England - London • Corporate and commercial

Macfarlanes LLP

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Splitting its advisory services across four key areas including public and private M&A, private equity and corporate advisory and praised for its ‘superb technical skills’ and ’highly responsive and personable’  lawyers, the corporate practice at Macfarlanes LLP is lauded for its expertise advising blue chip clients such as FTSE and Fortune multinationals on cross border transactions, often involving the US. The team also attracts wide acclaim for its unique advice at the intersection of corporate and private client matters for wealthy individuals and families. ‘Knowledgeable and experienced M&A lawyer’ and head of the M&A team, Howard Corney, guides corporates, financial investors and family offices through private and cross-border M&A, especially in the sports, leisure and hospitality sectors. Offering significant transactional experience and specialising in public M&A is Harry Coghill. Also offering a broad practice is Justin Hope, who is at the helm of various transactions including acquisitions, restructurings and joint ventures, with a particular focus on the real estate sector, private company M&A and private equity. Another lawyer noted in the market is Tom Rose, who frequently acts for public and private corporates headquartered across the UK, US and Europe, on large and high-value transatlantic matters such as carve-outs, M&A deals and disposals.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team has superb technical skills. Their lawyers have the ability to produce succinct summaries of complex documentation. The team is highly responsive and personable.’

  • ‘Tom Rose in particular stands out. He has superb breadth and depth of knowledge and technical skill.’

  • ‘A special mention is deserved by Howard Corney. He distinguished himself for being extremely accurate, always very available to find solutions through the ups and downs of the deal's negotiation. Howard is a very knowledgeable and experienced M&A lawyer with strong negotiation skills.’

  • ‘Very knowledgeable and coordinated approach to get all the relevant expertise to ensure one stop shop service.’

  • ‘They give very practical and commercial, thoughtful and considered advice. The lawyers are always helpful and available.’

  • 'The Macfarlanes team brings a practical approach to their engagements, offering direct advice that is easily understandable to those less familiar with UK practices.'

  • 'The individuals that I’ve worked with at Macfarlanes are particularly dedicated to their practice. It’s not just a job, it’s something that they are deeply committed to, and they bring energy and focus to their work that is palpable. The tremendous client focus and strong teamwork is what sets them apart. Tom Rose should be called out individually as a stand-out among the younger partners. Harry Coghill is also an exceptional lawyer.'

Key clients

  • Abrdn
  • Berkeley Group
  • Genius Sports Group
  • Incisive Media
  • Jazz Pharmaceuticals
  • NortonLifeLock
  • Omnicom Media Group
  • Qatar Sports Investment
  • Stanhope
  • Virgin Group

Work highlights

  • Advising NortonLifeLock Inc., a NASDAQ-listed provider of consumer cyber security solutions, on its successful $9.2b cash and stock merger with FTSE 100 company Avast plc, a global cybersecurity provider.
  • Advised Terminix Global Holdings Inc. on its $6.7bn cash and stock combination with FTSE 100 company Rentokil Initial plc.
  • Assisted european private debt investment manager, Arcmont Asset Management, on its sale to Nuveen, the investment manager of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America Fund.

Lawyers

Leading individuals

Harry Coghill

Harry Coghill

Macfarlanes LLP

Harry has broad transactional experience in public and private M&A, equity capital markets and other corporate transactions. He also advises listed clients on a wide range of corporate governance matters, including activism situations. Harry sits on the legal panel of the Investor Forum, having advised on its establishment, and has authored several publications on subjects relevant to his practice. Harry heads our international committee which has oversight of our relationships with international law firms. Harry also co-heads our consumer and retail sector group.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Howard Corney

Other key lawyers

Harry Coghill, Justin Hope, Tom Rose