Golden Advisor Awards 2025

WORLDWIDE FINANCIAL
ADVISOR AWARDS MAGAZINE
GOLDEN ADVISOR
AWARDS
2025

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Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine
Golden Advisor Awards 2025
Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine is recognised all
over the world for our comprehensive awards programs we run,
taking votes from countries all over the world to recognise the
most prestigious professionals in their specialised areas of
practice.
The Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine recognises a
select number of leading professional firms around the world
working both nationally and internationally in their field of
expertise.
Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine selects the best
professional & financial institutions from around the world and
showcases there work ethic and skills within their area of
expertise.
The Awards Magazine is aimed at not just the large corporations
but the smaller companies of the advisory business sector.
Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine is currently being
read by Lawyers, Advisers, Consultants and corporate executives.
We aim to showcase every company individually and to its full
potential.

Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine
Golden Advisor Awards 2025
Index
ABR Solicitors
Criminal Défense Law Firm of the Year – UK
Actam Abogados
Transport Law Firm of the Year - Spain
Baker McKenzie
Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year – Switzerland
BST Studio Legale
Criminal Law Firm of the Year – Italy
Cavendish Corporate Finance
Business Advisory Firm of the Year – UK
Cruz, Marcelo & Tenefrancia
Alternative Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year – Philippines
Daniel Spring & Co
Employment Law Firm of the Year – Ireland
Ellex Raidla
Cross Border Mergers & Acquisitions Law Firm of the Year - Slovakia
Demotech Inc
Financial Analysis Firm of the Year – USA
Grispo Abogados
Corporate Law Firm of the Year – Argentina
KETNER
Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year – Slovakia
KPMG
Corporate Finance Accountancy Firm of the Year – Greece
Legal Frame
Matteo Di Francesco
Employment Law Lawyer of the Year - Italy
PrimeLex
Alberto Ziliani
Sports Lawyer of the Year – Italy
Rucellai & Raffaelli
Industrial Law Firm of the Year - Italy

Rustem Guardian LLP
Business Crime Law Firm of the Year – UK
Spadafora De Rosa Law
Tax Law Firm of the Year – Italy
SRS Legal
Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year - Portugal
Swiss Financiers
Private Equity Financial Firm of the Year – Switzerland
TM & Partners
Industrial Law Firm of the Year – Sweden
Unalome Legal
Employment Law Firm of the Year - Luxembourg
Vasil Kisil & Partners
Domestic Litigation Law Firm of the Year - Ukraine
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Cross Border Mergers & Acquisitions Law Firm of the Year – USA
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Private Equity & Strategi Investments Law Firm of the Year – USA
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
David A. Katz
Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year – USA
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
David A. Katz
Overall Lawyer of the Year – USA
Xavier Jordana Avocats
Civil Law Firm of the Year – Andorra
Yavuz & Uyanik
Debt Recovery Law Firm of the Year – Turkey
Zabaldano Avocats
White Collar Crime Law Firm of the Year – Monaco
Zimmerman Sierakowski & Partners
Bankruptcy Law Firm of the Year - Poland

Private Equity Financial Firm of the Year –
Switzerland
Swiss Financiers, Inc., is a FinTech that incubates and orchestrates IPOs
from financing to listing. They are dealmakers between incubated
companies, industry leaders and executives worldwide, fast tracking
successful transactions with investment banks, institutional investors, and
debt lenders. Collectively, the team came to the same conclusion that
business and investment banks’ approaches were too complex and too
expensive to correctly serve the majority of companies in need of support.
Swiss Financiers is particularly designed to support entrepreneur-driven
companies.
Their unique market position as a dealmaker is at the crossroads of
advisory, debt and investment banking, without competing with them.
Practice Area’s:
Initial Public Offering – IPO
Financing IPO – Costs
SPACs
Swiss Financiers is managed by a group of entrepreneurs and experts that
have a proven track record in finance, innovation, start-up funding,
governance, management and leadership. Its team has a vast historic
experience in financial affairs and banking. Each of the founding partners
has a distinctive background from specialized yet complimentary sectors of
the industry. Swiss Financiers has expertise in areas such as: investments,
venture capital, private equity, debt, securities and investment banking.
Collectively, the team came to the same conclusion that business and
investment banks approach were too complex and too expensive to correctly
serve the majority of companies in need of support. The team is committed
to innovative IPO financing solutions supporting companies when they need
it and not when they are successful.
IPO Cost Financing is one of the key building blocks of Swiss Financiers
Taking a company public demands a certain amount of disposable cash that
is often considered a high barrier to entry.

At Swiss Financiers they have the experience to drive and manage the
financing requirements to go public on securities markets through
transaction financing.
Their team is committed to innovative Initial Public Offering (IPO) financing
solutions supporting companies when they need it and not when they are
already successful. Their team has decades of experience in IPOs (170+
IPOs) and one of our founding partners, Marc Deschenaux recently wrote an
article on IPO Financing Investments and was nominated in the Who’s Who
Legal.
Christian Frampton is a hands-on financier that work closely with
technologists, scientists & entrepreneurs. Historically he has helped earlystage
companies get to the next stage of their business development. He has
supported ventures by helping them achieve a strong operational backbone
whilst simultaneously organizing and structuring these businesses in-order
to ensure that they attract the right foundation capital & partners. He
helped establish business plans & organize fund raising and marketing
strategies. Allowing entrepreneurs to focus on their inventions and products.
PERSONAL OBJECTIVES for the firm:
• To be part of an entrepreneurial & forward-looking asset firm.
• To implement best of breed process & investor nurturing.
• To lead business development & growth strategies.
• To build a long-term sustainable portfolio of impact investments.
• To build on over twenty-five years of expertise in business
development, marketing & establishing networks & investment.
• Contribute to the financial success of our financial partners & clients.
• To dynamically manage teams & projects from inceptions to closings.
The firm’s Unique Business Proposal consists of decades of our team’s
experience in successfully accompanying companies through their Private
Equity needs – and then listing their businesses on the public security
markets. For its diverse client base, Swiss Financiers orchestrates the
processes of going public and improves cost efficiency at all times. Their firm
has developed an extensive international network, notably amongst
international financial institutions, licensed brokers, law firms, auditors,
and various additional stakeholders from around the globe. Developing
bridges across businesses, regions, people, cultures is one of the ingredients
of our “secret sauce”. These bridges are also one of the reasons we have
offices in the United States and in Switzerland and are planning to expand
in the next years in Asia.

Their Unique Business Proposal consists in several patent pending methods
and decades of experience of successfully listing businesses on the public
security markets.
Their disruptive platform is designed to offer double digit returns due to the
value created by the shift from early stage to public securities markets.
They modernize the processes to improve cost efficiency, notably on the
Nasdaq. It allows stock options holders to sell their shares on the public
market to interested institutional and retail buyers with improved ease.
SFI’s IPO Incubator structure is the foundation on which Swiss Financiers is
built.
Their Fin-Tech platform accompanies selected businesses by funding IPO
costs through Mezzanine Debt and/or Equity Capital. Furthermore, SFI
orchestrates the process of taking private security issuing companies to the
public securities markets.
SFI offers an all-in service covering the complex IPO process of quoting
businesses on securities market.
Taking a company public demands a certain amount of disposable cash that
often is considered a high barrier to entry.
By using Swiss Financiers proprietary Incremental Business Method, they
are able to manage a fundraising process effectively to finance the costs of
an IPO.
They have a proven track record of using our method to raise capital
effectively. Up until 1995 there was only the funding rounds method to sell
shares of a non-listed company. This method was exclusively used each time
a company needed to distribute securities. The price was fixed according to
the current state and valuation of the issuing company.
The Swiss Financiers Team has a proven history of taking companies public,
ensuring a transparent and accretive value proposal along the entire
process. Their unique platform streamlines and fast track an IPO process
through a time/cost-effective patent pending business method to
successfully raise capital on the public security markets.
Their major challenge has been filtering the sheer volume of companies that
approach us and selecting the right business to work with. There is a lot of
demand to take companies to the public markets and this demand is
accelerating.
They have been affected by the current economy and the events from around
the world currently but not necessarily in a negative way. Entrepreneurs are
increasingly interested in exploring the route of the public security markets
as this crisis has only accelerated the amount of unprecedented liquidity.
This liquidity is eager to find new companies and they position themselves

as one of the privileged routes of gaining access to the public markets. So,
the number of companies looking to engage with us has increased during
the Pandemic.
They have been accompanying the following companies over the last year.
MobiGroup
Intellectual Property Securitization (IPSE)
Eiffel International Corporation
Earth & Sky Corporation
Adreal Corporation
European Press Agency
The IPO Institute
Wild News Corporation
Swiss Financiers has an active deal flow of 6 companies ready to go public.
Our aim is to orchestrate approximately 4 IPOs per year. Swiss Financiers
aims also to organize and implement its own listing on the NASDAQ in a 24-
month period.
Contact Details:
Geneva Office
Swiss Financiers S.A.
Operations & Administration
Rue du Rhône 84
1204 Genève,
Switzerland
Email: info@SwissFinanciers.com

Tax Law Firm of the Year – Italy
Spadafora De Rosa Law has more than 15 years of history and can provide a full
range of services through its professionals and/or its broad international network.
Alessandro De Rosa has more than 20 years of experience in Contracts, Civil Law,
International Deals, Real Estate, Soccer, Aviation, Fashion, Hotels, VIP Properties,
Apps, etc.
He has a 24/7 problem solving attitude for any emergency of his clients.
Spadafora De Rosa Law has more than 15 years of history and can provide a full
range of services through its professionals and/or its broad international network.
The level of experience reached and the creativity of its professionals represent a
tremendous added value for its clients.
Practice Areas:
- Real estate transactions for VIP properties
- Hotels transactions
- Aviation Global business project start up
- Football deals closed in EU
- App contracts for a new international platform
- Distribution agreements for an international consortium
“Our work and commitments remain the same since our foundation 15 years ago. We
to work hard every single day, the success is proportional to the hours dedicated to
Your structure and clients.”
Contact Details:
Sede di Roma
Via di Trasone, 52 00199
Tel. 06 858221
Fax. 06 8582250
Email: a.derosa@spadaforaderosa.com

Alberto Ziliani – PrimeLex - Sports Lawyer the Year – Italy
PrimeLex is a law firm that offers customers a wide range of legal services, ranging
from listing on regulated markets to restructuring of groups, from any kind and
degree of litigation, to the protection of family assets to the valuation of companies.
PrimeLex operates in the main sectors of law and economics, including corporate
and M&A, sports law, real estate, labour law, bankruptcy law, criminal law,
litigation, in Milan, Lecco, Como and Rome. PrimeLex offers qualified assistance in
the extrajudicial and Judicial fields.
PrimeLex has 3 partners:
Alberto Ziliani,
Giacomo Micheletti is an expert in real estate.
Massimo Campa is an expert in company law and litigation.
Alberto Ziliani is a partner of PrimeLex, and is an expert in sports law and company
law
The experience he has gained allowed him to become a point of reference for any
legal requirements related to sports law, both for client’s contractual needs and for
litigations. Over the years he has been involved in several international transfers of
football top players and has been appointed lawyer in important disputes before the
TAS/CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport).
His skills and expertise enable him to assist champions of the world of cycling and
motorcycling, and deal with international sportsmen for the management of their
contracts and disciplinary disputes before arbitration proceedings.
His expertise in company law mainly concerns M&A transactions and the drafting
of commercial contracts. He is a member of the board of directors of the most
important private security employers’ associations in Europe (COESS) and Italy
(Federsicurezza).
Contact Details:
Address: Piazza del Duomo, 20 – 20122 Milano
tel. +39027222201/ fax +3902861375
www.primelex.it
email: milano@primelex.it

Business Crime Law Firm of the Year – UK
Rustem Guardian was founded in 2005 by Managing Partner, Mr. Timur Rustem,
after a very successful and high profile career based in the City of London. Just ten
years on, Rustem Guardian has established itself as a formidable niche criminal
defense law firm in London with a reputation associated with high profile and high
complex criminal cases. The firm's reputation means that Timur is regularly invited
to comment in the media.
Timur Rustem, founder and Managing Partner comments:
"We have a small but dedicated team with an enviable reputation for meticulous
case preparation and tenacity in defending its clients. We take pride in being a
multi-cultural firm with a team of solicitors and paralegals that speak a range of
languages. We are a leader in criminal defense work as Rustem Guardian uniquely
houses both solicitors and barristers, placing ourselves above other standard
practicing law firms.
Clients choose Rustem Guardian as the firm is known for its discreet and sensitive
approach to what can be complex and life destroying allegations.
We appreciate that the law is complex and challenging and we strive to give every
client the advice and support they are entitled to. We also recognize that problems
can arise at inconvenient times. We are therefore available to help 24 hours a day,
7 days a week."
Mr. Rustem is a highly sought after Serious Crime Solicitor with over twenty years'
experience in the City of London and the highest level of media exposure appearing
on Sky, the BBC, Channel 5 and ITV to name a few. Mr. Rustem was named
‘Recommended Lawyer, 2014’ by Legal 500 and has many accolades under his belt
including the prestigious ‘Super Lawyer’ award. Mr. Rustem is called upon
specifically for his focused specialist areas Sexual Offences, Fraud and Appeals and
has built a multi-award winning firm which is now one of the top criminal law firms
in the UK. Tim built his reputation in Terrorism Law and is often invited to
comment in the media on terrorism legislation. Most recently Rustem Guardian
was named ‘Niche Terrorism Law Firm of the Year 2014’ by ACQ5. His tenacious
and formidable approach was founded in his representation of a defendant in the
Airline Bombing (Terrorism) case in 2006, which won him the ‘Lawyer of the Year’,
presented at the House of Lords. His legal expertise covers, but is not restricted to:
• Serious Sexual Offences including Historical Sexual Offences, Rape, Sexual
Offences Against Children, Child Pornography, Indecent Exposure, Downloading
Indecent Images, Voyeurism, Trafficking and Sex Offenders Register
• Serious Fraud including VHCC, Boiler Room Fraud, Insurance Fraud, Mortgage
Fraud and Money Laundering

• Appeals against Conviction and Sentencing
• Serious Violent Offences including Murder
• Drug trafficking
• Terrorism
• Private Investigations and Private Prosecutions
• Private Immigration
• Blackmail
• Drug trafficking
• Motoring Offences
Sexual Offences
Since founding Rustem Guardian ten years ago, Mr. Rustem has an unrivalled
reputation in representing those accused of the most serious Sexual Offences and
is a sought-after legal expert often invited to comment in the media (please see
below). Mr. Rustem holds long-term and trusted relationships with his clients,
offering them sophisticated, practical and supportive legal advice. His depth of
experience means that he is well accustomed with media attention and is well
equipped to keep potentially high profile cases out of the public eye. His high
success rate coupled with his media profile is recognized; recently Rustem
Guardian was awarded ‘Niche Sexual Offences Law Firm of the Year, 2014’ by
ACQ5 in conjunction with the ft.com.
Fraud
Under Mr. Rustem’s leadership, Rustem Guardian was one of few UK criminal law
firms awarded prestigious status to deal with VHCC cases. Mr. Rustem was
recently awarded the accolade ‘Super Lawyer, 2013’ for his White Collar Fraud
work and ‘Business Crime Lawyer of the Year’, 2014 by Lawyer Monthly. Under Mr.
Rustem’s leadership of the Fraud department the firm has built a reputation for
taking on the most complex of Fraud cases which is widely recognized. Most
recently Rustem Guardian was awarded ‘Business Crime Law Firm of the Year
2014’ by Finance Monthly.
Appeals
Mr. Rustem is quickly establishing Rustem Guardian as the go-to firm for private
Appeals as his case load is growing in number and Mr. Rustem is realising more
wins. Mr. Rustem is passionate about fighting for justice and believes there are
many falsely accused individuals who have been sentenced unjustly, taking on
Appeals at any stage. He understands that in these cases it is the wider family and
friends that also victims of convictions, and Mr. Rustem approaches cases with the
utmost sensitivity and care.
Contact Details:
Rustem Guardian LLP
5 Chancery Lane
4th floor
London
EC4A 1BL

Corporate Finance Accountancy Firm of the Year—Greece
KPMG in Greece is member of the global KPMG network of professional
services firms. With a presence in Greece since 1971, we are 400
outstanding local professionals providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services,
to help our clients meet their goals. Our team combines cumulatively over
100 years of expertise related to various industries and areas of expertise,
such as investment banking, industrial companies, audit, tax and legal,
thus being able to source the ideal experts for each engagement in order to
deliver a unique and value added service to the client.
The corporate finance practice of KPMG Greece has served as a pioneering
advisor to a large number of clients and decision makers including global
corporations in the retail/consumer goods industry, manufacturing,
telecoms, banking, infrastructure and pharmaceuticals. Services offered
include M&A, Valuations, Capital Raising, Restructuring, and Structured
Financial Modelling as well as Private Equity Advisory services. KPMG’s
corporate finance arm has been among the leading advisory firms to be
appointed as advisors to the Hellenic Republic in advising them in
privatizations and restructuring projects. Our Corporate Finance practice is
led by professionals having a vast combined experience of over 30 years in
advisory and investment banking practices.
Certain macroeconomic conditions in Greece have driven many companies
in financial difficulties and indebtedness. In this context, companies have to
strive dealing with correlated difficulties such as high unemployment, low
private consumption, lack of liquidity, low investing appetite, real estate
properties devaluation and increased corporate taxation.
KPMG has met each client’s expectation in a very challenging and
demanding environment, where creativity is also required when taking all
these factors in consideration when providing the best advice to our clients.
Indicative List of Clients we have worked with recently, include:
Forthnet S.A. (listed telco)
Power Public Corporation
National Bank of Greece
Ilva Group
A leading resorts operator (undisclosed)
Eurobank SA

Starbulk (NASDAQ listed company)
Hellenic Republic – restructuring and privatization projects
Delhaize Group
Goodyear Hellas
Dromeus Capital
We normally build our solutions based on our previous experience in similar
cases, and are flexible enough to draw on the relevant expertise outside our
organization when required. That being said, we do also deliver tailor made
services to meet our clients’ objectives in very complex projects.
The local market will be highly affected by the progress in the political scene
and the results of the elections which are to take place by the end of
January. The debate for the so-called “Gr-exit” has come up again, but we
believe that a smoother solution will prevail.
Assuming that no macroeconomic accident will occur in 2015, we will
continue to grow the Corporate Finance practice with a focus on the most
promising sectors of the Greek economy such as tourism, the financial
sector and telecommunications. Debt restructuring and refinancing issues
will continue to be of priority within 2015 too.
Contact Details
KPMG Greece
Thanos Tsotsoros
Director,
Financial Advisory Services, Head of Corporate Finance & Restructuring.
atsotsoros@kpmg.gr
tel. + 30 210 60 62 100

Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year –
Slovenia
KETNER®, Legal Consultancy, Representation and Protection, Ltd., PATENT ATTORNEY, is
a Slovenian law firm, founded in 2008 by Meti Ketner, an excellent lawyer with extensive
practice in the field of intellectual property and beyond.
Slovenia, as KETNER® Ltd.’s home country, was in the year 2020 classified as part of the
advanced economies group by the International Monetary Fund. It is a country with brilliant,
inventive people possessing top-notch knowledge in all fields of activity, which is the winning
and forward-looking base for a bright future in which KETNER® Ltd. proudly ranks.
KETNER® Ltd. brings together the best experts in the field of Intellectual property law (IP).
Some of the experts have been active in intellectual property for more than 20 years, which
enables the company to achieve the best results in obtaining protection with patents,
registered trademarks, and industrial designs… The key strengths of KETNER® Ltd. are many
years of experience, and personal approach to each client, a great collaboration with partner
patent and law firms globally, enabling its clients to acquire intellectual property rights in
most countries around the world.
KETNER® Ltd. offers:
- Patent protection for inventions in Slovenia, in Europe and around the world:
consultation, preparation, and filing of patent applications and client’s representation
in patent protection procedures in Slovenia, in the PCT international patent protection
procedure for 153 countries and other countries worldwide;
- Trademark protection in Slovenia, Europe and worldwide: consultation, preparation,
and filing of trademark applications and client’s representation in trademark
registration procedures in Slovenia, throughout the European Union, in the
international trademark registration procedure for 125 countries and other countries
around the world;
- Industrial design protection in Slovenia, in Europe and around the world:
consultation, preparation, and filing of industrial design applications and client’s
representation in industrial design protection procedures in Slovenia, throughout the
European Union, in the international industrial design registration procedures for 92
countries and other countries around the world;
- Consultation and preparation of IP contracts: IP rights transfer agreements, license
agreements, copyright agreements and other agreements in the field of IP;
- IP appraisals: partners are court appraisers and specialized in inventive activity. IP
Appraisal may include knowledge gained by experience or by accidental events,
knowledge, and skills gained outside traditional work, know-how, innovations,
trademarks and/or service marks, patents, industrial designs… Court appraised IP
can be, in accordance to the Slovenian law, used as the share capital of the company;
- Preparation and filing of opposition in IP protection procedures;
- IP monitoring;
- Legal consultation, negotiations, representation, protection and enforcement of
intellectual property rights in the field of IP in Slovenia and worldwide;
- Registration of copyright works with the Copyright Agency of Slovenia;

- Representation in domain name alternative dispute resolution procedures;
- Professional translations of legal texts.
KETNER® Ltd. is a member of AIPF (https://aipf.com/), an Association of Intellectual
Property Firms based in New York, USA, international associations of independent specialized
firms that most of their practice dedicates to patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and boasts
a team of established experts, both at the national level, as well as worldwide. KETNER® is
also a member of the AEA International Lawyers Network (AEA) (aeuropea.com). The AEA,
which aims to offer customers the best services around the world, is one of the largest legal
networks in the world in what relates to the number of countries covered.
Meti Ketner, the CEO, Director, and Owner of KETNER® Ltd. is a passionate and innovative
lawyer and a businesswoman, European Trademark and Design Attorney. She takes care
that KETNER® Ltd. is constantly progressing, expanding, and providing services on which
clients can rely on. Before practicing law in her own company, Meti Ketner worked for the
larger Slovenian professional legal offices and institutions of public importance, participating
in international projects of great importance for Slovenia. Meti Ketner is a member of the
FICM (Federation of Integrated Conflict Management) based in New Delhi, India
https://mediationhub.org/) and is a member of the Global Law Expert
(https://www.globallawexperts.com/), based in London, UK. She is also a recommended
member of ADVISORY EXCELLENCE (Meti Ketner - Advisory Excellence) in the field of
intellectual property for the Republic of Slovenia.
KETNER® Ltd., with a wide range of highly qualified experts through the network of its
intellectual property experts, patent attorneys, trademark and design attorneys, and lawyers
worldwide, has developed into a successfully growing modern company open to current and
future challenges to provide its clients with the best protection of their IP rights standing the
test of times.
KETNER® Ltd… For Strong, Secure and Reliable future…
Contact Details:
Practice Areas:
Intellectual Property
Industrial Property
Patents
Trademarks
Industrial designs
Geographical indications
Domain names
IP appraisals
ZEBRA® - sound trademarks
TEMPELJ®-translation of texts from the field of IP
KETNER®, Legal Consultancy, Representation and Protection, Ltd., PATENT ATTORNEY
Tržaška cesta 134, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
T: +386 (0) 51 344 655, F: +386 (0) 599 42 142, E: info@ketner.si
Web: www.zascita.si , www.zebra.expert
Meti Ketner, CEO, director, owner

Corporate Law Firm of the Year – Argentina
We are a leading corporate law firm that provides innovative and effective legal
solutions to companies of various specialties and fields.
We foster a pioneering culture based on high performance, teamwork and results
orientation, aligning legal advice with the objectives of our clients.
JORGE DANIEL GRISPO born in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires on
December 10, 1965, is a nationally recognized lawyer specialized in corporate law,
advising and representing companies of various specialties and fields, with a
profuse academic and professional activity.
He is a member of the Argentine Institute of Commercial Law and publishes
periodic publications in the main legal media in the country, such as La Ley, El
Derecho, Abogados.com, Errepar, Rubinzal-Culzoni, among the most prominent.
He is a lecturer and has participated as an exhibitor in numerous academic events
of his specialty.
He began his law studies at the Universidad del Salvador School of Law, obtaining
the title of lawyer on September 28, 1993. Later, he completed a master's degree in
Business Law at the Austral University, obtaining the title of “Magister in Business
Law”, the December 18, 1995, University in which, later did a Postmaster with
specialization in Corporate Law.
In October 2002, he graduated as a “Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Legal
Studies” from Pacific Western University, Los Angeles, California. Later he
continued his studies obtaining a master’s degree in Business Administration at
the Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA). In 2008 he completed a specialization in
Small and Medium Business Management (DPME) at the IAE (Institute of High
Business Studies of the Austral University).
His academic career led him to be a professor of Commercial Law, Bankruptcy Law,
Commercial Societies, Strategy of the Loyal Department and Corporate Dynamics,
both in undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Buenos Aires, at
the Austral University, at the Catholic University. Argentina and in other
prestigious private universities in the Argentine Republic.
Contact Details:
Tucumán 637, 3 ° (CABA)
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
studio@estudiogrispo.com.ar

Business Advisory Firm of the Year – UK
For nearly 30 years, Cavendish has only acted for business owners. In the last past year,
we have advised on the sale of 19 businesses, helping proprietors achieve the best possible
price for their companies, finding new owners who can take those businesses forward and
accelerate their growth and performance.
Understanding the range of businesses and technologies to a micro level is the challenge we
at Cavendish have set ourselves. Helping us achieve this objective are our specialist team
led by experts with backgrounds in fields such as engineering and finance together with
years spent in corporate finance.
Our entrenched expertise in so many subsectors is matched by unrivalled contacts with
leading UK and multinationals. In addition, we can leverage centres of excellence within
Oaklins such as the oil and gas team in Dallas, our aerospace team in Seattle or the
automotive and aerospace hub in Germany.
Oaklins is the world’s most experience mid-market M&A advisor. Over the last 5 years,
Oaklins specialists have closed over 1,500 deals involving industry specialists, taking a
global view and leveraging our deep local connections.
The relationships across the alliance underpin our commitment to continuous investment
in innovation, leadership and the incorporation of best practices from across all of our
business activities.
To achieve such success, in a challenging market wrestling with the challenges of Brexit, we
have developed an unrivalled knowledge of potential buyer pools and established teams of
sector specialists, who are recognised authorities in their areas offering business owners
expert advice on the best preparation, strategy and likely buyers to ensure a successful
sale. Utilising our international network of M&A advisors we have continued to source
overseas buyers, who typically pay a premium for UK businesses – about half of the
companies we sold last year were to international buyers.
There are almost no other firms that operate in the corporate finance arena that have the
sole purpose of selling businesses; most represent buyers as well and this invariably begs
the question by astute owners of business, are our advisors completely aligned with us?
For nearly 30 years, Cavendish’s answer has been unequivocally “yes”.
Contact Details:
Company: Cavendish Corporate Finance
Email: info@cavendish.com
Web Address: www.cavendish.com
Address: 40 Portland Place, London W1B 1NB
Telephone: 020 7908 600

Financial Analysis Firm of the Year - USA
Demotech, Inc. is a financial analysis firm located in Columbus, Ohio. Since 1985, Demotech
has been serving the insurance industry by providing actuarial consulting as well as accurate
and proven Financial Stability Ratings® (FSRs) for Property & Casualty insurance companies
and Title underwriters. FSRs are a leading indicator of the financial stability of an insurer. In
1989 Demotech became the first insurer rating services in the United States to review and rate
independent, regional and specialty insurers based upon the company’s execution of its
business model and not its size. The rating process provides an objective baseline as well as
insight as to the financial stability of an insurer. Demotech levels the playing field by offering
FSRs to insurers of all sizes.
Demotech distinguishes itself from other rating services in many ways. Four distinguishing
characteristics are the industry experience of our analysts, long tenure of our analysts, our
focus on an insurer’s business model rather than its size, and the transparency of our analysis
process. In total, our four primary analysts average more than 30 years of progressively
responsible insurance experience. Furthermore, the same four primary analysts average more
than twenty years of tenure with Demotech. As a result, carriers that contact Demotech can be
assured of comparable treatment, institutional memory and consistent outcomes due to the
professionalism and tenure of our staff.
As noted, our analysts, including myself, are experienced professionals. I am an actuary with
forty years of insurance and financial analysis experience. Sharon Romano Petrelli, co-founder
of Demotech, has earned the designations of CPCU, AIAF, CCP and ARC. She has served on the
board of an insurer as well as the board of governors of the CPCU Society. She has thirty years
of insurance experience. Barry J. Koestler, II, Chief Ratings Officer, a Chartered Financial
Analyst, has more than twenty years of insurance and financial analysis experience including
rate filings, loss and loss adjustment expense reserving and financial analysis. He has
coordinated the development and monitoring of FSRs since 1996. Robert M. Warren, CPCU, CPA,
Client Services Manager, has served as the chief financial officer of several insurers. His forty
years of experience includes more than ten years with Demotech.
Although other rating agencies seem fascinated by the size of an insurer and its diversification,
neither size nor diversification has kept insurers out of liquidation. In fact, some of the largest
insolvencies in the history of insurance were substantial publicly traded carriers that touted
their diversification. As such, Demotech focuses on a carrier’s business model and its execution
of that model. In 2007 we introduced our Company Classification System to initiate dialogue on
business models.
A Comment from Joseph Petrelli:
“I am the President and Founder of Demotech, Inc. Organized in 1985, Demotech is a Columbus,
Ohio based financial analysis company. Demotech reviews and rates more than 420 carriers
domiciled in the United States. Our clients include larger, publicly traded carriers as well as
regional insurance companies, title underwriters, risk retention groups and specialty insurance
markets. Financial Stability Ratings® of A or better are accepted by the secondary mortgage
marketplace, virtually all mortgage lenders and an increasing number of umbrella insurance
markets, insurance agents errors and omissions insurance carriers, reinsurance carriers and
other informed third parties.
Prior to forming Demotech, I was employed by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company,
Countryway Insurance and ISO. I am a member in good standing of the Casualty Actuarial
Society, American Academy of Actuaries,

The Conference of Consulting Actuaries, and the Society of Actuaries. I graduated from The
College of Insurance and have an MBA from The Ohio State University.”
In addition to our efforts reviewing and rating insurance carriers, two of our clients during
2015 were the State of Ohio Office of Risk Management and State of Iowa Title Guaranty
Division. When these public entities needed experienced, credentialed actuaries to assist
them with the pricing and evaluation of their casualty insurance exposure and title guaranty
exposure, respectively, our actuaries were the first choice. Recent acknowledgements of our
insurer rating capabilities include HUD’s re-affirmation of our acceptance in its Section 232
Handbook and expanding our acceptance to its Section 241(a) program, Fannie Mae
Multifamily acceptance of risk retention groups and captive insurers rated A or better, our
nomination for Intelligent Insurer’s Global Award – Best Rating Agency (2014 and 2015) and
securing the ACQ5 award for US – Niche Financial Analysis Provider – Insurance, two
consecutive years, 2014 and 2015. In addition Demotech was nominated for the Rating
Agency of the Year at the fall 2015 Reactions North America Gala. We were also honored with
the Florida Association for Insurance Reform’s Founder’s Award at its 2015 annual meeting.
More recently we secured the Financial Monthly – M&A Awards 2015 – Financial Analysis
Firm of the Year – USA and the Corporate Vision – Corporate Excellence Award 2015 – Best
Evaluator of US Regional and Specialty Insurers & Sustained Excellence in Insurer Financial
Analysis.
Our clients operate in an environment dominated by low interest rates and the pressure that
places on earnings from an underwriting profit. Emerging coverages, such as cyber liability,
data breach, or gap coverages associated with addressing the need to supplement personal
automobile insurance policies for commercial use associated with transportation network
companies focus our experienced, professional analysts on a collaborative role with clients.
Our analysts are well versed in the traditional aspects of insurance and reinsurance.
Concurrently, as educated professionals they are comfortable with the development or
analysis of creative strategies and products to address emerging consumer needs. Our
experienced and credentialed analysts often provided clients with peer review and
independent feedback on aspects of the client’s current and future operations.
Demotech is focused on continuing to grow and serve our current and our future clients.
With a team of experienced, credentialed professionals, we are uniquely positioned to address
the current as well as the emerging issues that must be addressed. In May 2016, we will host
a seminar addressing the needs of regional and specialty carriers in the important areas of
product development, client retention, and the identification and response to emerging
issues.
Contact Details:
Joseph Petrelli
Demotech, Inc.
2715 Tuller Parkway
Dublin, Ohio 43017-2310
Main: (800)354-7207
Direct: (614) 526-2160
FAX: (614) 526-2161
JPetrelli@demotech.com
www.demotech.com

Alternative Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year –
Philippines
Mr. Simeon V. Marcelo, in 1979, graduated among the top of his law class in
University of the Philippines and placed No. 5 in the bar examinations. With big
corporations, then President Ramos and other prominent individuals as clients, he
had distinguished himself as a topnotch litigator after twenty years of private
practice of law. He caught national public attention during the 2000 impeachment
proceedings against President Estrada when he was selected to present the
prosecution’s star witness. In February 2001, he was appointed as Solicitor
General. Having won all of his major cases, he is considered one of the most
successful Solicitors General. This led to his appointment in October 2002 as the
youngest head of the country’s independent anti-corruption body. Despite severe
lack of resources, he was able to pursue an effective crusade against corruption,
earning praises from local and foreign media. The Washington Post stated that Mr.
Marcelo actively pursued a crusade “taking on the most powerful vested and
entrenched interests in a country that perennially ranks among the worlds’ most
corrupt xxx”; “targeting the most corrupt agencies, daring to prosecute even
members of the historically untouchable military.” (10 June 2005, at page A14) He
led the prosecution team that secured the historical first-ever criminal conviction of
a President.
In January 2008, he returned to private practice with two publications describing
him as “perhaps the country’s best litigator”. Immediately, he was engaged as
counsel of top corporations and even by the Central Bank to prosecute the persons
responsible for the biggest bank fraud case in the country’s history. Since then, he
won many major legal victories, particularly at the Supreme Court. Just last year,
he again led his team in winning a multi-billion case in the Supreme Court.
In 2013-2014, he served with an ICC Arbitral Tribunal that resolved two related
disputes that arose from allegations of corruption. The following year, he headed
the panel that secured a favorable award in an important construction arbitration
dispute. Subsequently, he became the Chairman of the Tribunal that handled a
very significant international arbitration case. Incidentally, he handled his first
arbitration case in 1984 and was a founding trustee of the Philippine Dispute
Resolution Center, Inc. in 1996.
From 2008-2014, he served as a member of the World Bank’s highly-prominent
Independent Advisory Board.
He was President of the Philippine Bar Association from 2009-2010, the oldest,
largest voluntary organization of lawyers. The University of the Philippines Alumni
Association conferred upon him the 2013 Centennial Year’s Distinguished Alumni
Award in Public Service.

Currently, he serves as legal counsel in high-profile cases in various courts,
including the Supreme Court, aside from being active in arbitration and the
crusade for good governance.
Fifteen partners led by former Presidential Legal Counsel/Secretary of National
Defense Avelino J. Cruz, Jr. and former Solicitor General/Ombudsman Simeon V.
Marcelo, name partners of their former law office, founded Cruz Marcelo &
Tenefrancia (CMTLAW) to establish a lasting legal institution anchored on
professionalism, meritocracy, excellence, innovation and mutual respect. Its
leadership is rich in experience in the public/private sectors as well as in
international organizations (e.g., World Bank and Asian Development Bank).
Consequently, CMTLaw is deeply committed to delivering the best legal services to
help its clients attain optimum business success, as well as contribute to national
building. Now, CMTLaw has twenty partners.
CMTLaw’s lawyers have three decades of experience in Litigation & Alternative
Dispute Resolution, Corporation & Special Projects, Mining & Natural Resources,
Energy, Infrastructure Transportation & Public Utilities, Intellectual Property, and
Taxation. By matching arduous training with expansive experience (which also
enables it to attract top legal talents), CMTLaw delivers tailored solutions to its
broad spectrum of clients that includes established conglomerates, leading banking
and financial institutions, multinational corporations and even entire industries
and government regulatory institutions like the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
Apart from what was just mentioned above, the Firm has unmatched experience in
all aspects of the Philippine legal system, including court litigation, alternative
dispute resolution, government and infrastructure programs, intellectual property,
corporate structures and anti-corruption initiatives. This experience comes from
almost thirty years in legal practice of the Firm’s lawyers. Our founding partners
also have the unique distinction of having served in the highest position of
government with Atty. Avelino J. Cruz, Jr. as Secretary of Defense and Chief
Presidential Legal Counsel, Simeon V. Marcelo as Ombudsman and Solicitor
General, and Joe Nathan P. Tenefrancia as the Head of the Legal department of the
Office of the President. Other Partners have also served in top positions in
government. This experience, which has been imparted to other members of the
Firm, has allowed us a unique understanding of the Philippine legal system and
allows our Firm to serve our clients most effectively.
The Firm is managed by its Management Committee headed by the Managing
Partner and Chairman, Mr. Joe Nathan P. Tenefrancia (a Name Partner); Mr.
Manuel L. Manaligod, Jr., Vice-Chairman; Chief Finance Officer, Ms. Susan D.
Villanueva; Secretary, Ms. Aida Araceli G. Roxas-Rivera and three (3) Members, Ms.
Patricia A. O. Bunye (Senior Partner), Mr. Rodel A. Cruz (Senior Partner) and Mr.
Pancho G. Umali (representative of the Junior Partners). The different practice
groups of the Firm are supervised by their respective Department Heads.
Contact Details:
CRUZ MARCELO & TENEFRANCIA
Simeon V. Marcelo – Founding Partner
9th, 10th, 11th & 12th Floor, One Orion Tower
11th Avenue corner University Parkway
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634 Metro Manila, Philippines

Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year –
Switzerland
At Baker McKenzie, our reputation is our most valuable asset. We earn it every day
with the choices we make – for our clients, our Firm, our communities and
ourselves.
For generations, our lawyers found direction in our culture of integrity. When
something didn't seem right, they drew on the Firm's collective wisdom to guide
their choices. But that's no longer enough. Our clients have a right to know what
we stand for and how we ensure compliance in a complex and changing world.
So we have created a Code of Business Conduct to be certain that all of our people
– lawyers and non-lawyers alike – understand our policies, and the values and
principles that are expected to guide our choices. The Code is required reading for
every partner and employee worldwide. And we offer it here for others to review.
The Code spells out our policies, legal and ethical obligations and responsibilities in
a number of areas. It provides guidance on how to act when specific, clear policies
are not available. And it reflects our commitment as a signatory to the UN Global
Compact to align our policies and operations with the Compact's principles in the
areas of human rights, fair labor, the environment and anti-corruption.
Prof. Joachim G. Frick
Prof. Dr. Joachim Frick, LL.M./J.S.D. practices mainly in the areas of dispute
resolution, insurance and corporate law and became a partner in 2001. He
regularly represents clients as a party counsel in litigation and arbitration
proceedings with special emphasis on corporate, insurance, and M&A disputes. He
heads the insurance practice of the Zurich office and co-heads the European
Financial Services & Insurance Group as a steering committee member. He advises
Swiss and international insurance and reinsurance clients in litigious and nonlitigious
insurance matters and was named one of the leading insurance lawyers in
Switzerland by Who is Who' Legal and the IBA's Who is Who of Business Lawyers.
In addition to practicing as a lawyer, Joachim Frick regularly teaches as a
professor of law at Zurich University (Titularprofessor). He is a member and regular
speaker in various professional organizations concerning his areas of practice. He
is a graduate of Zurich University (Dr. iur. 1992) and Yale Law School (LL.M. 1996,
J.S.D. 2000) and has practiced with Baker McKenzie Taipei and Chicago.

Practice Areas:
Commercial Litigation
Compliance & Investigations
Dispute Resolution
Financial Institutions
Insurance
International Arbitration
Mergers & Acquisitions
Private M&A
Practice Focus
Prof. Frick represents clients as a party counsel in litigation and arbitration
proceedings with special emphasis on insurance, corporate and post-M&A
disputes. In addition, Prof. Frick advises insurance and reinsurance companies on
regulatory, corporate and compliance matters and represents them in transactions
as well as in front of regulator, courts and arbitral tribunals. He also regularly
advises clients in aviation and aircraft financing transactions.
Contact Details:
Joachim Frick
Baker & McKenzie Zurich
Holbeinstrasse 30, P.O. Box
8034 Zürich
Switzerland
+41 44 384 14 14
Joachim.Frick@bakermckenzie.com

Criminal Défense Law Firm of the Year – UK
ABR Solicitors is a nationally recognised criminal defence solicitors practice
specialising in fraud, crime, and regulatory defence. Our mental health and prison
law teams are highly regarded throughout the North of England. We have offices in
Leeds, Liverpool, and London.
Rob Rode
Practice Areas:
Criminal Defence
Business Defence
POCA/Confiscation
Regulatory Solicitors
Professional Discipline
Military Law
Mental Health
Prison Law Advice and Representation
Firearms
Private Prosecution
Rob is a nationally and internationally recognised specialist criminal defence
solicitor. He is an acknowledged specialist fraud (white collar) and regulatory
defence solicitor. He is described in one of the leading guides to the profession as
“like a terrier that never stops digging”. Rob is a supervisor on the Specialist Fraud
Panel set up by the Legal Aid Agency. He is a higher court advocate.
He is described in Chambers 2019 as “a very good lawyer” and a “fearsome
advocate” and recognised as a leading individual in crime fraud and financial crime
by the most recent Legal 500 and Chambers editions, both nationally and locally.
He represents individuals and companies in the UK and abroad facing
investigation/prosecution under the Bribery Act or multijurisdictional legislation
including FCPA. He has experience of dealing with prosecution authorities across
several jurisdictions.
Rob undertakes fraud defence, regulatory defence, white collar defence involving
international/cross-jurisdictional issues, defence of tax /VAT fraud, motoring, and
general criminal matters with (again, according to a leading independent guide) “a
certain panache”.
Rob undertakes private prosecutions on behalf of individuals and companies.

Rob has acted as defence solicitor successfully in numerous cases defending
historic and present-day sexual offence allegations. He also has a particular
interest in defending allegations of serious violence and murder.
He is tactically astute and will ensure that when appropriate a pro-active defence is
pursued in all cases.
Rob trained at Irwin Mitchell and joined the firm in 1998 becoming a partner in
2002 and senior/managing partner in 2013. He was chairman of the Serious Fraud
Association and is a member of SAHCA,POCLA,CLSA the International Criminal
Bar, The American Bar Association, and a member of the criminal duty solicitor
defence scheme.
Contact Details:
81 Chancery Lane
London
WC2A 1DD
0333 009 8181
rob.rode@abrsolicitors.com

Criminal Law Firm of the Year – Italy
The law firm provides legal assistance in criminal matters all over the Italian
territory, also making use of a capillary and established network of
correspondents, as well as through the support of technical expertise.
It actively participates and collaborates in judicial activities forward the
judicial authorities of foreign countries, Europe and beyond.
The competence of the law firm is mainly focused on commercial criminal
law (corporate crimes, financial crimes and bankruptcy), environmental
criminal law, crimes against property, Public Administration crimes, medical
professional negligence, job security, intellectual property crimes and related
crimes.
Partners:
Mario Brusa
Sergio Spagnolo
Paolo Tosoni
Mauro Carelli
The main purpose of legal advice on criminal law given to private citizens,
public entities and firms concerns the risk management related to the
activity of the criminal enterprise, in the several field of economic criminal
law.
The law firm offers, systematically, advice and assistance regarding
‘Corporate administrative liability’ (D.lgs 231/01), prevention of accidents,
environmental protection, ‘Voluntary Disclosure’ and ‘privacy’.
Contact Details:
Studio Legale
Brusa Spagnolo Tosoni Carelli
Viale Piave, 11 - 20129 Milano
Tel: 02/796498
Fax: 02/76000670
E-mail studio@studiobst.com

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