Mr Paul Ellerman > Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Praised for its ‘concise, relevant and commercial‘ advice, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP‘s practice is active across the remunerations spectrum, with key areas of focus being share plan and incentives related issues, including on major corporate transactions such as the recent reverse takeover of Shaftesbury plc, and corporate governance advice. Clients include blue chip listed and private companies, with the team advising a number of clients within the financial services sector. ‘Stand-out employee’ Paul Ellerman and Mark Ife, who is praised for his ‘exceptional depth and breadth of knowledge’, lead the team. Kiran Khetia is an expert on cash and share-based incentive arrangements, while Niall Crean has a notable focus on financial services remuneration mandates.

The corporate governance advisory team at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is led by Gareth Sykes, who was promoted to partner in May 2023, and offers clients ‘exceptional depth and breadth of knowledge, with practical as well as technical understanding’. It acts for a broad range of FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and AIM-listed clients on AGMs, regulatory matters, board-level issues, compliance and ESG matters. Sykes advises listed and private companies on corporate law and governance issues, including reporting matters, continuing obligations under the Listing Rules, and shareholder meetings and directors’ duties. James Palmer and Ben Ward are also key practitioners, while Paul Ellerman handles employment-related matters, such as remuneration and incentives and associate Caroline Hagg deals with annual and climate reports.