Regno Unito

Clients can draw on first-rate English law Transactional and Dispute Resolution teams, as well as the experience of our U.S. capital markets and corporate team.

In addition to the broad-based English law work, we focus on three sectors: Technology, Energy and Finance, advising on English law-governed cross-border transactions, disputes and regulatory investigations.

Corporate

We have a genuine city practice, which forms an integral part of our global corporate practice, encompassing the following:

Mergers & Acquisitions

We act on domestic and cross-border private M&A deals. We have long assisted multinational telecoms provider Telenor on mergers and acquisitions as well as capital markets transactions, and advised Canal+ Group on many transactions including the sale of the Polish television network TVN to a U.S. media group. We assist Millicom in investments in Africa and other emerging markets. In the energy sector, we advised on the acquisition or disposal of more than 300 MW of renewable energy project M&A in 2015 for clients such as BlackRock, Canadian Solar, Equinox Capital, Platina Partners and NextEnergy.

We also have experience advising on the UK Takeover Code; transactions include recommended and hostile bids, such as the hostile takeover of Venture Production plc, the FTSE 250 oil and gas company, by Centrica plc, the owner of British Gas.

Capital Markets

We advise issuers, sponsors and nomads on IPOs and follow-on fundraisings on the Main Market and AIM as well as bond offerings. In 2015, we acted for the investment banking syndicate on the equity fundraising and reverse takeover of BCA Marketplace plc. In the first quarter of 2016, a period of low capital markets activity, we advised Cerillion plc on its IPO and the investment banks on the IPO by reverse takeover of Amryt Pharma and a placing by Redx Pharma plc.

Venture Capital and Private Equity

Our clients include both investee companies and venture and private equity funds such as Atomico, Bessemer Venture Partners, Battery Ventures and CVC Capital. We also act for Africa-focused private equity funds and investee companies in Africa, such as LeapFrog Investments, Helios Investment Partners and Adlevo Capital. We have a deep understanding of the legal and business environment in key markets in Africa, gained from years of experience helping clients navigate the challenges and take advantage of opportunities in those markets.

The Corporate team works with and is supported by our competition/antitrust, finance, restructuring, employment, real estate and tax lawyers.

Technology

Our Tech practice is a market leader in the UK. We are one of only a handful of firms in London that offer technology-focused clients the experience and contacts within one of the leading Silicon Valley-originated technology practices. Our team includes U.S. qualified and dual-qualified lawyers, some of whom have practiced in Silicon Valley. We advise tech companies at all stages in the corporate life cycle, from startups through global public companies. We also represent leading venture capital and private equity firms. In addition to completing numerous venture financings, we successfully advised on M&A exits and IPOs. Our team has been recognized as the “2017 Service Provider of the Year” by Investor AllStars, ranked #1 in European venture capital and #1 for venture-backed exits globally by PitchBook and awarded Legal500’s “2018 UK Corporate and Commercial Firm (Specialism) of the Year for Venture Capital.”

We have deep knowledge of privacy and data protection law through our work with global tech leaders as well as disruptors who are challenging the regulatory framework. Our team puts that knowledge to work helping our clients develop privacy and cybersecurity governance programs and international data transfer solutions. Where necessary, we assist clients in mounting a rapid and effective response to data breach incidents.

We represent tech companies in complex merger control investigations before the European Commission. We also advise on issues at the nexus of antitrust and intellectual property, notably the application of competition law to holders of standard essential patents.

Energy & Infrastructure

Our Energy team brings extensive experience in M&A, trading, project development, financing and cross-border projects. Our experience covers every fuel source and technology across oil and gas, power, and renewables. We act for all market segments including independent power producers, governments, sponsors, trading houses, private equity funds, emerging companies, investors, utilities, developers, lenders and underwriters.

Our team is active across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

In oil and gas we act on upstream, midstream and downstream trading projects, working for companies, lenders and governments. We are assisting Tullow Oil on various West African gas developments, Storengy on its UK gas storage projects and several LNG trading entities on portfolio optimization. In the last year, our team has acted on the acquisition, development and disposal of more than 800 MBOE of acreage worldwide.

We assisted Actis on its purchase of a majority interest in three power assets in Cameroon from AES Corp, advised on the sale of shares of a state-owned mining company in the Democratic Republic of Congo and assisted China Development Bank with the financing of a portfolio of solar projects across Eastern Europe.

We also advised on the acquisition or disposal of more than 300 MW of renewable energy projects, advised Infracapital on its investment in a 70 percent stake in Bioenergy Infrastructure Limited (BIG), and advised BIG in connection with its investment in the first financial closing of an energy-from-waste plant utilizing the UK government’s contracts for difference regime.

Our Antitrust team regularly represent clients on the merger control aspects of transactions in the energy sector. In addition, our Dispute Resolution team supports our energy sector clients in resolving claims arising out of their investments.