UK scoops 12 awards

City law firms won the most prizes at the first Chambers global awards ceremony last week - but the coveted title 'international law firm of the year' was swiped by the US.UK firms grabbed 12 of the 32 awards available at the ceremony, held at the Savoy hotel in London and co-sponsored by legal publisher Sweet & Maxwell.

US firms took 11, including overall law firm of the year for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, the US corporate giant which first opened in Europe in 1949.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters, Shearman & Sterling and White & Case were all runners up.Clifford Chance won three awards: European banking and private equity, and south-east Asian project finance firm.

Allen & Overy won two: western European project finance, and eastern European law firm of the year.Freshfields also clinched two: for anti-trust in western Europe, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in south-east Asia.Other winning UK firms in the western Europe section were: Linklaters (M&A), Denton Wilde Sapte (oil and gas), CMS Cameron McKenna (power), and Bird & Bird (communications).

Trowers & Hamlins won middle east law firm of the year.Jeremy Fleming