Travers Smith LLP is a trusted adviser to FTSE-listed companies, private equity houses and institutional investors, handling high-value corporate transactions across sectors such as infrastructure, tech, financial services and wealth management, with particular strength in public takeovers, group restructurings and cross-border M&A. Joint heads Adrian West and William Yates lead the team. Spencer Summerfield is active across the full spectrum of corporate matters, while Andrew Gillen is a key contact for listed and large private companies on M&A and governance matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Strong expertise in M&A advice, negotiation, and support.'
‘Expert, available, hardworking.’
‘Ella Sharpley - great grasp of not just legal detail, but when to come in on discussions with value-add, when to accommodate commercial asks, how to get a deal to close. Highly recommend her.’
'The team at Travers Smith is incredibly cohesive -- information, responsibility, and ownership around client projects are all shared, so every member of the team from top to bottom is in the loop and well situated to assist, and nothing falls through the cracks. Travers also builds deep relationships with their clients, so they truly understand the business needs and the context around projects clients are undertaking. Multiple partners are engaged in each client relationship, and senior associates are routinely groomed to take on significant relationship roles; as such, there is easy continuity from one project to the next and over the lifetime of a relationship.'
'Travers lawyers are bright, business-minded, up to date on the latest legal developments, and pragmatic in their approach. I have had particularly good experiences with Tom Hartwright, Emma Havas, Adam Orr, and Will Yates.'
'The really winning attribute enjoyed by this Travers Smith team is a clarity of communication - and clear advice in relation to key decision-making. We have dealt with various combinations of the team, and the relationships between partners, seniors, associates, and trainees appear to be cohesive and trusting - and consequently, the quality of output and the detail of the analysis is up there with the strongest firms in our experience.'
Key clients
- Zegona Communications plc
- Swisscom
- Numis (now Deutsche Numis)
- Inflexion
- Lifezone Metals
- CVC DIF
- Aurelius Group
- IK Partners
- BUUK Infrastructure
- finnCap
- EMIS Group plc
- Auto Trader plc
Work highlights
Advising on the £1.6bn takeover of UK-listed property group Assura by KKR and Stonepeak.
Advising Bank J. Safra Sarasin on the acquisition of majority stake in Copenhagen-headquartered Saxo Bank.
Advising Steve Madden on a definitive agreement to acquire UK-based Kurt Geiger from a group led by Cinven.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Andrew Gillen
Practice head
Adrian West; Will Yates
Other key lawyers
Spencer Summerfield; Andrew Gillen; Lucie Cawood; Richard Spedding; Tom Coulter; Jonathan Walters; Ella Sharpley; Ben Lowen; Adam Orr; Emma Havas