Wragge & Co named Litigation and Regulatory Team of the Year

Wragge & Co has been crowned 'Litigation and Regulatory Team of the Year' at the 2011 British Legal Awards. The judges named the firm the winner from a shortlist comprising Freshfields, Herbert Smith, Rosenblatt Solicitors, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Taylor Wessing.

The award recognised the Antitrust team's involvement in the Office of Fair Trading's biggest-ever UK competition case, concerning 'cover pricing' in the construction industry. Representing Thomas Vale before the Competition Appeal Tribunal, partner Bernardine Adkins succeeded in reducing the penalty imposed upon Thomas Vale from an initial fine of £2 million to £171,000.

Bernardine Adkins said: "Despite existing case law being against us, our tenacity, first-rate litigation skills and antitrust expertise enabled us to achieve a hugely significant outcome for the client. The award is a credit to the whole team."

Senior partner Quentin Poole added: "This is a fantastic result for Wragge & Co. It reflects our commitment and passion for exceeding client expectations, with a willingness to go the extra mile to deliver the right result. The award win is the latest example of our specialists making new legal ground by providing bold, innovative solutions in landmark matters."

Organised by Legal Week, the British Legal Awards celebrate the achievements of firms, teams and individuals in the legal profession. The Litigation and Regulatory team of the Year category was judged on evidence of legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, team working and client satisfaction.

In the last six months, Wragge & Co has celebrated its 11th consecutive year in the UK's 50 Best Workplaces list and being crowned Legal Adviser of the Year at the Health Investor Awards. It also won the Pensions Law firm title at the Pension & Investment Provider Awards for the second year running and was named Employment team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2011.

Wragge & Co's Antitrust team advises on competition matters including the full range of EU and UK regulatory, merger, trade law issues, state aid and public procurement. It also regularly supports merger and acquisitions work. The team's client list includes Birds Eye, Cadbury plc, Eisai, Origin Enterprises, Premier Foods and Seiko Epson.

Its specialist Dawn Raid Action team offers clients immediate support in the event of an investigation by the European Commission or OFT. Its antitrust and litigation experts also offer comprehensive compliance training to prepare clients for the realities of a dawn raid. They provide a bespoke online training tool, Straight & Narrow, which enables clients to ensure continued compliance at all levels of their businesses.