With expertise spanning from financial services right through to intellectual property, the team at Baker McKenzie LLP offer a full-service M&A practice. Department heads Lance Sacks and Simon De Young co-chair the transactional practice together, with Sacks handling M&A and De Young focusing on private equity. The practice is further bolstered by Richard Lustig, head of mergers and acquisitions, and the highly regarded Kate Jefferson, who is well versed in high-profile and cross-border takeovers, mergers and schemes of arrangement.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Second to none corporate & M&A practice, as demonstrated by a number of files over many years. Great all around specialist lawyers as well.'
- 'Genuine, down to earth and very practical. Of course, they are technically brilliant, but it's their partnership approach and human side that make them a delight to work with.'
- 'Lance Sacks - really knows his stuff and make excellent calls at critical points in the process.'
- 'Accessible and approachable.'
- 'They are real people, helping and partnering to make a real difference. Richard Lustig is a role model human being, a fantastic leader and a real asset for Bakers. It's fair to say that I will always look to use Richard and his team whenever I can.'
- 'They have a seemingly unique balance of the high touch you get from a boutique firm with the weight and strength of a global firm.'
- 'They attend the work with significant organisation, process, diligence and time consciousness. More than 12 years working with them for M&A activity, and we have no desire to explore alternative firms for the same services.'
- 'Without a single exception, every contact at Baker Mckenzie has proven to be a delight to deal with. Deep expertise, substantial experience, and with significant contributions to commercial and strategic positioning for M&A activity. Value systems, etiquette, professionalism are also exceptional and a standout in comparison to other legal firms.'
Key clients
- Bidvest
- EQT
- Astro
- KKR
- Macquarie Asset Management
- OMERS
- Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Board (OTPP)
- Opmantek Limited
- Origin Energy
- Platinum Equity
- PointsBet
- Shell Australia
- Shell Energy Operations Pty Ltd
- Suez Group
- Superloop Limited
- WestConnex
Work highlights
- Advised ASX-listed company PointsBet Holdings on the proposed sale of its US sports wagering, advanced-deposit wagering and iGaming operations to Fanatics Betting and Gaming.
- Acted for Macquarie in relation to the sale of its mobile towers company Axicom to ATN (owned by AustralianSuper and Singtel) for A$3.5bn.
- Acted for Astro (the Malaysian satellite television and IPTV provider) on its proposed sale to Telstra Corporation of 51% of the Fetch TV Group.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Lance Sacks, Simon De Young