The firm
Olswang is best known as a leading media firm, with strength across the entire TMT sector, excelling particularly in media and entertainment (with a practice spanning film, TV, music and publishing) and IT and telecoms (where the London Olympic Committee is a major client). Corporate, finance and real estate are prominent too.
The star performers
Top-ranking departments according to The Legal 500*Commercial property; Media and entertainment;Corporate tax; Mergers and acquisitions;Defamation and privacy; Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology;IT and telecoms; VAT and indirect tax.Intellectual property;
The deals
Advising on the 'Project Kangaroo' joint venture with Channel 4 and ITV, conceived as an industry-defining video-on-demand service; defending Winterthur Holdings against a £50m fraudulent misrepresentation claim brought by RBS; acting for Johnson & Johnson in a complex trademark infringement claim; advised Celador on Slumdog Millionare; advised BBC Worldwide on its video-on-demand (VOD) services.
The clients
Beattie McGuiness Bungay; Red Brick Road; Eurosport; FIFA; Fulham FC; GSK; The Guardian; ICC; LOCOG; M&C Saatchi; Orange; RFU; Setanta; Telstra; Tottenham Hotspur FC; Wake Forest University.
The money
(from Legal Business magazine)
Turnover in 2008: £92.9m (+12% from 2007) Profits per equity partner: £520,000 (-7%)
Winner - TMT team of the year Highly commended - Competition team of the year.
The Lex 100 verdict
Olswang is well known for its appearance in lists of 'best places to work'. The firm's expertise in media and the 'cool' client base, plus the friendly reputation and ambitious and forward-thinking approach, also attract many candidates. The size of the firm and the trainee intake were important to those who wanted a 'powerful' firm, but an opportunity to get stuck into hands-on work and the chance to stand out from the crowd - 'not always possible as one of hundreds of trainees in City firms'. Trainees praise the 'meritocratic, relaxed and open attitude that permeates everyone at the firm'. Olswang is a Lex 100 Winner in the 'friendliness' category and the people are described as 'welcoming, friendly and informal, but still professional and very good at what they do', the training is good with plenty of feedback and 'you feel appreciated as an individual'. Trainees compare their experiences very favourably with peers at other firms - 'I wouldn't swap working at Olswang with a single one of my friends'. On the downside there seems to be hot competition for the most popular seats, some departments can be 'quite cliquey' and there is a 'lack of international opportunities'. These niggles aside, Olswang remains a top choice for ambitious candidates looking for a commercial, entrepreneurial firm with thorough training, great clients and a relaxed atmosphere. And any firm appearing as a Lex 100 Winner in the 'confident of being kept on' category in this climate must be doing something right.