King & Wood Mallesons is proud to announce it has won the coveted prize of Innovation in Legal Expertise in Strategic Collaborations for Clients at the 2016 FT Innovative Lawyers Awards. The firm was ranked as the 18th most innovative law firm in Europe.
In a highly complex project for its client Recipco, King & Wood Mallesons was recognised for its ‘Standout’ work in creating the legal framework for the ECO Capacity, a disruptive economic innovation based on a new virtual currency. Led by EUME managing partner Tim Bednall, with partners Andrew Wingfield, Lorraine Vaz and Tim Dolan, the team was praised for creating a “mechanism for facilitating barter-like transactions using a new concept of money.”
Commenting on the firm’s success, Tim Bednall said, "This is a significant achievement for King & Wood Mallesons in Europe. With innovation at the heart of our strategy, it is wonderful for our pioneering and entrepreneurial approach to working with clients to be recognised in this way. We continue to push the boundaries of what can be achieved for our clients, and we are excited to help shape their future."
The firm was also shortlisted and highly ranked in two other categories. International Funds partners Ed Hall and Warren Allen led a team to structure a three-part transaction for Palamon Capital Partners. The deal, which was ranked ‘Highly Commended’, provided a new model for the private equity secondaries market in Europe.
In the Innovation in Culture, Brand and Strategy category, the firm's trust-based brand proposition, which aims to enhance our lawyers’ understanding of the firm’s brand and develop client relationships, was ranked second overall and received 'Standout' status.
Stuart Fuller, Global Managing Partner, said, “To be recognised as one of top twenty law firms in Europe is a huge honour and privilege. These European rankings are a terrific external endorsement of our strategy to drive client excellence and industry innovation in both European and global markets.”
These results build on King & Wood Mallesons’ triple victory at the FT Innovative Lawyers Asia Awards earlier in the year, winning ‘Most Innovative Law Firm in China’, the ‘Business of Law’ and ‘Most Innovative Individual Lawyer’, which was awarded to Global Chairman Wang Junfeng.