Risk advisory
Baker McKenzie, ‘capable of comprehensively supporting global reorganisations across corporate legal, tax, compliance and regulatory specialties,’ has a longstanding reputation for handling high-value, high-profile, and complex international business reorganisations. The practice has a robust offering which spans carve-outs, post-acquisition integration projects, and group restructurings, as well as legal entity rationalisations, spin-off transactions, and supply chain reorganisations. With a wealth of expertise and cross-border transaction prowess, the department has amassed an extensive and expanding client roster comprised of notable names from an array of industry sectors, including tech, financial services, and media and entertainment. Emily Carlisle co-heads the team alongside Jo Hewitt and stands out for her aptitude for joint ventures, M&A, and integrations. Hewitt is sought after for her experience advising on carve-outs, holding company reorganisations, and pre-transaction restructuring. Charlotte Nolan was made partner in July 2024 and concentrates on the financial services and healthcare sectors. Other key contacts in the team include Kirsty Wilson, Rakesh Rathod, Christina Khoo, and Richard Needham.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Mentions
Profile
Work Department
Mergers & Acquisitions; Commercial; Transactional
Position
Jo Hewitt is a partner in the Corporate Department in Baker McKenzie's London office. Jo has a particular focus on advising multinational groups on the structuring, implementation and management of complex corporate reorganisation projects including post-acquisition integrations, holding company restructurings and group rationalisations. She is part of a dedicated team in London focused on international reorganisations and business transformation projects.
Jo's practice also encompasses company law and corporate governance advisory work for private companies, including assisting clients to embed good corporate governance policies and practices across their organisations. Jo was named "Best in Corporate Governance" at the Euromoney LMG Women in Business Law Awards 2019.
Languages
English
Memberships
- Law Society of England & Wales
Education
- BPP Law School (Legal Practice Course) (2002)
- BPP Law School (Post Graduate Diploma Law) (2001)
- Oxford University (Hertford College) (B.A. English and Modern Languages, Honors) (1998)
- University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Sustainable Capitalism and ESG (Online Course))
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team provides exceptional service and is very knowledgeable and efficient. The team is extremely responsive, always providing commercially savvy solutions.’
‘Rakesh Rathod is an exceptional corporate lawyer with a strong reputation for delivering pragmatic and commercially astute solutions. His ability to remain calm under pressure is invaluable in high-stakes negotiations, ensuring a strategic and composed approach to complex legal matters. His outstanding analytical skills and keen comprehension abilities make him a highly effective lawyer, consistently achieving excellent outcomes for his clients.’
‘The Baker team impressed us with both their in-depth expertise and customer orientation. This partnership has been absolutely key to our ability to execute upon two highly complex international reorganisation projects with extremely ambitious, almost unprecedented, timelines. The team is fantastic in understanding and supporting the strategic priorities and driving solutions. It has been also outstanding in terms of support offered in terms of reporting, collaboration and responsiveness.’
‘The team has offered a truly outstanding support and partnership - I would like to call out above all our fantastic partner Richard Needham, whose in-depth expertise and strategic focus are only matched by his professionalism. I would also like to provide special recognition to Christina Khoo and Ethan McIlroy - with a thank you for their outstanding support and focus on driving the project to a successful finish line.’
‘Baker & McKenzie is a "one-stop" shop capable of comprehensively supporting global reorganisations across corporate legal, tax, compliance and regulatory specialties.’
‘Highest level of professional expertise coupled with a client-first mentality.’
‘Sam McDonald is a great person to work with. He really stands out and delivers an excellent service. A great level of detail, and he keeps us honest on what needs to be done to get a transaction across the line.’
‘Jo Hewitt is always there for me. She provides quick feedback, practical suggestions, and simply has it all to make things happen. ’
Key clients
- 25*25 Accenture plc Atos Baker Hughes Bristol Myers Squibb Broadcom Emerson Equinix Inc. Eutelsat Illinois Tool Works Intelsat Johnson & Johnson New Mountain Capital Nielsen nVent Electric PerkinElmer Reddit S&P Global Seadrill Sika Spectrum Brands Stryker Takeda Thales Under Armour Whirlpool
Work highlights
Advised the Eutelsat Group on its exclusive negotiations for the carve-out and partial sale of its passive ground segment infrastructure assets.