public sector
companies as well as individuals at both domestic and international level.
The firm has a strong team that gives it the high capacity, competence
and knowledge that has led it to become a repute law firm which has got
recognition both nationally and internationally.
Founded by the experienced duo- Luis
Francisco Vargas Osorno and Luis Fernando
Vargas Rodriguez, who have a combined
experience of more than 40 years, this firm has
some very experienced partners and associates
who come from various backgrounds and bring
expertise from various fields that have helped
this firm become a master of all the fields that
it serves in. With both the founding partners
giving enough impetus towards the continual
development of the firm and improvement in
all the fields, the firm has gained some good
recognition in the past few years.
The firm has a wide variety of practice areas-
12, to be precise. From Criminal law and
corporate law to Human Rights, these lawyers
know their way around all the major fields. With
each partner having sufficient experience in
their respective field, it is assured that whichever
field that they cater to, the client shall always
get the best services possible.
What good is a firm if it is extremely successful
but doesn’t give anything back to the society?
Well, Vargas and Vargas realize the importance
of corporate social responsibility and work on
the forefront for aiding the development of
the Colombia. For ensuring this, each of their
lawyers devote part of their working time to
collaborate with not for profit organizations
that deal with the issues of health, rehabilitation
and protection of children. They provide them
with valuable advices in different areas of law
pertaining to the particular organization.
Across the years, they have won more than 7
awards at both national and international level;
many of them rating them as the ‘Law Firm
of the Year’. It has also been recommended
by Corporate International and Five Star
Law, which adds to its prestige. With such
extraordinary services and by their sheer belief
of giving back to the society, it is then no doubt
that Vargas and Vargas Abogados won the
Boutique Law Firm of the Year award recently
at 2017 Lawyer Issue Awards. This award adds
to their long tally of awards and given the way
they are providing their services, it will be no
surprise if they do win a couple more in the
upcoming years as well.
Given their unparalleled services and the wide
variety of fields that they serve in, it is beyond
doubt that this firm will grow seamlessly in the
upcoming years. Their long tally of awards is
only going to help them get bigger and better
clients at both national and international level.
This firm is definitely poised for tremendous
growth in the next decade.
VARGAS & VARGAS ABOGADOS
Luis Fernando Vargas Rodriguez
Carrera 13a No. 89 – 38, Of. 521,
Bogotá D.C, Colombia
luisfernando@vargasvargasabogados.com
Tel +0057 1 530 6971
20 21

NYMAN GIBSON
MIRALIS
Dennis Miralis
White Collar Crime
Law Firm of the Year
Established in the year of 1966, Nyman Gibson Miralis is a firm based
in Sydney, Australia that specialises exclusively in criminal law as a
premier criminal defence law firm. The lawyers based at Nyman Gibson
Miralis defend clients on a variety of legal matters ranging from traffic and
drug related offences through to more serious criminal charges and crime
commission matters.
Directed by partners Mr Phillip Gibson and Mr
Dennis Miralis who have both been practising
law for many years, Nyman Gibson Miralis have
been involved in some of the biggest and
most multifaceted criminal defence cases in
Australia.
Phillip Gibson, partner and accredited criminal
law specialist at Nyman Gibson Miralis, has over
30 years of experience in all aspects of criminal
law and through this long-time experience he
now focuses exclusively on serious; intricate
and international crime. Gibson has worked
on many large and serious drug matters,
including the biggest ever importation of drugs
in Australia; difficult fraud cases as well as high
profile murder trials. In terms of international/
Transnational crime, Gibson has advised on
cases involving China; United Kingdom; United
States of America; Sweden; Czechoslovakia;
South Korea; British Virgin Islands; Hong Kong:
Singapore and New Zealand and also travels
often out of Australia to aid the defence of
his clients in these cases. In 2016, Dolyes Legal
Guide named Phillip Gibson as a leading
criminal defence lawyer.
Dennis Miralis, also a partner as well as criminal
defence lawyer, focuses mainly on strategic
legal representation in all aspects of general
and complex criminal law such as white
collar and corporate crime; fraud; murder;
drug cases; assaults as well being an skilful in
international and transnational criminal law. In
2016, Global Law Experts named Dennis Miralis
as their Recommended Attorney for White
Collar Criminal Defence in Australia.
The lawyers at Nyman Gibson Miralis are all
highly qualified in the following areas of general
and criminal law: murder; drug importation;
drug supply; money laundering; corporate
crime; fraud; sexual assaults; assaults as well
as suing the police for wrongful arrests. They
also have available solicitors who are fluent in
Arabic; Greek and Italian and are able to make
legal aid applications and can make home
and prison visits. Each case is provided with
expert assessments of the risks as well as the
benefits of taking those particular cases to trial.
It’s easy to understand why Nyman Gibson
Miralis won the White Collar Crime Law Firm of
the Year as their lawyers all have a fantastic
track record of appearing in leading defence
cases at the forefront of criminal law and are
recognized as exceptional criminal defence
lawyers.
In 2016, Corporate Live Wire (which honours
and celebrates the achievements within the
global law community), named Nyman Gibson
Miralis as the leading white collar defence
firm in Australia, as well as the leading criminal
defence firm in Australia. On top of that
achievement in 2016, Nyman Gibson Miralis
was also named by Global Law Experts as the
leading white collar defence firm in Australia.
Global Law Experts set the bar as the premier
guide to leading attorneys all over the world.
NYMAN GIBSON MIRALIS
Dennis Miralis
Level 9, 299 Elizabeth Street, Sydney,
NSW 2000 Australia
dm@notguilty.com.au
Tel +002 9264 8884
22 23

CYRIL
AMARCHAND
MANGALDAS
Manishi Pathak
Employment
Lawyer of the Year
Founded on the 11th of May 2015, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas became
one of the largest full-service law firms in India. With approximately 100
partner and 600 lawyers and offices in India’s mosr key business areas,
Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas is led by Mr Cyril Suresh Shroff, the firm’s
Mnaging Partner and a third-generation lawyer.
The Indian cities of Mumbai; New Dehli;
Bengalur; Hyderabad; Ahmedabad and
Chennai are the homes of the offices of Cyril
Amarchand Mangaldas and this allows them
to be able to help all of those that need their
services.
Built on the ancestry of Amarchand &
Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co (AMSS), Cyril
Amarchand Mangaldas has set its foundation
on the basis of AMSS. While the firm embraces
the heritage of AMSS, they also strive to create
their own legacy by focusing on a strong clientbased
system, a co-operative work culture and
a realistic solution-orientated tactic.
Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has won the
award as Employment Lawyer of the Firm,
but in 2017 alone they have won numerous
awards such as the IDEX Legal Awards 2017;
IFRL Asia Awards 2017; ALB Employer of Choice
2017; Leadership Excellence Award 2017 for
“Pinnacle of Success” and many more.
Not only does Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas
have many exceptionally qualified lawyers
employed by his firm but they also have a
distinguished Strategic Advisory Boards which
helps guide the firm on its strategies; vision
and direction. This external board is made
up of notable members that bring a world of
knowledge and insight.
Mr Cyril Suresh Shroff, managing partner and
leader of the Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas law
firm has over 34 years of experience under his
belt. His experience ranges from corporate and
securities law; disputes; banking; private clients;
financial regulatory and infrastructure and is
often referred to as the “M&A King of India”.
Through the leadership of Mr Cyril Suresh Shroff
and his team of lawyers, Cyril Amarchand
Mangaldas is able to support a large and
wide-ranging client base that includes not
only domestic clients, but international ones
as well. Their client base also involves foreign
commercial enterprises; financial institutions;
private equity funds; venture capital funds;
start-ups as well as governmental and
regulatory bodies. The firm strives to provide
opportune; inventive; integrated; applicable
and cost-effective advice and aim to
personalise their service for every client that
contacts them.
CYRIL AMARCHAND MANGALDAS
Manishi Pathak
Peninsula chambers, Peninsula Corporate
Park, Lower Parel, Mumbai, 400 013 India
manishi.pathak@cyrilshroff.com
Tel +009122 2496 4455
24 25

Michel Kallipetis QC
QC of the Year –
Mediation
40 years’ experience as a practising barrister in the field of general commercial,
professional negligence and employment work, and 15 years sitting as a deputy
High Court Judge in Queen’s Bench, Chancery Division and the TCC, has
equipped Michel to mediate most civil and commercial disputes.
Ten years ago, he left Littleton Chambers,
of which he had been Head, and founded
Independent Mediators Ltd to practise as a
full-time mediator. Independent Mediators is the
home of a group of Europe’s leading full-time
civil and commercial mediators, nationally and
internationally recognised for their work. In the UK
the mediators from Independent Mediators all
feature in the top tiers of Chambers and Partners
and Legal 500. They are also recognised as some
of the most experienced in Europe being listed in
Who’s Who Legal: Commercial Mediation which
recognises the world’s leading commercial
mediators. Few mediators can claim genuinely
international experience but the mediators at
Independent Mediators have worked with parties
in over 85 countries, as mediators, mediation
advisers to governments and companies, and
delivering mediation training.
Some thousand mediations behind him,
Michel is recognised in The Legal Directories
as an expert in his field in Mediation both in
the UK and internationally. Who’s Who Legal
has acknowledged him as Lawyer of the Year
in Mediation for 2017, and as one of a small
number of Thought Leaders in Mediation in the
World. Michel regularly mediates a wide variety
of commercial disputes between parties from all
walks of life and from all over the world, including
individuals, companies both private and public,
national governments, public bodies/authorities
and group actions. The claims range in value
from tens of thousands of pounds to over several
£100m.
He is a Distinguished Fellow and a director of the
International Academy of Mediators. He was
the first Chairman of the England and Wales
Bar Council ADR Committee, a member of
the working party which drafted the EU Code
of Practice for Mediators, and gave expert
opinion to JURI, the legal service committee of
the European Parliament, prior to its adopting
the European ADR Directive. In 2012 he was
invited to join the Singapore Mediation Centre’s
International Panel of Mediators. He is a PIM
Senior Mediator. Currently he is representing IAM
at UNCITRAL’S Working Group II which is drafting
an Instrument for the international recognition of
international commercial mediated settlement
agreements.
Mixing the authority and stature of a QC and
a former Deputy High Court Judge with his
personall charm Michel is able to quickly gain
the trust of the parties. He blends facilitative and
evaluative techniques as the situation demands
to create his own versatile and effective style of
mediation.
He regularly conducts training sessions for
barristers and solicitors and has carried out
mediation training for the Hong Kong judiciary at
the request of the Chief Justice, and the for the
Bar in England, Hong Kong, Trinidad and Jersey.
Michel led a team to train Arbitrators for the
Kingdom of Bhutan at the request of the Chief
Justice.
He is the author of several articles on mediation
in the English legal press. He is the author of a
chapter on “Mediation in Employment disputes”
in “Mediators on Mediation”, co-author with
Stephen Ruttle QC of the chapter on “Mediation
in the UK” in Volume I of “Mediation in Business”
published by Kluwer and author of the chapter
on “Mediation Privilege and Confidentiality and
the EU Directive” in Volume II. He is also author
of the Chapter on “Mediation Ethics” in “How
to Master Commercial Mediation” published by
Bloomsbury in January 2015.
MICHEL KALLIPETIS QC
Michel Kallipetis QC
Wrest Park Enterprise Centre, 52 Wrest Park,
Silsoe, Bedfordshire MK45 4HS UK
nicky.doble@independentmediators.co.uk
Tel +020 7127 9223
26 27

IMMIGRATION
SOLUTIONS
LAWYERS
Anne O’Donoghue
Immigration Law
Firm of the Year
Since the year of 1993, Immigration Solutions Lawyers have been a
foremost law firm led by managing director and principal lawyer, Anne
O’Donoghue. The law firm consists of three elements, namely: corporate
migration; family migration as well as judicial and administrative merits
review. Through their “hands on” approach, the frim helps to assist clients
in the directing the diverse avenues of migration to Australia.
Immigration Solutions Lawyers is structured in
such a way that it focuses on the three main
streams as previously mentioned of corporate
migration; family migration and judicial and
administrative merits review. The corporate
stream are experts in handling the sponsoring
of overseas employees; student visas; business
innovation; distinguished talent visas and
investor visas. Their list of clients range from
small start-up businesses to more recognised
industry leaders in all different areas such as
engineering; hospitality; consultancy and
farming.
In terms of the family stream of focus in the
law firm, a high quality of spouse and partner
applications; children’s visas; carer visas are
all upheld along with offers of “no further stay”
waiver conditions.
The third stream, the judicial and administrative
merits review stream, offers clients a first-rate
forensic reviews of client’s immigration history
and submits detailed reports to the Ministerial
Intervention Unit. They also work with expert
barristers in the area of Judicial Review,
furthering their standard of work.
Awarded the Immigration Law Firm of The Year,
Immigration Solutions Lawyers are involved with
the growth of not just domestic immigration
law but also international immigration law.
This has also led to them being recognized on
many other occasions such as being awards
the Acquisition International Legal Award for
Human Rights Legal Practice of the Year in 2013
and winning the Immigration Law Firm of the
Year Australia in 2014 at the Finance Monthly
Global Awards.
Immigration Solutions Lawyers were also
awarded due to their dedication to every case;
whether it be a simple and straight forward
visa application or a complex application
that requires comprehensive arguments and
submissions. With 23 years of experience in
immigration law, Immigration Solutions Lawyers
strive to provide excellent personal and
professional care to each and every client.
IMMIGRATION SOLUTIONS LAWYERS
Anne O’Donoghue
Suite 1304, World Tower 87-89 Liverpool
Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
rachel.miller@immigrationsolutions.com.au
Tel +0061 29264 6432
28 29

ROSTRON
CARLYLE
LAWYERS
Gavin McInnes
Lawyer of the Year –
Commercial & Property
Rostron Carlyle is a full service law firm that started operations in 2001.
After over a decade and a half, this company employs more than 100
people. Headquartered in Australia, it offers services and solutions to
clients in Australia as well as South East Asia. Founded by Greg Rostron
and Hamish Carlyle, this firm is now internationally acknowledged as a
pioneer in legal counsel services.
The firm’s services are drawn from the
experienced partners of the firm who have
great technical expertise and have been in
the business for years now. Along with the two
experienced founders who spearhead this
company are Gavin McInnes, Paul Rojas and
Tuskeen Jacobs who serve as Partners of the
firm and head individual departments.
With services ranging from Building and
Construction to Family and Migration, the
company has established itself well over the
years. With each partner being experienced in
their respective fields as follows, Gavin McInnes-
Commercial and Property, Paul Rojas- Litigation
and Disputes, and Tuskeen Jacobs- Family Law
Department; the company has set up a strong
base and presence across the region.
“Relaxed Professionalism” is the approach that
Rostron Carlyle takes and considers it as the key
to their success. They focus on what matters to
their clients. With their employees coming from
a variety of backgrounds and life experiences,
this company has a huge diversity and helps it
relate better with their clients.
The Commercial and Property division of the
firm stands out over the other departments.
Significant impetus has been given to the
department thanks to two mergers that have
strengthened it. The firm merged with Maunder
& Jeffrey in 2014 and appointed James
Hatzopoulos as a partner. He manages the
Corporate, Commercial and Property practice
in Sydney. This has given a significant boost to
the company according to Mr. Innes who said,
“Over recent months, we have been focused
on elevating the Rostron Carlyle name across
Sydney and the broader NSW legal market.
James Hatzopoulos has significant experience
across a range of industries as well as the
exceptional knowledge of the NSW legal
market.”
Recently, the firm merged with Boutique firm
AG Edwards which has been specializing in
corporate and commercial legal, property
and compliance solutions over the years. This
merger has strengthened the expertise of
Rostron Carlyle across the Commercial and
Property division.
According to the Commercial and Property
partner Gavin McInnes, the merger was a great
step that added depth and experience to his
team. “AG Edwards brings additional expertise
to Rostron Carlyle’s Commercial and Property
group, in particular the team’s specialized
experience in corporate and commercial,
capital markets, banking, finance and financial
services sectors,” Mr McInnes said.
Adrian Edwards, the Principal of AG Edwards
echoes Mr.McInnes’ opinion. “The AG Edwards
team brings more than 20 years of legal,
compliance and financial experience to
Rostron Carlyle. The merge with Rostron Carlyle
will enable the AG Edwards team to continue
to develop their knowledge and capabilities
with the support of one of Brisbane’s top law
firms. We look forward to working with Rostron
Carlyle clients and introducing our client base
to the additional range of services that are now
available directly to them,” Mr Edwards said.
It is perhaps due to this very reason that Gavin
McInnes bagged the Lawyer of the Year award
in the Commercial and Property category in
the Lawyer Issue Awards. Talking a bit about
Mr. Innes; Gavin McInnes is a key figure in
Rostron Carlyle’s Corporate Commercial
and Property Law practice. He has particular
expertise in assisting clients with structuring,
schemes of arrangement and in capital raisings
from the early stages of private equity through
to ASX listings and mergers and acquisitions,
and a wide range of leasing, residential
and commercial property transactions and
developments. Gavin’s clients include a
number of the leading private equity funds in
Australia, property developers, national brands,
as well as many private and listed companies.
He also has close connections and a special
focus in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Looking towards the future, this firm which
started off with just two partners and one
assistant has now grown to over 30 professionals
and 60 staff. With offices and operations spread
out all over Australia and even in Mauritius,
this firm is looking good to grow quickly over
the next few years. With unparalleled services
that they offer and the recent award won by
Mr. Innes, it is sure that all eyes will turn towards
them.
ROSTRON CARLYLE LAWYERS
Gavin McInnes
Level 15, 270 Adelaide Street, Brisbane
Queensland, Australia
g.mcinnes@rclaw.com.au
Tel +006107 3009 8444
30 31

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