Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance has been named Corporate Team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards.

The Clifford Chance team led by Mark Poulton and Lee Coney helped Provident defy the odds by successfully defending Provident Financial against a hostile offer by Non-Standard Finance (NSF), despite NSF having the support of holders of more than 50% of Provident's shares. The deal was reported in a broadsheet newspaper as the first big attempted hostile takeover in financial services since the 2008 crisis and the defence as one that may go down in City lore as one of the best.

Mark Poulton commented: "The defence required a huge team effort every day for 14 weeks across Provident, its financial and accounting advisers and a multi-disciplinary Clifford Chance team. It was a truly extraordinary deal, and we were delighted to play our part for Provident."

The annual Lawyer Awards celebrate the very best in the legal profession. This year the ceremony was held virtually.