The London office of Vinson & Elkins opened in 1971, making V&E one of the first U.S.-based law firms to establish an office in the UK. In 1994, V&E was one of the first U.S. firms to establish a multi-national partnership in order to practice English, as well as U.S. law. Our London office is primarily comprised of English solicitors and U.S. lawyers, although several of our lawyers are licensed in other jurisdictions as well.
From London, our lawyers represent many U.S., European, and other clients on matters throughout Europe and around the world. These matters include, for example: international energy transactions; project development and financing transactions, including energy, water, and other infrastructure projects; transnational mergers and acquisitions; corporate and securities advice; joint ventures and other strategic alliances; banking and finance; construction; licensing and distribution arrangements; employment matters; and litigation and arbitration.
London serves as a coordinating center for V&E's operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, and the former Soviet Union with respect to clients operating out of the U.S., London, and elsewhere.Vinson & Elkins' London office is considered strategically important to the firm’s overall success, and its structured expansion serves the needs of our significant international client base. The office continues to grow as a result of the high quality of work these clients have entrusted to us.
The core practices of our London office include:
Corporate Finance and Securities
V&E lawyers provide a range of general corporate finance advice to a wide variety of clients including investment banks, private equity funds, and public and private companies. In addition, we advise clients on matters relating to compliance with the securities laws of the U.S.
Energy
Lawyers in our London office, together with V&E's global energy practice, advise on virtually every aspect of the energy industry, including areas of law relating to upstream and downstream oil and gas, pipeline transportation agreements, terminal processing arrangements, marketing agreements, power purchase agreements, and related concession agreements, energy trading arrangements, and other energy-related contracts. Clients include international energy companies, as well as governmental entities.
International Litigation and Arbitration
Our International Dispute Resolution (IDR) lawyers have immense experience in international litigation and arbitration. We have represented both domestic and foreign parties in international civil litigation in U.S. and foreign courts and in international arbitrations, under leading institutional rules. Our IDR lawyers are regularly involved in cases before international tribunals, constituted arbitral institutions and pursuant to ad-hoc rules, giving V&E one of the most extensive international arbitration practices among our peer firms. We have tried arbitrations around the world in virtually every common arbitral venue and under all major international rules systems. Our IDR lawyers also have deep knowledge of the field of foreign investment which is particularly focused on the energy industry and on other affiliated areas such as construction, regulation, tariffs, finance, taxation, and intellectual property.
Mergers and Acquisitions
The London office has a large, highly successful and expanding M&A practice. Clients are drawn from a variety of sectors, including U.S.-based high tech corporates, private equity houses, and multinationals in the oil and gas, petrochemicals, and energy industries. Clients include indigenous European corporates and individuals and U.S. companies investing in Europe and elsewhere.
Project Development and Finance
We have extensive experience advising lenders, developers, sponsors, governments, and others in the development and financing of major international projects. These matters range from projects involving power and energy to telecommunications and infrastructure in general.
Other General Commercial Practice Areas
Our lawyers regularly advise on a wide variety of other matters, including those governed by laws of England and Wales, the U.S., and other jurisdictions. These include intellectual property, employment, taxation, regulatory, trusts and estates, and environmental matters.
Solicitors and Registered Foreign Lawyers. A list of partner names is available for inspection at CityPoint, One Ropemaker Street, London EC2Y 9UE. Vinson & Elkins RLLP is a limited liability partnership formed under the laws of New York and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (No. 00079019).