M&A (Public and Private)

Dedicated M&A advice

Our team has substantial experience advising buyers, sellers, and funders on all aspects of acquiring and disposing of companies and assets and bidders, targets and financial advisers on both recommended and hostile bids (whether by way of takeover offer or scheme of arrangement). As as firm we have a wide range of experience acting on cross-border M&A transactions, and are able to work as a single unit across our network of offices. Our approach is commercial and practical and we are dedicated to helping our clients achieve their objectives in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

What we do

We combine our M&A knowledge and expertise with our industry awareness dervised from the firm-wide focus on our industry sectors to provide pragmatic and valuable advice to our clients within the context of the transaction and the sector. Much of our work is cross-border in nature, On international deals, we act as deal counsel, co-ordinating the work across our own offices and external counsel in the relevant jurisdictions, to deliver a seamless service and ensure your strategic objectives are met.

Our experience

Examples of experience include:

• Advising Asia Coal Energy Ventures on its successful US$200 million competitive takeover to acquire Asia Resource Minerals plc (formerly Bumi plc), a premium listed company which owns 84.7% of PT Berau, one of the largest thermal coal producing assets in Indonesia.
• Advising Apollo Management on its joint £850 million takeover of Brit Insurance Holdings NV, the largest acquisition of a company in the listed Lloyd's of London sector.
• Advising the Hellenic Republic on the privatisation of the Greek state-owned gas supply and transmission companies (ongoing).
• Advising oil and gas exploration and production company EnCore Oil Plc on its recommended £221 million acquisition by Premier Oil Plc.
• Advising Nomura Holdings Inc on its acquisition of Nexen Energy Marketing Limited, the marketing arm of Canadian oil independent Nexen Inc.
• Advising on the acquisitions of HSBC Insurance (UK), Talbot Holdings, Pembroke Managing Agency and CFC Underwriting.

• Advising on auction disposals by Alea Group of its UK insurance company subsidiaries and of Jubilee Group Holdings by its shareholders.
• Advising a leading Chinese company in connection with the US$1 billion sale of its investment in a port in mainland China.
• Advising a bidder for Cove Energy Plc on its sale by formal sale process with a value exceeding £1 billion.
• Advising a French listed offshore and marine services company on the disposal of a major part of its business to a US purchaser for US$545 million.
• Advising an international mining and metals company on its acquisition of shares in a steel mill in South East Europe.