Corporate and M&A

We are entrepreneurial in our nature and understand our clients’ drive and desire to explore new frontiers and develop and evolve their businesses. We bring together our transactional expertise with our industry know-how to deliver comprehensive corporate legal advice to domestic, multi-national, State-owned organisations, conglomerates and entrepreneurs as they establish, expand, exit, or divest their businesses.

Our lawyers have advised on the UK, European, African, Asian, Middle Eastern and US business enterprises, corporate restructuring, divestment, joint ventures, loan facility arrangements, management buy-outs, mergers and acquisitions, sale and purchase of private companies, sale and purchase of assets and businesses, start-ups, private equity and venture capital, public equity issues, privatisations. In the M&A space, we regularly represent buyers, sellers, financial advisers, funds, and shareholders in a number of sectors including in one of our specialist sectors, Energy and Natural Resources.

We regularly deal with large-scale multi-jurisdictional projects as well as countless day-to-day activities that help our clients manage their operations in the UK and internationally. We are also experienced corporate governance lawyers and provide company secretarial and corporate governance assistance to small and global companies offering innovative solutions to suit the complex and changing needs of our clients. We also provide, on a reactive and proactive basis, advice on compliance including in relation to competition, export control, sanctions, data privacy, and ethics and integrity in Africa, CIS, Europe and the Middle East.

Our experience includes acting for and advising:

  • Sapura Energy on its agreement to establish a joint venture with Austria major state-controlled company, OMV (value more than US$1.6 billion);
  • CEFC Shanghai International Group Limited on its acquisition of a 14.2% shareholding in Rosneft Oil Company – Russia’s largest oil producer. (US$9.1 billion);
  • the largest private Chinese company on strategic cooperation and establishing a joint venture in Russia with a Russian state-owned company (value more than US$5 billion);
  • an international (Jordanian owned) online marketplace raising funds through equity share subscriptions and the negotiation of a convertible loan note;
  • an Asian state-owned company on its acquisition of onshore and offshore assets in Mauritania having an estimated value of US$420 million;
  • European State oil companies on the acquisition of the North Sea and North African assets;
  • International oil and gas companies on a number of SPAs for petroleum assets including the acquisition of downstream assets in Tanzania and Uganda (financed by OPIC), assets in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, interests in the Sudan and assets in Indonesia;
  • a State-owned oil company on matters concerning English law in respect of a US$850 million acquisition of offshore oil assets in Brazil;
  • an Asian state-owned company on the €1.6 billion acquisition of a significant gas interest in Egypt, the sale of export LNG and domestic gas and financing of the construction of an LNG liquefaction plant;
  • a UK creditor on recovering a multi-million debt from a near-insolvent company, including advising on and negotiating a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) with the debtor company and the appointed independent nominee;
  • acting as company secretary for two international oil and gas exploration, production, and trading companies;
  • UK subsidiaries of an American multi-national on their day to day operations including supply contracts, leases, export licences, trading and employment claims, and defence contracts; and
  • an Isle of Man equities and forex trading company on its day to day operations, including corporate law issues, shareholder disputes, financing, regulatory and employment issues.

Please go to Transactions and Cases to learn more about our experience in Corporate and M&A.

  • Shortlisted for CEE Deal of the Year Nominee for Russia (2018)
  • Ranked for Oil and Gas (Chambers and Partners 2015-2016)
  • Global Awards Winner for M&A in Oil and Gas (Corporate Livewire) for 2014-2015
  • 2014 Acquisition Awards (Oil and Gas sector focused legal team of the year

OUR PRACTICE AREAS