A future CMS lawyer

In-house lawyers have been listing the firms that have impressed them the most this year, in the RollOnFriday In-house Lawyer Survey (scroll below).

So far, CMS tops the table, with the highest number of respondents picking it as the most impressive firm.

"CMS - cost effective and quick," said one in-house lawyer in funds.

"Of the firms I work with they are the people most interested in why we are doing things," said a GC in real estate.

A client in financial services believed that CMS was "Magic Circle quality but much more attention and nicer people to work with," and with "very good rates." 

"Totally on top of things and decent to deal with," concluded a GC in the energy sector about CMS.

"They are accessible and attention to service and delivery comes before I receive a bill," said another GC about CMS. "I also appreciate that the office I deal with, and the advisory team show an awareness for skills transfer and diversity. There is also demonstrable out of the box thinking. I do not get a copy and paste opinion and the advice received is reflective of a comprehensive understanding and reading of my documents, company and industry." 

Ashurst is in second spot, as things stand. The lawyers are "always appear available, calm and considered - lovely to work with," said a private equity in-house lawyer.

A client in the transport/infrastructure sector said Ashurst's advice is "clear, efficient and to the point without any of the waffle. And for this we are happy to pay."

"Very commercial," said another respondent about the firm, "They have made an effort to get to know us and really understand our business."

Ashurst was lauded for "pushing diversity in the teams" with "multi disciplinary/strength in teams," by an in-house lawyer in financial services.

Linklaters is currently in third spot. "Great service, real client focus," said a respondent in banking. "Hugely responsive, helpful, commercial and knowledgeable. A class act all round - and not as expensive as you'd expect".

Another client commended Linklaters for "always a diverse offering and top quality advice."

One in-house lawyer in financial services said the Magic Circle firm: "quickly grasped our objectives and can pull together specialists or additional resources from across their firms as needed.  Also just generally pleasant to deal with."

"Superb attention to detail," said another respondent. While another concluded: "You don't get fired for instructing Linklaters."

The survey is still open, so there's still time for another firm to knock CMS off the top. If you work in-house, have your say in the survey below.