Mishcon de Reya LLP

Susan Breen

Susan Breen is a Partner in the firm's top ranked Betting & Gaming Group in the Innovation Department.  Susan's practice spans both corporate and M&A, as well as regulatory and commercial advice with over 20 years' experience acting for gambling industry clients. A particular strength of Susan's practice is her ability to blend her corporate knowledge with regulatory, infrastructure, and compliance advice to many of the industry's leading operators, service providers and business owners both in the UK and internationally. Much of Susan's work is international with a particular focus on helping clients buy or build businesses in an environment that has become increasingly complex from a legal, regulatory and tax perspective. She has been involved in many of the sector's high profile and innovative transactions over the last two decades. Clients include significant operators, regulators, governments, affiliate marketing groups, games developers and service providers. Susan has been a senior trusted adviser for many years to certain high profile clients and governments in other jurisdictions. She has extensive experience of advising operators and their key shareholders on the risk management and issues facing operators in regulated or yet to be regulated markets. In addition to advising established businesses, Susan has also advised new entrants to the online gambling market in the UK, Africa and the US. Susan is regarded as a pre-eminent lawyer in the betting and gaming sector by Legal 500, Chambers UK and Chambers Global, particularly for "servicing clients on complex, cutting-edge transactions, providing the regulatory overlay which makes her skillset so unique in this sector". Clients say that her "industry knowledge and understanding is unparalleled", "she cuts to the crux of the issues and gets on with it" and that she "really goes the extra mile for her clients".

Nick Nocton

Nick is a Partner in the Innovation Department and Head of the Firm's top ranked Betting and Gaming Group. With over 20 years' experience advising companies from all parts of the gambling and games industries, Nick's practice addresses commercial and regulatory matters, including regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings, licensing, AML and regulatory compliance, commercial contracts, and corporate/M&A. Nick is active in rapidly evolving areas such as skill gaming, esports, social gaming and gamification generally, where the regulated sector is converging with digital entertainment. Nick is also the co-lead of the firm's esports and Digital Entertainment group. Nick's clients include multinational gambling operators; game publishers; software developers; gaming machine and equipment manufacturers; investors and financial institutions; as well as regulators. Nick is identified as a "gaming and betting expert" by Chambers UK and Chambers Global with clients deeming him a "tremendous lawyer". Legal 500 have recognised him as a Leading Individual in this sector and he is part of the Hall of Fame.

Stuart McMaster

Stuart is a Partner in the Betting & Gaming Group in the Innovation Department. He specialises in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions for both public and private companies. He advises on listed company transactions, including flotations, takeovers and fundraisings. He also advises on joint ventures, private fundraisings, shareholder disputes, regulatory issues and corporate re-organisations. Stuart is a member of the Betting and Gaming group, and has extensive experience within this sector. Representative examples include advising two substantial shareholders of PartyGaming Plc on its merger with bwin Interactive Entertainment AG and advising on private equity investments and mergers and acquisitions within the gambling and technology sector. He also advises on wide range of regulatory issues within the online gambling sector. Stuart also acts for clients in a number of other sectors, including real estate, technology and renewable energy. Stuart also advises on the corporate aspects of insolvency-related transactions, including insolvent business sales, debt for equity swaps and schemes of arrangement.

Niki Stephens

Niki is a Partner in the Betting & Gaming Group within the Firm's Innovation Department. Niki is a regulatory specialist with twelve years' experience advising clients in the gambling and gaming sectors. Niki regularly advises licensees in connection with compliance assessments and regulatory enforcement action by the Gambling Commission including licence reviews. She also advises operators, software developers and platform providers in connection with regulatory and compliance matters including anti-money laundering, responsible gambling, consumer protection and marketing requirements. Niki specialises in advising clients on the gambling regulatory aspects of sales, acquisitions and investments including regulatory due diligence and the impact of regulatory matters on the transaction documentation. She also advises on a full range of corporate transactions, including sales and acquisitions, reorganisations and joint ventures, and has worked on numerous cross-border transactions. Her experience covers a wide range of sectors including betting and gaming, technology, retail and leisure. Niki has been recognised by Legal 500 as a 'Next generation partner' and is acknowledged as 'up and coming' in Chambers & Partners.