Reputed for its high-end corporate expertise, Slaughter and May continues to advise on marquee transactions for leading industry players active across the energy, digital and social infrastructure arenas. The energy transition space is a particularly lively area of activity for the group, which frequently handles novel and complex transactions relating to hydrogen, CCUS and battery storage. Team heads Michael Corbett and Hywel Davies are noted for their far-reaching practices, working with a range of energy producers, infra funds, and government bodies on public and private M&A and joint ventures. Equally well versed in equity and debt financing arrangements, Azadeh Nassiri's recent workload includes conventional and renewable energy transactions, while Robin Ogle is chiefly engaged with M&A and PE deals, working with major asset managers as well as various subsidiary funds. Victoria MacDuff is the chief point of contact for Vodaphone, guiding the corporation through deals in Italy and Spain as part of its portfolio right-sizing efforts. The 'exceptional' Oly Moir is also recommended.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Several lawyers were allocated to each workstream of our deal. No time was wasted, no questions left unanswered, and documents timely and seamlessly produced. The team acted as a grand orchestra under the expert leadership of the conductor Michael Corbett.'
- 'On top of legal and negotiation skills which were truly outstanding - and this qualifier extends to all members of the team- the attitude was one of collaboration, perseverance, trust and sense of achievement.’
‘Oly Moir has been exceptional to work with. A profound legal and commercial grasp over the issues coupled with an outstanding ability to reach robust solutions for clients.’
‘Fast response time. Ability to understand the nature of the tasks and the market. Reliable and very informative.’
‘The practice is very innovative at finding workable solutions to complex problems and they are very responsive.’
‘They have the ability to think out of the box, to anticipate problems and to have solutions to hand.'
Key clients
- ENGIE SA
- BlackRock
- Pennon Group Plc
- UK Infrastructure Bank Limited
- INEOS
- Viridor Limited
- Hyphen Hydrogen Energy
- Motorola Solutions, Inc.
- Vodafone
- Castleton Commodities UK
- Northern Powergrid
- Centrica
- Ferrovial
- Interserve
- Amber Infrastructure
- United Utilities
- Australian Retirement Trust
- KKR
- Drax
Work highlights
- Advised ENGIE SA as lead counsel in relation to its negotiations with the Belgian government concerning a ten-year lifetime extension of two nuclear units, agreements for which were signed on 13 December 2023.
- Advised Vodafone Group Plc in relation to a combination of their UK telecommunication business with Three UK (Vodafone will own 51%, and CK Hutchison will own 49%, of the combined business).
- Advised Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, on the acquisition of up to 25% of the shares in Premier League football club, Manchester United.
Lawyers
Hall of fame: Corporate M&A
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners: Corporate and M&A
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Michael Corbett
Slaughter and MayNext Generation Partners: Corporate and M&A
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Oly Moir
Slaughter and MayPractice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Michael Corbett, Hywel Davies