The IT and business services sector includes professional service firms, HR services, technology companies, testing and inspection services and security services firms.
Linklaters has long standing relationships with the Big Four accounting organisations which include supporting them in their most high profile insolvency work. The firm is the leading advisor on their global network structuring as well as risk management and in major litigation and arbitration cases. Clients also benefit from specialist expertise which addresses the key issues for large professional services firms, in particular IT outsourcing and data privacy/information governance.
Technology companies from around the world, including India, China and Europe come to Linklaters for advisory and contractual work, including international M&A and competition/antitrust advice, legal advisory support on matters such as outsourcing, pensions and share schemes. The firm also advises on a range of other issues for technology companies such as IP aspects of software R&D, patent work and litigation. Clients include all manner of diversified technology companies, including IT services companies, software and hardware companies.
Linklaters advises many U.S.-domiciled businesses, particularly in relation to their strategically important interests in Europe and Asia, where the firm’s ability to deal with complex multijurisdictional matters is unrivalled. With the burgeoning technology sector in India and China, it is uniquely well placed for the future of the technology sector.
With the economic outlook tightening, restructuring and insolvency work is a growing area. As finding credit becomes harder, Linklaters’ expertise in areas such as equity financing is also likely to become highly sought after in the sector.
Contact us
To discuss legal issues with Linklaters’ global IT and business services team, please contact sector leaders Florian Drinhausen, Elisabet Lundgren, Marly Didizian or Sanghoon Lee.
Find out more about Linklaters’ It and business services capabilities from sector manager Boko Inyundo on (44 20) 7456 5667.
Recent IT and business services transactions include advising:
- PwC as the administrators of Lehman Brothers in Europe
- Ernst & Young on the groundbreaking integration of 87 of their country practices across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa into a single organisational structure known as EMEIA
- Citigroup Global Markets Limited on the sale of Experian's French business processing outsourcing and card processing businesses to Advent International
- Microsoft Corporation in relation to its acquisition of Greenfield Online Inc, owner of one of Europe’s leading price comparison, shopping and consumer reviews websites
- Firstsource Solutions Limited on its acquisition of MedAssist Holding Inc., a leading provider of revenue cycle management services to the US healthcare industry in a transaction valued at US$330m
- Addison Luxembourg S.A., software development and distribution company, owned by several HgCapital funds on the sale of its share in Barnet Holding GmbH, the parent company of Addison group, to Wolters Kluwer International Holding B.V.
- The issue by Rentokil Initial plc of £75m of Floating Rate Reset Notes due 2033 by way of private placement to BNP Paribas
- Sierra Wireless in relation to its public tender offer over Wavecom, which was a competing offer following an initial hostile offer by Gemalto
