James Cook > Slaughter and May > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Slaughter and May retains a prominent position in the London market, advising a prolific roster of listed companies on M&A, with one client declaring the practice ‘market-leading in terms of public company work.’ Praised for its ‘great depth and experience‘, the practice operates across a host of sectors including TMT, healthcare, construction, oil and gas, and insurance on domestic and cross-border matters. The practice is jointly steered by public and private M&A partners Richard Smith, who continues to lead on high-profile transactions, and Simon Nicholls, who is lauded for his ability to combine ‘deep technical knowledge and expertise with pragmatic judgment. Roland Turnill regularly assists clients on  public and private M&A, joint ventures, activism defence, governance and crisis management matters, while Rebecca Cousin stands out for her experience in the tech and IP sectors. Both Robert Innes and David Johnson are noted for for their broad corporate practices, handling public takeovers, joint ventures and equity financings. Described as ‘very responsive and pragmatic’, James Cook has particular expertise in advising large listed and private companies on corporate governance matters, and Paul Dickson continues to act on market leading public M&A transactions. A mix of UK and US-listed and large private corporates, PE houses and hedge funds turn to Sally Wokes, while Victoria MacDuff is recommended for her experience in the financial services and telecoms sectors. Steve Cooke has left the firm.

The fintech group at Slaughter and May works with a range of fast-growth companies, established tech firms, investors, and financial institutions on a range of high-value transactions. The team is jointly chaired by David Shone, David Ives, and James Cook, who between them steer the group on major fundraisings for household name corporates, among other mandates.