The corporate team at Farrer & Co specialise in regulated M&A in the financial services sector, although the group are also active in the real estate, hospitality, and medical industries. With strengths in cross-border transactions and a presence in emerging areas such as ESG M&A, the practice maintains a steadily expanding client base. Corporate practice head Jonathan Haley is sought out by regulated business owners, private equity purchasers, and partnership structures for his expertise in private M&A and joint ventures. With expertise in cross-border transactions, predominantly for clients based in the US and the Middle East, Richard Lane has a strong reputation in the market for his ability to advise on complex mergers and acquisitions, disposals, and bid processes across a range of sectors including fintech, media and entertainment, and leisure. Anthony Turner concentrates on M&A deals in the financial services sector, while Simon Ward focuses on private M&A, private equity, and venture capital transactions. The group also benefits from the aptitude of private capital and real estate expert Marie Bates advises individuals and investors on M&A, joint ventures, and corporate investments. Other notable names in the practice include Emily Jamieson, Charlie Court, India Benjamin, and Georgina Fraser.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘They are a very hands-on but pragmatic team. They are efficient at getting to the point, while also managing stakeholders and maintaining relationships with counter-parties. They were a pleasure to have on the other side of the table!’
‘Marie Bates is really impressive - she balanced attention to detail with commercial pragmatism, and helped negotiate tricky issues while maintaining our respective clients' goodwill.’
‘Simon Ward has been very good at retaining and acknowledging our desired positions from previous deals, which brings a real advantage from having that continuity. This means that during our negotiations, he is able to infer from prior deals and save time, which is an efficient way of working together.’
‘The team at Farrer are simply outstanding in managing our high expectations for corporate matters. We have worked with them for many years, and they continue to consistently provide bespoke, responsive, and high quality advice always in a timely manner with a successful outcome.’
‘We highly rate the whole corporate team at Farrer who stand out amongst others in this area. However, I would specifically mention Marie Bates and Emily Jamieson, who go the extra mile and are a real pleasure to work with. They clearly have an excellent and efficient way of working together.’
‘Richard Lane's team provided an excellent service with first-class advice delivered promptly, and with a strong focus on key commercial matters.’
‘Anthony Turner is exceptional, diligent, dedicated, and a consummate professional. I cannot recommend Farrer highly enough. ’
‘Excellent service from practitioners with deep knowledge of the law, highly commercial, and a pleasure to work with. Willing to go "an extra mile" to achieve a good result.’
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
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Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Jonathan Haley