London 2012

London 2012. Welcome

The Freshfields story

Here we highlight some of our contribution – from 2003 to date – to London’s Games journey

Over 300 of our lawyers have been involved: some as specialists on secondment to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), some ‘back at base’ in our London office. Ever wonder what we’ve been up to?

Here’s an overview from Freshfields Partner Tim Jones, who’s been instrumental in our contribution to London 2012.

‘We love a challenge. And they don't come much bigger than staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games. So when we were asked, back in 2003, to help with the bid to host the Games in London, we couldn't resist.’

Shaping the bid

Shaping a deal is one of our core skills, which we put to work with relish.

When we committed to the project, most outsiders saw the whole thing as a crazy pipe dream. But the work we did back then was vital.

We took the mass of legal rights and entities needed to stage the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and turned them into a simple, two-body structure: one government, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA); one private, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

Official legal services provider

We’ve been preparing for the Games since 2003, setting up the legal foundations. But the hard yards started in earnest in 2009, when we were appointed the official legal services provider to London 2012.

It’s the first time one firm has held such a role. And we’re proud that our size, our breadth of skills and our natural ability to handle complexity and scale made us the number one choice.

It’s been great to watch our people thrive on the legal challenges they’ve faced and to see them embrace the Games spirit and vision, through pro bono activities at work and volunteering opportunities in the community.

Inventing the possible

Innovation and collaboration have been the cornerstone of our work on London 2012.

For example, we have run Britain’s first competitive dialogue tender to appoint a consortium as delivery partner. We have drawn on our banking expertise to create a pioneering pricing model for the ‘green’ energy that will supply the low-carbon energy plants on site. And we have come up with streamlined online contracts for 8,000 Torchbearers for the Olympic Torch Relay.

Every day has tested our ingenuity and originality.

It’s all about teamwork

So far, more than 300 of our lawyers, from virtually every specialist area, have been involved. This includes over 30 on secondment to LOCOG's legal team in Canary Wharf.

That’s taken outstanding teamwork, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see how people at every level – partner to trainee – have supported the goal of delivery. We know we’ve got one shot, one chance, to make this event one London will be proud of.

Freshfields – commited to the wider Games legacy

London 2012 is about more than staging an iconic sporting event. It’s about fostering community spirit, inspiring young people and leaving a legacy that will benefit Londoners of future generations.

So our contribution goes way beyond legal work. We also support three talented athletes in their quests for gold.

On the community side, hundreds of our staff volunteered in a scheme to improve neighbourhoods, including the Charlie Chaplin playground, within the London 2012 host boroughs.

We’ve become a Friend of the Cultural Olympiad, and we’ve contributed to Get Set, the education programme that encourages the Olympic Values of friendship, excellence and respect in schools and colleges.

Look around

This is one of the longest, most complex and fascinating projects we’ve ever worked on. And hands down I’d say it’s the most fun. But I’ll let our people tell you what they’ve been up to.

I’m proud of them all, and I’m excited at the prospect of seeing all the work come to fruition next summer.

What’s law got to do with it?
Plenty. Perhaps the thing that would most surprise the average Olympic and Paralympic fan is just how much law it entails. Every element of preparing and staging the Games has some legal aspect, not just the obvious ones like building stadia or rules on anti-doping. From IP rights in the Olympic Torch to contracts for the flowers and visa clearance for athletes, there’s a vast network of legal arrangements that underpins the whole amazing endeavour.

It’s what we do…
The skills we put to work for our clients every day – innovative thinking, clear communication, great relationship building, teamwork and, of course, first-class legal knowledge – are the same ones needed to support the world’s greatest sporting event.

It’s an honour to work on this hugely challenging and enormously inspiring project. We’re looking forward to sharing the results with the world this summer.

Freshfields knows the project inside out – they supported us during the bid, and they will be a vital part of the team as we head towards 2012. Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman, LOCOG

• Lord Coe, Chairman, LOCOG

The greatest benefit for me is Freshfields’ willingness to step into uncharted territory and work with my team to figure out the way forward. Terry Miller, General Counsel, LOCOG

Pioneering ‘green’ energy pricing
Sustainability is one of the central pillars of the London 2012 philosophy. The green energy supplied by the power plants in the Olympic Park was so ahead of its time that no established pricing structure existed for it. Our lawyers worked with everyone concerned to come up with the right economic model, drawing on their experience in energy and other business sectors.

It’s absolutely intrinsic that we work collaboratively. They’re very much with us thinking through the issues and are very flexible
thinkers. Al Ruxton, Head of Legal Services, LOCOG

With a project this complex, you can’t afford to get caught up on the small stuff. It often boils down to knowing when to fight and when to sign. Geoff Le Pard, Partner

• Freshfields’ volunteers