The Legal 500 has released its 2021 rankings of legal practitioners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The independent directory lists rankings that identify the top firms in respective nations, by area of practice.

In Malta, a range of firms were identified as sector-leading.

In the field of fintech, prominent Maltese firms Ganado Advocates and GTG Advocates ranked in the top tier of practitioners, followed by Camilleri Preziosi and WH Partners in the second tier, and Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates, GVZH Advocates, and Mamo TCV Advocates in the third.

Responding to the recognition, GTG Advocates turned to LinkedIn to thank its team and its clients for their trust in the services they provide.

The firm, which also ranked highly in the Commercial/Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Private Clients, Real Estate, and Shipping, was described as “knowledgeable and competent in the fintech space”.

The ranking identified Leonard Bonello of Ganado Advocates, Joseph F Borg, Head of Innovation at WH Partners, and Ian Gauci, Managing Partner at GTG Advocates as the leading individuals in Malta’s fintech field.

Responding to his inclusion, Dr Borg said he was “chuffed” to rank on this list.

Also responding to his placement on the list, Dr Gauci said he was humbled by his personal inclusion, and by GTG’s high rank in the publication.

Another notable category for Malta was Commercial, Corporate and M&A, where two Maltese individuals ranked on the “Hall of Fame”: Louis de Gabriele, Head of Corporate and Finance at Camilleri Preziosi, and Andrew Muscat, Senior Partner at Mamo TCV Advocates.

Four Maltese firms were ranked in the first tier in this category, namely Camilleri Preziosi, Fenech & Fenech Advocates, Ganado Advocates and Mamo TCV Advocates.

The leading individuals in this category were Nicolai Vella Falzon, Managing Partner at Fenech & Fenech and Andrew Zammit, Managing Partner at GVZH Advocates, with Simon Schembri, partner at Ganado, and Robert Zammit, partner at WH Partners ranked as Next Generation Partners.

Across the board, Fenech & Fenech Advocates scored highly, ranking in the first tier in five categories and the second in an additional four.

Mamo TCV also ranked highly, appearing in the first tier in five categories, the second in three, and the third in one.

Overall in Malta, The Legal 500 identifies Fenech & Fenech Advocates, Ganado Advocates, Camilleri Preziosi and Mamo TCV Advocates as the “key names” in the legal market.