Our work
Where strength meets depth
Rather than specialise in just one area, we’re proud to have leading practices in Corporate, Finance, and Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations.
Our Corporate division is a world leader in mergers, acquisitions, equities, joint ventures and private equity. In our Finance division, we lead many of the world’s most important energy and infrastructure projects. Renowned for major wins, our Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations division supports clients through their most challenging crises. We advise companies, banks, funds and governments on their funding, hedging and investment activities.
Wherever you ultimately focus, you’ll be involved in the very best work. You’ll also be given continuous, tailored training, by experienced lawyers.
Corporate
Advising on pioneering deals, our Corporate division's expertise covers mergers, acquisitions, equities, joint ventures and private equity. We help companies resolve some of the most challenging issues facing modern business.
Mergers & Acquisitions
covers everything from public takeovers and complex multi-jurisdictional deals to corporate restructuring.
Private Equity
advises private equity houses and fund managers on all aspects of the industry.
Antitrust & Foreign Investment Group
handles merger control, cartels and dawn raids, competition litigation, market and sector investigations, abuse of dominance, state aid, public procurement and economic or utilities regulation.
Employment and Incentives
advises corporate and financial institutions on their share plans and tax incentives. The team also deals with many day-to-day issues, including remuneration, contracts and terminations, discrimination and dismissal, health and safety and immigration, as well as issues surrounding M&A transactions.
Pensions
focuses on the pensions aspects of M&A transactions, as well as offering advice on running pensions schemes and working with our disputes team on complex pensions disputes.
Tax
is heavily involved in many cases, as most deals involve tax implications. It also provides advice directly to clients on tax structuring and tax-based transactions.
TMT/IP (Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Intellectual Property)
covers major commercial contracts, outsourcing and offshoring, information management compliance and data protection, e-business and IT security. They also handle major TMT disputes, as well as patent, copyright and trademark infringement litigation.
Trusts
advise high-net-worth individuals, charities and trustees, and provide firm-wide support on trust law and trust taxation issues.
Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations
With expertise in conducting internal and regulator-driven investigations, court litigation and arbitration, our global team of nearly 400 lawyers can handle large, complex cross-border cases seamlessly.
We have an excellent track record of succeeding for our clients in the most sensitive and complex litigation and arbitration matters and business-critical crises. We are known for our ability to draw upon very large multi-specialised, multi-jurisdictional teams at short notice, which makes us one of the few firms (and on occasions the only firm) equipped to deal with the most challenging and significant disputes and investigations faced by the world’s leading corporations and financial institutions. Our global reach and breadth of experience means we offer holistic, client-centred strategies delivering real commercial value.
Litigation
We understand that, despite the best intentions of businesses, commercial relationships can break down, leading to disagreement and damage. Where the resolution of a dispute requires court proceedings, our international team of nearly 400 lawyers can formulate global strategies whilst guiding our clients through the technicalities of the litigation process drawing on our in-depth knowledge of local procedures to ensure a tactical and efficient approach to each case.
Our team acts for both claimants and defendants in large-scale, high value and complex cases. We work to resolve the high pressure disputes that can arise around high-stakes commercial transactions, enabling our clients to focus on the most important thing - their business. Our lawyers are adept at advising on and resolving issues such as contractual interpretation, joint venture and shareholder disagreements and post-acquisition disputes. We are also often called on at the advisory stage to steer negotiation tactics, mitigate the risk of litigation and limit the potential loss and disruption to our clients that hard-fought disputes can involve.
Where court proceedings are required, our team will work with experienced advocates, experts and local counsel as necessary to obtain the most favourable outcome for our clients. We can act quickly to seek injunctive relief across the globe when urgent action is needed to protect our clients’ valuable rights or assets. We can also assist when counter-parties abuse the availability of injunctive relief to obtain illegitimate bargaining power and threaten the completion of large and complex transactions.
However, court proceedings are not always the best approach. We will always advise holistically on alternative approaches to dispute resolution and settlement, helping our clients put the issue behind them as quickly as possible and move on.
Finance
With a truly robust financial institutions practice, our Finance division leads many of the most important energy and infrastructure initiatives in the world. Innovation is at the heart of our work. And the practices also work closely with our leading real estate team. Here, experts act for major international real estate companies, investors and occupiers on complex, high-profile transactions.
Banking
guides clients on all elements of private bespoke debt finance, including acquisition and leveraged finance, real estate finance, financial structuring and regulatory finance, asset finance, trade and emerging markets finance, mainstream banking, and high-yield securities work.
Capital Markets (Equity and Debt Markets, Derivatives and Structured Products, Structured Finance Group)
helps international investment banks, governments and corporates to raise funds through international capital markets, and restructuring existing financial commitments.
Financial Regulation
advises clients on everything from becoming authorised to conducting regulated activities in the financial markets, to dealing with enforcement investigations and disciplinary action from regulators.
Investment Management
consults on structuring, formation, taxation and regulation of all types of investment funds including real estate, securities, debt, as well as other financial instruments, such as large pension funds and private equity.
The UK Real Estate group acts
for major international real estate companies, investors and occupiers on premium real estate deals. They have worked on many London landmarks, including the Gherkin, the Royal Opera House and the British Museum.
The global Restructuring and Insolvency team
works on some of the most complex and innovative cross-border restructuring and insolvency transactions: debt restructurings, recapitalisations, distressed M&A, formal insolvency procedures and strategic distressed debt and equity investments.
All-round expertise
We are business partners as well as legal advisors. It means we’re committed to understanding sector-specific commercial challenges as well as legal requirements. And by specialising in both practice and industry areas, our lawyers can provide our clients with all-round expertise and unique perspectives. Our Training Contract provides an opportunity to experience work across these areas, while learning from leading industry experts.
17 global sector networks, serving every clients' industry:
| Banks and other Financial Investors | Energy, Resources and Infrastructure | Technology, Healthcare and Consumer Industries |
| Banks | Energy and Utilities | Technology |
| Private Equity & Financial Sponsors | Infrastructure and Transport | Healthcare |
| Investment Managers | Mining | Consumer |
| Real Estate & Leisure | Chemicals | Sports |
| Insurance | Automotive | Telecoms |
| Fintech | Industrials |