A&O Shearman covers all aspects of corporate, financial, and real estate tax, with a strong reputation for acting in both UK and international mandates. Team lead and global head of tax Christopher Harrison is particularly active on behalf of financial institutions, advising on tax-related financing transactions. Lydia Challen covers tax matters relating to M&A, corporate reorganisations and private equity, as does James Burton, who additionally handles tax issues relating to financing transactions. Charles Yorke is particularly active in asset finance and capital markets transactions, with key strength in project finance. Finance tax specialist Esther Lemmon is a name to note, as is Tim Harrop, whose areas of particular strength are private equity, technology, and infrastructure. Gareth Banfield covers all aspects of corporate tax, and leads the firm’s VAT practice. Simon Letherman joined the team in May 2024, as part of the merger with Shearman & Sterling.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Adept at dealing with complex matters and distilling complex issues into manageable pieces.’
‘Charles Yorke is a complete genius.’
Key clients
- BNP Paribas
- Quilter Plc.
Work highlights
- Advised Direct Line Insurance Group on the tax aspects of the sale of its brokered commercial insurance business to RSA Insurance.
- Advised a global real estate investor, on its joint venture acquisition of 50% of the shares in a JVCo which already indirectly owned a 60% interest in 17 operating NHS medical facilities.