England - London • Projects, energy and natural resources
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP made a significant impression in the City infrastructure market with the hire of Sara Pickersgill from A&O Shearman and James Boswell and Toby Parkinson from Clifford Chance LLP at the start of 2023, a move which allows the firm to act for an ever-expanding portfolio of national and global clients in the energy and infrastructure sectors. The sponsor-focused team advises a number of private equity funds investing in this space, and its offering is further strengthened by the global firm's ESG practice. While still a developing practice, the team has been engaged in a number of premium M&A deals, fund formations, joint ventures and corporate restructurings, with strong expertise in utility, digital infrastructure, and energy transition mandates. Pickersgill is a leading M&A partner who regularly advises top-end sponsors on high profile mandates, while Boswell leverages more than 20 years' debt finance experience to advise sponsors and borrowers on financing a broad array of acquisitions, including multi-sourced platform financings, holdco financings and equity bridge loans. Parkinson is a highly-regarded M&A practitioner, with his industry experience working as a director at OMERS an extra selling point for clients. The firm also added James McGivern and Emma Shelston from Linklaters LLP and A&O Shearman as partners in 2023, with the former largely focusing on debt finance and regulatory work, and the latter on M&A.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The K&E team is newly established, but they have made great hires in Sara Pickersgill, Toby Parkinson and James Boswell. This gives them a leading practice which will stand up against any of the other firms in terms of client relationships and breadth of experience across M&A and financing.'
‘ Sara is highly experienced and led the infrastructure business at A&O. She is very commercial, on top of the detail, pragmatic, easy to work with and experienced across multiple sectors. Toby brings some in-house experience from OMERS so really understands the investor's perspectives. He is hard working, in the detail, sharp and effective’
‘James Boswell is a market leading partner with huge experience across all sub-sectors. The wider team is also being built out to cover all relevant sectors’
'Sara Pickersgill - incredibly bright, excellent personable skills, great communication and can stand up to anyone. Calm and a joy to work with - breath of fresh air. Like a thoroughbred race horse. James Boswell is very commercial, hands on and always make sure the legal process in deals runs smoothly’
‘Open and honest communication from James Boswell and his team. They have a pragmatic approach to problem solving and do not only stick to the legal technicalities around these transactions and agreements.’
Hall of fame: Corporate M&A
Sara Pickersgill is a corporate partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP. She has over 20 years’ experience advising private equity sponsors and infrastructure funds on complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions with a particular focus in the infrastructure, digital, energy and renewable sectors.
Leading individuals: Corporate and M&A
James Boswell is a debt finance partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP. He advises financial sponsors and borrowers on a wide range of complex financing transactions across the energy and infrastructure sector.
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
James Boswell, Toby Parkinson, Sara Pickersgill