Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP‘s M&A practice has a sector focus on the healthcare, technology, and consumer goods industries. The group is adept in handling multijurisdictional mergers and acquisitions, and has amassed a small but impressive client base. Ian Lopez heads the team and has extensive experience advising companies from various sectors such as financial services, media, and insurance. He has expertise in both public and private domestic and cross-border M&A, as well as restructuring and insolvency matters. James Frecknall is another notable name in the department, representing corporates, financial institutions, and private equity houses on a slew of matters including public and private disposals, acquisitions, joint ventures, and minority investments. Christian Iwasko, Priya Rupal, and Michelle Tong joined the team from Goodwin in March 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The Fried Frank M&A team is truly exceptional.’

  • ‘What sets them apart is the combination of knowing the market, having deep relationships with UK and international counsel, and their willingness to be flexible in the name of problem-solving and getting the client the best possible outcome.’

  • ‘The Fried Frank team takes the lead and drives a timeline to ensure timely execution, working behind the scenes with all their specialists to deliver the best outcome for their clients. They consistently, teach me and make me, as the client, smarter and arm me with what I need to make good decisions while getting deals done.’

  • ‘Fried Frank consistently brings their best and brightest and staffs matters in the most efficient way. They always seem to be the problem solvers in the room. Also, I have no idea when the Fried Frank partners or associates sleep since they’re always the first ones to jump in to work and move the transaction forward.’

  • ‘Fried Frank has a very strong collaborative approach. They understand the commercial objectives of the client and are very responsive.’

Key clients

  • Domino’s Pizza Group plc
  • LumiraDx Group Limited
  • Mayo Clinic
  • OPTrust
  • Viavi Solutions Inc

Work highlights

  • Advising Viavi Solutions Inc in relation to its proposed acquisition of Spirent Communications plc for in excess of £1bn.
  • Advising the LumiraDx group on the sale of its point-of-care diagnostics Platform business to Roche Diagnostics Limited.
  • Acted as counsel to Domino’s Pizza Group plc on the acquisition of Shorecal Limited for a total enterprise value of €103m.

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.

Ian Lopez

Other key lawyers

James Frecknall