Baker McKenzie LLP is reputed for its depth of expertise in international business reorganisations projects and assists multi-national clients in post-acquisition integration, pre-transaction separation projects, legal entity rationalisation and group and supply chain reorganisations. The firm’s corporate reorganisations team in London is jointly led by Emily Carlisle, who advises on major reorganisation projects, including Brexit restructuring projects, and Jo Hewitt, who focuses on post-acquisition integration and subsidiary governance. The global head of the department, Kirsty Wilson, covers a range of projects and frequently leads significant post-acquisition integrations. With vast experience in the planning and implementation of cross-border business reorganizations and carve-out/spin off M&A transactions, the arrival of Richard Needham in December 2023 bolsters the firm’s offering. Rakesh Rathod is a key contact for various corporate transactions and reorganisations while Emma Smith has considerable experience navigating clients through the challenges that arise when coordinating cross-border reorganisations.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The reorganisation team at Baker McKenzie is first rate and cutting edge.’
‘Richard Needham is a first-rate operator and flies under the radar. The re-hiring of Richard by B&M is a very smart move. He is super smart and gets the job done. Highly recommend.’
‘The practice consists of individuals that have the experience and expertise to manage and execute on the most complicated multi-jurisdictional reorganization projects.’
‘Rakesh Rathod is a patient and diligent professional and can be counted on to make sure that timetables for execution are always met or exceeded.’
‘Rakesh Rathod and Alex Lewis work hard to ensure client satisfaction and a strong value proposition.’
‘Richard Needham has the ability to to design and implement complex corporate restructurings according to plan and timeline. He is creative, has relevant knowledge and is able to maintain focus on the end goal rather than going down rabbit holes. He is very pleasant to work with, has great client skills and is focused on innovation to support commercial decision-making and implementation of large restructurings.’
‘Jo Hewitt always has the oversight and ensures her team is there for me.’
‘There are very few firms that have the expertise we need across the many jurisdictions we operate in. The advice given by the team on international business reorganisations is of a high quality and care is taken to ensure clarity and consistency across the multiple jurisdictions.’
Key clients
- 25*25
- Accenture plc
- Atos
- Baker Hughes
- Bristol Myers Squibb
- Emerson
- Equinix Inc.
- GSK
- GXO Logistics Inc.
- Haleon
Work highlights
- Advise Atos on the carve out of Atos' Managed Infrastructure Services, Digital Workplace and Professional Services activities and its Big Data and Security and Digital activities in preparation for the spin-off of the Evidian business (or part thereof).
- Assisting Whirlpool with the pre-transaction restructuring steps to facilitate the key strategic transfer of its European, Middle East and North Africa business to a new Joint Venture with Arcelik.
- Advised Sika AG on its EUR 5.3 billion acquisition of MBCC, and provided reorganisations support to facilitate the instantaneous carve out and divestment of MBCC’s chemical admixtures business
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Practice head
Emily Carlisle; Jo Hewitt
Other key lawyers
Richard Needham; Kirsty Wilson; Rakesh Rathod; Emma Smith