Slaughter and May

The commercial team at Slaughter and May advises on key contractual work, which underpins the high-level transactional mandates that flow from the London office. Beyond this scope of work, the group also demonstrates strong proficiency acting on stand-alone commercial contractual work, including advising on Marks & Spencer’s international distribution and franchise framework, as well as Richemont’s integration onto Farfetch’s e-commerce platform. Team head Duncan Blaikie has fronted some of the firm’s most significant deals, including Vodafone’s merger with Three, and General Electric Company of America’s sale of its nuclear steam turbine and generator business to Électricité de France – which fellow co-head Oly Moir also advised on. David Ives is a key contact to financial services and manufacturing clients, acting on a number of cross border commercial issues such as proof of concept, new services, and partnership agreements, while Rob Sumroy has a strong focus on sourcing and distribution work, especially if technology related. Associate Ian Ranson continues to garner a reputation for competently handling an impressive volume of commercial mandates.