Law100: which City lawyer most deserves to make the top ten?

 As with last year, a business lawyer failed to make the top ten. There were long discussions about this and the judges were divided — but in the end we're sticking by the point we made last year: that business lawyers in this country, while undoubtedly influential and involved in a huge range of significant work, still don't have quite as much sway in their respective fields as the lawyers in human rights, social affairs or politics do. We expect this will change over time.

But do you agree? Or are we undervaluing the leading lights at the City's biggest law firms? Is the contribution of Charles Randell, above, equally as crucial to the country as, say, Shami Chakrabarti's? Vote after the jump for the lawyer you think most deserves elevation to the top ten.

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Comments

[Admirer]

David Cheyne is an inspiration to me and many others.

[Political Realist]

It depends what you mean by influence and sway, and in what fields. As business leaders and industry experts, City lawyers can be as influential as those who operate in the fields of human rights and politics do in their respective areas. Often business/industry and politics are the same thing.

[KSA]

Where are the women in this list? This is a list subjectively compiled - there is no objective test of what constitutes 'the best lawer' or if there is, the criteria on which its decided are not part of this article. Therefore it's hard not to assume that latent sexism is behind the decidion not to include any women in this list. It's just so TIRESOMELY predictable. I would have expected (and hoped) for better from The Times. Shame.

[Austin Tassletine]

They pale into significance and are and will be remembered as an irrelevance when compared against say Sidney Silverman who gained a law degree with First Class honours, in 1928 opened a solicitor's office without capital or connections, defended poor and working-class clients, often unpaid, living on costs awarded when he won his cases and whom local police chiefs called "our greatest enemy". Perhaps Tony Bliar modelled himself on him (I think not!).

[Austin Tassletine]

No, nobody from the Ruschcliffe Committee that established Legal Aid or from a present day Law Centre or CAB (surprise surprise)!

[Austin Tassletine]

And no Geoffrey Robertson who fights for death row people in the Privy Council and edited 'Freedom the Individual and the Law' (and other books).

And no John Platts-Mills QC or anyone from his present day exemplary chambers (Cloisters).

[Bob]

To KSA - that's a pretty tiresomely predictable feminist comment. These lawyers are all from the magic circle, some of them being the senior partners, others presumably either lead crucial departments or are those firms rainmakers. Why does there always have to be a woman? Have you got anyone in mind I might add, who is as influential as this lot?

[John]

"Have you got anyone in mind I might add, who is as influential as this lot?"

Exactly what I was thinking Bob.

Rather than just moaning about the lack of women KSA, why didn't you just name a few who you thought deserved to be on the list and the reasons why?

Or was it simply latent sexism which led you to believe that the men on the list couldn't possibly be there because they were the best at what they did?