Geoffrey Burgess > Debevoise & Plimpton LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

The ‘top-notch‘ emerging markets practice at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has ‘a great group of partners and associates who are diligent, smart, and highly commercial‘. Among them are Geoffrey Burgess, who has an active international M&A practice and frequently handles transactions in Africa, India and Russia/CIS; capital markets partner James Scoville, who recently advised Baring Vostok Capital Partners on an $85m accelerated bookbuild sale of approximately 1.2 million global depositary receipts; chair of European and Asian litigation Lord Peter Goldsmith KC and co-chair of the Africa practice Patrick Taylor, who together assisted Shell Petroleum as claimant in an ICSID case against the Federal Republic of Nigeria concerning breaches of the Netherlands-Nigeria Bilateral Investment Treaty. ‘Super-smart, gracious, natural dealmaker‘ Alan Kartashkin, who previously led the firm’s Moscow office, is now head of the firm’s London-based Eastern European practice. International counsel Vera Losonci focuses on equity and debt offerings, including cross-border M&A deals and corporate governance matters. ‘This practice is exceptional – agile, flexible, resourceful and very collaborative‘, say clients.

Steered by practice head David Innes, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP ‘s London buyout team regularly works in conjunction with the firm’s offices in New York and Hong Kong on high-value transactions, including a growing volume of secondaries and investment deals. Geoffrey Burgess‘s far-reaching international practice spans Africa, India, and the US, while dual-qualified (England and US) Katherine Ashton, a private funds specialist, is particularly noted for her work on secondaries transactions. Other names to note include E Raman Bet-Mansour – based between the firm’s London and Paris offices – and Dominic Blaxill, whose recent engagements include advising on multi-billion-dollar acquisitions.

With a particular focus on the financial services sector, the India group at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP acts for international investment banks, global and regional private equity firms and financial institutions. The team is now jointly led by Geoffrey Burgess and Lord Peter Goldsmith KC, both based in London, following the 2023 departure of former co-head William Chua.