Praised for its ‘high-quality, commercially driven advice’, Sidley Austin LLP bolstered its bench strength with the hires of James MacArthur and Ed Freeman from Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP in April 2023; both MacArthur and Freeman are noted for their expert knowledge of international markets. Alongside their global finance colleagues, the duo handle the full range of M&A, PE, joint venture, and debt finance mandates, working for both distinguished players and newly established funds. Further names to note include Ramy Wahbeh, who joined the firm from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in June 2023. Wahbeh is an experienced private equity specialist who regularly works with financial sponsors across a range of infrastructure-related M&A mandates. Emilie Stewart and James Crooks are both noted for their extensive debt finance expertise, as is Ben Thompson, who joined the practice in May 2024 from Travers Smith LLP.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘High-quality, commercially driven advice and efficient working.’

  • ‘Ed Freeman is an experienced leader, able to effortlessly pre-empt and advise on issues, negotiate and drive outcomes for the client.’

Key clients

  • Pictet Alternative Advisors
  • Stonepeak Partners
  • Macquarie Asset Management
  • InfraBridge
  • Terra Firma
  • Northleaf Capital
  • iCON Infrastructure
  • Apollo
  • OTPP
  • THI Investments
  • APG
  • Patrizia Infrastructure
  • Goldman Sachs Infrastructure Partners

Work highlights

  • Advised Pictet Alternative Advisors acquiring a controlling interest in facilities manager Pareto FM.
  • Advised InfraBridge on its agreement with Swiss Life Asset Managers for the acquisition of a co-controlling equity stake in, and investment into, Telecom Infrastructure Partners by Swiss Life.
  • Advised Stonepeak on its strategic, preferred investment into AGP Sustainable Real Assets.

Lawyers

Leading partners: Corporate and M&A
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners: Corporate and M&A
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

James MacArthur

Other key lawyers

Ed Freeman, Ramy Wahbeh, Emilie Stewart, James Crooks, Ben Thompson