Here is the shortlist for the asset management team of the year category at the inaugural Financial News Awards for Excellence in Legal Services, Europe, which celebrate the achievements of the best law firms, teams and individual lawyers supporting the financial markets throughout the past year. The winners will be announced at a London gala event on April 24.

• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has long been appreciated as a US law firm leader in the hedge fund and private equity fund markets, and in recent years it has ably transported that practice to Europe. In 2012 the London team underwent significant expansion, with the dual hire of Tim Pearce and Ian Meade from Simmons & Simmons, where they were investment funds partners. At the start of 2013 the practice added Jon Hanifan from Ernst & Young, where he was a director in the hedge fund tax practice. The firm now stands apart for acting for five of the top 10 largest hedge funds in the world, and five of the 10 largest private equity fund managers.