Clifford Chance LLP provides transactional and advisory tax services relating to funds, M&A, and real estate transactions, among other areas. The department is active for prominent private equity groups, corporates and financial institutions both from the UK and internationally. Highly experienced practitioner Chris Davies leads the team, and has a diverse practice which includes expertise in issues such as insurance linked securities, Islamic finance, and Pillar 2. Alongside Davies in the department is David Saleh, who leads on real estate tax and indirect tax, Richard Kalaher, who advises on cross-border M&A and private fund formation, and Laura Underhill, who is an expert in investment funds tax. Nicola Hemsley is a key contact for corporate transactions, while Jemma Dick is focused on financing transactions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Richard Kalaher is a lawyer whose judgement we trust. We do value his technical input, but it is for issues where the technical position is not clear that we really feel we are getting value. His communication style is highly effective when engaging with non-tax professionals.'
- 'Laura Underhill has significant depth of knowledge across the European funds market. We have found her highly effective in deploying this in complex structural issues. She has helped us analyse these and is prepared to challenge us if she thinks we have not sufficiently thought about an angle.’
‘Laura Underhill is a pleasure to work with. Her knowledge of the market and expertise in funds tax-related issues make her a very safe pair of hands on any fund launch process.’
‘Strength and dept of commercial knowledge and tax consequences and opportunities.’
'Client-oriented approach, in-depth knowledge, and experienced practitioners.'
‘David Saleh - able to quickly diagnose any tax issue and offer suggestions that work commercially.’
‘The team is highly responsive and offers clear advice and guidance on the next steps. What distinguishes them from others is their willingness to broaden their scope to provide insights on SG/Asia tax matters, leveraging their knowledge of US/UK tax and market practices. I value their effort to go the extra mile.’
‘I appreciate Richard Kalaher's client-focused approach, offering practical advice and being assertive during negotiations. He understands our needs and consults us appropriately in decision-making.’
'Richard Kalaher is technically excellent, highly reliable and commercial. He leads a very strong team, with work performed to the highest standards on very tight timelines.'
Key clients
- Vantage Data Centers
- Eni S.p.A
- ED&F Man Holdings Limited
- Brookfield
- Northwest Healthcare Properties Real Estate Investment Trust
- London & Quadrant Housing Trust
- Castleforge
- EQT Private Equity
- Avolon
- Arçelik
- Apollo Asset Management
- Octopus Renewables Limited
- Hillwood
- Ares
- Vantage Data Centers
- Eni S.p.A
- ED&F Man Holdings Limited
- Brookfield
- Northwest Healthcare Properties Real Estate Investment Trust
- London & Quadrant Housing Trust
Work highlights
Advised Vantage Data Centers, a leading global provider of hyperscale data center campuses, on the first Data Centre ABS in EMEA.
Advised longstanding client Northwest Healthcare Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (the REIT) on the sale of its UK private hospital portfolio to Assura PLC (Assura), a publicly listed REIT on the London Stock Exchange, for £500 million.
Advised Octopus Renewables on a number of product lines across its investment platform in the last 12 months.
Lawyers
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Practice head
Chris Davies
Other key lawyers
David Harkness; David Saleh; Nicola Hemsley; Laura Underhill; Richard Kalaher; Jemma Dick