Media centre

Monday 12 Oct 2009

NETWORK RAIL ANNOUNCES NEW LEGAL PANEL

Region & Route:

National

Network Rail – Britain’s rail infrastructure operator – today announces the new composition of its legal panel – the law firms supporting the Network Rail in-house legal team of 23 in providing legal services to the company.

The firms are:

Addleshaw Goddard

Berrymans Lace Mawer

Bircham Dyson Bell

Bond Pearce

Clifford Chance

Eversheds

Kennedys

Maclay Murray & Spens

MacRoberts

Schofield Sweeney

Simmons & Simmons

Winckworth Sherwood

Several other firms, including Linklaters, continue to act for Network Rail in the provision of specialist legal support.

Hazel Walker, Network Rail’s group company secretary who heads up the Legal Services function, said: “As a large organisation Network Rail can require a wide range of specialist legal advice. The law firms selected provide a comprehensive range of legal expertise to complement Network Rail’s talented in-house legal team in supporting Network Rail’s business activities.”

“We are grateful to all the firms who formed our panel over the past three years. The choice for its composition was very competitive involving highly respected and valued firms, many of which have worked with Network Rail over a number of years. Difficult decisions were taken.”    

The panel was appointed after a rigorous selection process lasting four months during which firms within the existing panel were asked to tender for support roles in the delivery of legal services during Network Rail’s regulatory Control Period 4. The outcome of the tender process saw the size of the panel being reduced.

The successful panel and Network Rail’s in-house legal team have now embarked on the process of shaping the detail of delivering the demanding objectives set for future legal support to the company.