CMS Cameron McKenna
Encyclopedia
CMS Cameron McKenna LLP (sometimes referred to as Camerons or, internally, CMCK) is an international law firm
headquartered in London
, United Kingdom
. It has over 130 partner
s and offices throughout Europe.
The firm has a second London insurance law-focused office in Leadenhall Street
, near Lloyd's of London
.
es. The acronym's letters derive from two of the founder firms, Cameron McKenna and Sigle (now CMS Hasche Sigle). CMS is a European Economic Interest Grouping
(EEIG) and is managed by an executive committee based in Frankfurt
, Germany
.
CMS offices and associated offices
Through its members, the organisation has offices across Asia, Africa (Casablanca
), South America and Europe, including: Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Zurich, Aberdeen, Algiers, Antwerp, Arnhem, Beijing, Belgrade, Bratislava, Bristol, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Casablanca, Cologne, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Kiev, Leipzig, Ljubljana, Lyon, Marbella, Milan, Montevideo, Moscow, Munich, New York, Prague, São Paulo, Sarajevo, Seville, Shanghai, Sofia, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Utrecht, Warsaw and Zagreb.
The members of CMS are in association with The Levant Lawyers with offices in Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait.
CMS' member firms comprise:
The firm specialises in the following areas:
Sector Groups
The firm also operates along sector lines, focusing on the following industry groups:
In 1997 Cameron Markby Hewitt merged with fellow City of London
law firm, McKenna & Co, to form Cameron McKenna (renamed CMS Cameron McKenna in 1999). The firms of Cameron Markby and Hewitt Woollacott & Chown had merged in 1989 to become Cameron Markby Hewitt. Prior to that Cameron Kemm Norden of New Street, London, EC2, off Bishopsgate, merged with Markbys of London Wall, either in 1980 or 1981.
CMS Cameron McKenna took over Central and Eastern European law firm Hayhurst Robinson in January 2006.
The firm moved into its Mitre House headquarters in July 1998, near the Barbican
.
Henry Markby, a name partner in legacy firm Cameron Markby Hewitt, is alluded to (usually in an unflattering manner) in a number of Oscar Wilde's
plays
, most notably in The Importance of Being Earnest
, when Lady Bracknell says that her solicitor
s are Markby, Markby and Markby.
Markby, who was President
of the Law Society of England and Wales
in 1887, had fallen out with Wilde
, a former friend for reasons unknown.
incorporated as a limited liability partnership
in 2005.
The current Managing Partner of the firm is Duncan Weston. The Senior Partner is Richard Price. The firm has particular strengths in major projects and construction
, project finance
, oil
and gas
, hotel and real estate
work. The firm's other main practice areas include banking, finance
and corporate.
In the financial year 2007-08, CMS Cameron McKenna ranked 11th by turnover
in The Lawyer's
Top 100 list of law firms in the United Kingdom.http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=132763
The firm is regarded as one of the leading law firms in Central and Eastern Europe by Chambers Global.http://www.chambersandpartners.com/Global/Firms/499-34953
The firm concentrates its services in eight industry sectors - construction & development, project finance, life sciences, consumer goods, financial institutions and services, energy and utilities, hotels and leisure and technology, media and communications.
CMS Cameron McKenna's Charity of the Year for 2009/10 is Kids Company
, and their staff raised over £110k for the Rainbow Trust in 2008/09.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
headquartered in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It has over 130 partner
Partner (business rank)
A partner in a law firm, accounting firm, consulting firm, or financial firm is a highly ranked position. Originally, these businesses were set up as legal partnerships in which the partners were entitled to a share of the profits of the enterprise. The name has remained even though many of these...
s and offices throughout Europe.
The firm has a second London insurance law-focused office in Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street is a street in the City of London, formerly part of the A11. It runs east from Cornhill to Aldgate, and west vice-versa. Aldgate Pump is at the junction with Aldgate...
, near Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
.
CMS organisation of major European law firms
CMS Cameron McKenna is a founding member of the international CMShttp://www.cmslegal.com organisation of European law firms. The organisation's firms are branded with the preface 'CMS' as part of their respective names but remain independent businessIndependent business
In business, an independent business as a term of distinction generally refers to privately owned companies . Independent businesses most commonly take the form of sole-proprietorships...
es. The acronym's letters derive from two of the founder firms, Cameron McKenna and Sigle (now CMS Hasche Sigle). CMS is a European Economic Interest Grouping
European economic interest grouping
A European Economic Interest Grouping is a type of legal entity created on 1985-07-25 under European Community Council Regulation 2137/85...
(EEIG) and is managed by an executive committee based in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
CMS offices and associated offices
Through its members, the organisation has offices across Asia, Africa (Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
), South America and Europe, including: Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Zurich, Aberdeen, Algiers, Antwerp, Arnhem, Beijing, Belgrade, Bratislava, Bristol, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Casablanca, Cologne, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Kiev, Leipzig, Ljubljana, Lyon, Marbella, Milan, Montevideo, Moscow, Munich, New York, Prague, São Paulo, Sarajevo, Seville, Shanghai, Sofia, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Utrecht, Warsaw and Zagreb.
The members of CMS are in association with The Levant Lawyers with offices in Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait.
CMS' member firms comprise:
- CMS Cameron McKenna (head office in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) - CMS Hasche Sigle (BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
) - CMS Bureau Francis Lefebrve (ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) - CMS Adonnino Ascoli & Cavasola Scamoni (RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
) - CMS Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo (MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) - CMS Derks Star Busmann (AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) - CMS von Erlach Henrici (ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
) - CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz (ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) - CMS DeBacker (Brussels)
Practice and Sector specialisms
Practice AreasThe firm specialises in the following areas:
- Banking and International Finance
- CorporateCorporate lawCorporate law is the study of how shareholders, directors, employees, creditors, and other stakeholders such as consumers, the community and the environment interact with one another. Corporate law is a part of a broader companies law...
and commercial - Dispute resolutionDispute resolutionDispute resolution is the process of resolving disputes between parties.-Methods:Methods of dispute resolution include:* lawsuits * arbitration* collaborative law* mediation* conciliation* many types of negotiation* facilitation...
- CompetitionCompetitionCompetition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
- EmploymentEmploymentEmployment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
, Pensions and ImmigrationImmigrationImmigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence... - EnergyEnergyIn physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
- EnvironmentEnvironment (biophysical)The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
- InfrastructureInfrastructureInfrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
and Project FinanceProject financeProject finance is the long term financing of infrastructure and industrial projects based upon the projected cash flows of the project rather than the balance sheets of the project sponsors... - InsuranceInsuranceIn law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
and reinsuranceReinsuranceReinsurance is insurance that is purchased by an insurance company from another insurance company as a means of risk management... - Intellectual PropertyIntellectual propertyIntellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
- Real estateReal estateIn general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and constructionConstructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking... - TaxTaxTo tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
Sector Groups
The firm also operates along sector lines, focusing on the following industry groups:
- Consumer Products
- Energy
- Financial Services and Institutions – Banks, Insurers, Investment Business and Private Equity
- Hotels & Leisure
- Lifesciences
- Real Estate & Construction
- Technology, Media & Telecoms (TMT)
History
The origins of the firm date back to 1779 and the law practice of T Hewitt.In 1997 Cameron Markby Hewitt merged with fellow City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
law firm, McKenna & Co, to form Cameron McKenna (renamed CMS Cameron McKenna in 1999). The firms of Cameron Markby and Hewitt Woollacott & Chown had merged in 1989 to become Cameron Markby Hewitt. Prior to that Cameron Kemm Norden of New Street, London, EC2, off Bishopsgate, merged with Markbys of London Wall, either in 1980 or 1981.
CMS Cameron McKenna took over Central and Eastern European law firm Hayhurst Robinson in January 2006.
The firm moved into its Mitre House headquarters in July 1998, near the Barbican
Barbican Estate
The Barbican Estate is a residential estate built during the 1960s and the 1970s in the City of London, in an area once devastated by World War II bombings and today densely populated by financial institutions...
.
Henry Markby, a name partner in legacy firm Cameron Markby Hewitt, is alluded to (usually in an unflattering manner) in a number of Oscar Wilde's
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, most notably in The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
, when Lady Bracknell says that her solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s are Markby, Markby and Markby.
Markby, who was President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Law Society of England and Wales
Law Society of England and Wales
The Law Society is the professional association that represents the solicitors' profession in England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors as well as serving as a sounding board for law reform. Members of the Society are often consulted when important...
in 1887, had fallen out with Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
, a former friend for reasons unknown.
Present day
The partnershipPartnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
incorporated as a limited liability partnership
Limited liability partnership
A limited liability partnership is a partnership in which some or all partners have limited liability. It therefore exhibits elements of partnerships and corporations. In an LLP one partner is not responsible or liable for another partner's misconduct or negligence. This is an important...
in 2005.
The current Managing Partner of the firm is Duncan Weston. The Senior Partner is Richard Price. The firm has particular strengths in major projects and construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, project finance
Project finance
Project finance is the long term financing of infrastructure and industrial projects based upon the projected cash flows of the project rather than the balance sheets of the project sponsors...
, oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
, hotel and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
work. The firm's other main practice areas include banking, finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
and corporate.
In the financial year 2007-08, CMS Cameron McKenna ranked 11th by turnover
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
in The Lawyer's
The Lawyer
The Lawyer is a weekly British magazine for commercial lawyers and corporate directors, first published in 1981. It is owned by Centaur Media plc....
Top 100 list of law firms in the United Kingdom.http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=132763
The firm is regarded as one of the leading law firms in Central and Eastern Europe by Chambers Global.http://www.chambersandpartners.com/Global/Firms/499-34953
The firm concentrates its services in eight industry sectors - construction & development, project finance, life sciences, consumer goods, financial institutions and services, energy and utilities, hotels and leisure and technology, media and communications.
Corporate responsibility and pro bono work
CMS Cameron McKenna has a dedicated Corporate Responsibility team, encouraging pro bono work such as Hackney Schools Mentoring Programme and Reading and Number Partners Scheme, which has a very strong take-up from fee-earners and business services staff alike.CMS Cameron McKenna's Charity of the Year for 2009/10 is Kids Company
Kids Company
Kids Company is a charity organisation that works with young ex-offenders and disadvantaged children through inner-city schools in London, a drop-in centre in Camberwell, and the Urban Academy in Southwark...
, and their staff raised over £110k for the Rainbow Trust in 2008/09.