Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton advises issuers, underwriters, and selling shareholders on UK and cross-border equity offerings, including IPOs, de-SPACs, and SEC-registered deals. The London team coordinates regularly with U.S. and EMEA offices and is active across the Nordics, CEE, and MENA. The firm recently boasts a strong track record in the energy, pharmaceuticals, and consumer sectors. Sebastian Sperber leads the team as a prolific cross-border adviser, frequently handling large-scale IPOs, secondary offerings, and recapitalisations. David Gottlieb offers trusted advice to a strong portfolio of US and international private issuers and global investment banks, while Chrishan Raja is highly regarded for his expertise in managing UK, European, and US securities law matters. Sarah Lewis and Frédéric G. Martin also come recommended.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Cleary are our go-to firm whenever we face complex US securities laws issues on ECM transactions or a particularly complicated registered deal. They have unparalleled technical expertise and deliver quick, clear and commercial advice.'
‘Sebastian Sperber has an encyclopedic knowledge of US securities laws and can quickly distill the most complex of issues into clear and accessible advice. The safest pair of hands in the City.'
- 'Sarah Lewis is fantastic - always responsive and delivers clear and digestible advice on complex and challenging issues.'
‘Cleary has amazing depth and expertise in global capital markets - both equity and debt. Their experience in cross-border capital markets transactions and foreign listings cannot be matched. The fact that they are a single partnership and not a franchise makes cross-office work seamless and organic. In 38 years of international practice, I have not encountered another global firm that uniformly delivers the highest quality work across offices and practices.’
‘Although nearly every Cleary partner is highly ranked and falls into the superstar category in their relevant practice area(s), in my experience, they are all genuinely nice people, with no ego or desire to impress. They are uniformly friendly and approachable, which makes working with them a pleasure. David Gottlieb is a fantastic relationship partner and great at making the firm available to clients and pulling together the necessary team on an expedited basis.'
Key clients
- Goldman Sachs
- Vivendi / Canal+ / Havas / Louis Hachette
- Samsung
- ACG Metals
- Artius II Acquisition Inc.
- BNP Paribas
- Citigroup
- J.P. Morgan
- Cinclus Pharma Holding AB
- BW LPG
- Viking Global Investors
- DNB Markets
Work highlights
Advising Canal+ in its London listing, one of the first listings under the FCA’s new listing rules.
Advising the underwriters in the €3bn SEC-registered secondary offering by Exor of Ferrari shares.
Advising a sovereign wealth fund, as a selling shareholder, in the IPO of Galderma on the SIX Swiss Exchange, the largest IPO placement in Switzerland since 2017 and one of the largest in Europe in 2024, and three follow-on secondary block trades for the client.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Sebastian Sperber
Other key lawyers
David Gottlieb; Chrishan Raja; Sarah Lewis; Frederic Martin