
- Tel:
- Work 020 7065 6000
- Fax:
- Fax 020 7065 6001
- Web:
- www.velaw.com
Simon Rootsey
- Tel:
- Work +44.20.7065.6034
- Email:
Work Department
Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity
Position
Partner
Career
Simon's practice focuses on cross-border M&A and private equity where he has significant experience advising clients on such transactions, plus joint ventures and public takeovers. Simon received The M&A Advisor’s 2015 European Emerging Leaders Award, which recognises up-and-coming lawyers under 40.
Education
Bachelor of Laws (Honours), University of Western Australia
Bachelor of Commerce (Finance (Corporate)), University of Western Australia
Postgraduate Certificate in Chinese Law, Murdoch University
Admitted to practice: England & Wales
London: Corporate and commercial
M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, £250m+
Within: M&A: upper mid-market and premium deals, £250m+
The ‘very client centric, thoughtful and commercial’ Vinson & Elkins RLLP has ‘an excellent overall level of service, in responsiveness, efficiency, thoughtfulness and quality of advice’. The M&A team is noted for its industry expertise in both the energy (particularly oil and gas) and telecoms infrastructure sectors. The team is co-headed by Jeffrey Eldredge and Shaun Lascelles. Lascelles and Simon Rootsey are recommended as ‘very perseverant and responsive’; the pair advised the Vitol Group on the sale of a 50% stake in the holding company of VTTI Energy Partners for $1.15bn, and represented the Vitol Group and Helios Investment Partners in connection with the $250m acquisition of Shell’s 20% shareholding in Vivo Energy. Paul Dunbar is ‘very commercial and effective in negotiation’ and ‘co-ordinates his team well’; he acted for TPG Sixth Street Partners and Oaktree Capital on the acquisition of Iona Energy and the establishment of a joint venture platform. Alex Msimang advised Statoil on its acquisition of 25% stake in Petrobras’ third-largest oil field for $2.9bn. Federico Fruhbeck joined from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.
London: Projects, energy and natural resources
Oil and gas
Within: Oil and gas
The 'responsive, accessible and thoroughly trustworthy' oil and gas offering at Vinson & Elkins RLLP is described as 'first class' by one client. The team is 'very attentive to the needs and urgencies of the matters clients approach them with' and spearheaded by Alex Msimang who 'is a to-the-point adviser and always available'. In recent highlights, associate Nadine Amr supported Msimang to handle Statoil's $2.5bn acquisition of a 66% interest and operational capacity in the offshore Carcara field from Petrobas, and Shaun Lascelles teamed up with counsel Simon Rootsey to oversee Vitol's sale of a 50% stake in the VTTI group to Buckeye Partners for $1.15bn. Key names on the projects side include construction specialist Andrew Nealon and finance expert Nabil Khodadad who are currently assisting SOCAR with its proposed development of a gas processing plant and petrochemical facility in Azerbaijan. On the contentious side, James Loftis is representing ExxonMobil in annulment arbitration proceedings brought by Argentina with regards to an award against it on the grounds of its violation of the US-Argentina bilateral treaty agreement.