Linklaters is home to one of the world’s pre-eminent corporate/M&A practices covering the full range of M&A work, including public takeovers, complex multi-jurisdictional deals, joint ventures, disposals and corporate restructurings.
Cross-border M&A is a particular specialism, involving the co-ordination of large teams across different jurisdictions.
The global corporate practice is extremely well integrated across Linklaters’ network of offices and has transactional experience across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. This extensive global reach and expertise allows Linklaters to deliver exceptional service to clients anywhere in the world.
Advising leading corporates and financial institutions, the firm has appeared on many of the most challenging, high profile and significant transactions of recent years. In addition to their technical expertise clients rely on the team’s market and sector knowledge and commercial advice.
Corporate/M&A is complemented by market-leading tax, real estate, employment, banking, pensions, competition/antitrust and regulatory teams.
The practice has a proven track record which is evidenced by top tier positions in the legal directories and M&A league tables.
Corporate/M&A highlights include advising:
- Rio Tinto on the US$19.5bn investment by Chinalco, on its defence against the hostile takeover announced by BHP Billiton (the largest announced deal of 2008) and on its US$38.1bn acquisition of Alcan (one of the largest takeovers of 2007)
- RBS on its €71.1 billion consortium bid for ABN AMRO (the largest takeover in financial services history)
- Suez on its €48 billion friendly merger with Gaz de France (creating of one of Europe’s leading utility companies)
- China Netcom Group Corporation (Hong Kong) Limited on its £12 billion merger with China Unicom Limited as part of a market consolidation in the Chinese telecoms industry
- Lloyds TSB Group plc on its recommended acquisition of HBOS plc
- Citi on the disposal of its shares in the German holding company of its German retail bank, Citibank Privatkunden, and three other related German companies, to Crédit Mutuel
- Scottish and Newcastle plc on the £7.8 billion recommended cash offer by Carlsberg A/S and Heineken N.V.
- Vodafone Group plc on its US$11.1bn acquisition of a controlling stake in Hutchison Essar (the largest ever inward investment into India by a foreign corporation)
- Sual and Glencore on their US$30bn merger with RUSAL, to create the world’s largest aluminium producer
- International and Commercial Bank of China on its acquisition of a 20% strategic stake in South African bank, Standard Bank Group Limited
- Scottish Power plc as the target in the takeover by Iberdrola S.A.
- Emirates Bank International on its US$12bn merger with National Bank of Dubai, creating one of the largest banking groups in the Middle East
- ONGC Videsh Limited on its acquisition of UK-listed Imperial Energy (one of the largest overseas acquisitions of 2008 by an Indian company)
- Borse Dubai on its complex and high-profile takeover of OMX and the subsequent on-sale to, collaboration with and investment in NASDAQ
