The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - Solicitors > London > M&A: lower mid-market deals, £50m-£500m

Addleshaw Goddard is particularly strong in public M&A, having worked on several public takeovers in the last 18 months. The department advises a large number of FTSE 100 and 250 clients and also has a consistent record of mid-market work for blue chip clients, including several large banks.  On the high-end M&A side, the team recently advised Battersea Power Station on the sale of several commercial assets. Core industry sectors include retail, financial services, energy, and real estate, with private equity transactional work also fully integrated within the M&A group. Practice head Andrew Rosling also leads the firm's retail and consumer group, while senior partner Charles Penney specialises in public takeovers and equity capital markets transactions. Yunus Seedat manages the wider corporate team while Mike Duggan is in charge of the London corporate group specifically.

DLA Piper leverages its global network of offices to advise clients undertaking transactions spanning a range of jurisdictions, in addition to being able to offer a strong UK-wide presence. Key sectors for the M&A team include TMT and corporate real estate. M&A practice head Jon Kenworthy specialises in consumer goods, while Robert Bishop leads the wider corporate group. The team  received a significant boost in London in September 2020 with the recruitment of former Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher  partner Jonathan Earle  and former McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP  private equity partner Piero Carbone . In 2019 it added M&A partnerTracey Renshaw  from Clifford Chance in Australia.

Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP's M&A practice is particularly experienced across the financial services, energy, infrastructure, real estate and TMT sectors. The firm's broad practice spread means it can call on lawyers working in antitrust, tax and finance to assist on transactions domestically and internationally. Cross-border work is a large part of the group's work and it recently launched DealMaster, an intelligent digital knowledge and project management tool for cross border transactions. Robin Johnson jointly co-chairs the cross-border M&A team, working across 30 jurisdictions. The private equity practice sits within the wider corporate group, advising more than 25 private equity houses, and is an area in which Richard Moulton, who co-heads the global corporate and M&A practice, is particularly experienced. Chris Halliday is another name to note and is particularly experienced in the insurance market, advising warranty and indemnity underwriters.

Supported by its offices in Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester, Squire Patton Boggs's London M&A team advises clients on domestic and cross-border deals across a range of sectors. Within the media sector the team, led by Nick Allen, is particularly experienced acting for clients in marketing services, live entertainment, publishing and film production. Trevor Ingle heads up the energy and utilities sector, advising corporates, utilities, funds  and developers  across renewable infrastructure and clean tech. Other key sectors for the group include industrials, financial services and recruitment, where the key names to note are James McKay, Robert Bray and Tim Stead respectively. The London corporate team has been bolstered by the arrivals of Stephen Ball from KPMG as well as Ben Squires and Charles Leeming from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP . Former EMEA corporate chair Jane Haxby was appointed as the firm's London managing partner in January 2020.

McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP's full service corporate group assists major companies from a range of industries but has a particularly strong reputation for its work in the life sciences and healthcare sectors. The team regularly handles cross-border transactions and is able to collaborate with other offices across the firm's  global network. As well as  advising on high value deals for corporates, the firm also assists on large transactions for family offices, utilising lawyers from its private client, corporate and tax teams.  The team, which is headed by Nicholas Azis, added Tom Whelan from Hogan Lovells International LLP, strengthening the firm's private equity offering. Azis advises a broad range of publicly owned and privately held clients, principally in the commodities, energy, life science and manufacturing sectors. Stuart Mathews and Calum Thom are other key names to note in the team.

Stephenson Harwood has considerable expertise across the healthcare, corporate real estate, technology, financial services and private equity, and oil and gas sectors. The team has expanded with the hire of three partners, Adam Crossley, Malcolm MacDougall and Richard Coleman, from Charles Russell Speechlys in November 2019. Many of the deals undertaken by the team have significant cross-border elements and the group leverages its international network of offices to advise on these. Andrew Edge is head of the corporate department, advising on public and private M&A, joint ventures and equity fundraisings. Andrew McLean is a name to note for corporate real estate, while Karima Hudson has considerable experience in the healthcare sector.

Taylor Wessing LLP's corporate team operates as an integrated practice across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, working for large organisations looking to diversify their assets and adapt to disruption. The firm's strong reputation in tech is evident within the M&A group, which has a dedicated corporate technology team, led by Angus Miln,  focused exclusively on M&A and equity fundraisings in the TMC sector. The wider team advises clients on the full range of M&A transactions including  public and private mergers, acquisitions and disposals, leveraged buyouts and public-to-private transactions. The department also has specialist expertise in fund formation, seed investment and multiple fundraises through to growth capital. Emma Danks leads the private equity team and undertakes a wide range of leveraged buyouts and other related transactions alongside James Goold.

Tech-related M&A work makes up the bulk of Bird & Bird LLP's practice,  and the team is comfortable advising across a wide range of specialist matters ranging from data ownership for a cloud company disposal through to energy regulations for a solar farm. The firm's international network of offices facilitates cross-border M&A, particularly across the US, Asia and Europe. Matt Bonass leads the department, as well as chairing the international energy and utilities sector group. He specialises in public and private mergers and acquisitions, private equity, joint ventures, venture capital and equity capital markets work. Neil Blundell and Simon Allport are other names to note.

Cooley (UK) LLP acts on a wide range of M&A transactions for corporates, private equity houses, venture/growth capital and financial advisers, regularly advising on cross-border and domestic acquisitions, disposals, mergers, joint ventures and investments. The firm's tech and life sciences focus mean it has a strong client list in these areas, with clients also turning to the capital markets team for listings advice. Private equity specialist Ben Shribman joined the practice from Jones Day and brought with him significant experience advising strategic and financial investors. Justin Stock leads the department.

While Mishcon de Reya LLP acts for both public and private companies, as well as institutional investors, it has particular strength acting for entrepreneurial/business owners, high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals and family offices.  Richard Tyler is especially active for these clients. Kevin McCarthy has taken over from recruitment sector specialist Nick Davis as practice head, and his practice spans a wide range of sectors including technology/software, hospitality & retail, sport & leisure, media & entertainment and financial services. Ross Bryson  is a name to note for flotations, takeovers and placings, as well as shareholder matters.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP counsels sellers and buyers, investors and owners, boards of directors, and sources of financing and intermediaries, including private equity and venture capital funds. The team works across the tech, life sciences, energy and investment management sectors. Within tech, the team is increasingly known for its telecoms work and is also especially experienced advising biotech companies in the life sciences sector.  Olivier Chambord is the name to note for energy, while Thomas Cartwright regularly advises sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices. Practice head Timothy Corbett focuses on public and private equity, debt offerings, international securities law compliance, and disclosure requirements.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (UK) LLP is able to call on the firm's full service offering to expand its service to clients beyond M&A to associated disciplines including tax, acquisition finance, structured finance, employment, competition law and cybersecurity & data privacy. Jinal Shah, who is recognised as a leading individual in this area, has an established  client following across the firm's core sectors of energy, infrastructure, tech and finance. A key area of growth for the team is transactions in the sustainable energy space, with a focus on health tech, bio tech and life sciences. Practice head Shawn Atkinson focuses on advising private equity, venture capital and growth funds, as well as high growth technology companies.

Osborne Clarke LLP's M&A team increasingly secures work on large cross-border mandates as its international network of offices has grown. The team has significant experience advising clients in the marketing, media, tech, and consultancy sectors, with Tim Birt being the name of note here. Greg Leyshon leads the UK business transactions team, overseeing all M&A, financial institutions, private equity and commercial transactions. Simon Smith heads up the wider corporate group.

Watson Farley & Williams LLP is particularly strong in the energy and infrastructure sector, where the team specialises in conventional power and renewables. Other areas in which the practice has bench strength include maritime, transport, natural resources and real estate. The bulk of the work undertaken by the team has a cross-border element, with the firm making use of its 14 offices outside the UK, as well as a network of local counsel, to advise on these transactions. Chris Kilburn leads the corporate group and specialises in the energy, mining and commodities sectors. Jan Mellmann and Daniel Saunders  are also names to note.

Burges Salmon LLP is extremely active in the energy sector, particularly in the areas of nuclear power and renewables. Another strong sector specialism for the corporate team is in food and drink, as well as hotels & leisure, education and financial services.  Richard Spink leads the corporate team and specialises in private equity, domestic and cross border mergers and acquisitions, as well as equity capital markets work. Rupert Weston is a name to note for corporate finance.

Rather than a standalone M&A group, Goodwin's corporate lawyers are split across the firm's key sectors of real estate, life sciences, tech and private equity. Experienced in both public and private M&A, the team is also able to lean on the network of global offices to advise on significant cross-border and multi-jurisdiction mandates. The team is jointly led by real estate specialists Joe Conder and David Evans , and life sciences expert Graham Defries.

HFW's UK corporate team handles both domestic and cross-border deals, with the London practice working closely with the firm's 20 international offices. The department has a strong sector specialism in transport - specifically shipping, aviation and logistics - as well as expertise in ports, energy and resources. Alistair Mackie leads the practice and advises on M&A deals in infrastructure, energy and mining.

RPC advises on the full spectrum of M&A work, with particular specialisms in the retail, tech and insurance sectors. Much of the insurance work is private equity driven, an area in which the firm has seen considerable growth alongside its venture capital practice. The corporate group features a dedicated due diligence team, modelled on the big 4 accountants' transactions service teams. Karen Hendy leads the department and is particularly skilled in takeovers, restructurings and joint ventures.

Arnold & Porter advises on M&A and joint ventures both domestically and cross border, with the team advising buyers, sellers, venture capitalists, lenders, financial advisers, management teams and private equity and hedge funds. The team is particularly experienced in the life sciences sector and has seen significant growth in work in the cannabis sector. Jeremy Willcocks leads the practice, advising on share and asset sales, IPOs, public takeovers, shareholder disputes, and joint ventures.

Clyde & Co LLP typically advises on corporate compliance, joint ventures and strategic alliances for clients in the real estate, marine, industrial, energy and natural resources sectors. The practice is also focused on new and emerging markets internationally, with many transactions featuring a cross-border element. Simon Gamblin leads the corporate and commercial team and has international and domestic corporate finance expertise, including substantial experience advising on complex public and private mergers and acquisitions.

Fieldfisher's M&A team is led in London by Neil Matthews, who works as part of a group that focuses on sectors including tech; media production; telecoms; energy; financial services; life sciences and hotels & leisure. The practice has added lateral partners in areas such as energy in recent years and has also grown its deal volume, with many of its deals also now having a cross-border element.  Andrew Blankfield is another key part of the London offering.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP's London M&A team has significant expertise in the tech, energy, petrochemicals, natural resources and financial services sectors, acting on both domestic and international transactions. Energy specialist Gavin Watson joined the team in January 2019 and is experienced advising on midstream and downstream transactions for clients operating in gas, LNG and petrochemicals. James Campbell leads the corporate and securities group and has a practice focused on M&A, corporate finance, joint ventures, IPOs, private equity and venture capital.