Image of Paul McNicholl

Paul McNicholl

Senior Adviser , London

“Over the past 30 years I have advised the Boards and senior executives of some of the world’s largest companies on pivotal events in their corporate history. Having lived and worked in the U.S., Europe, Africa and Asia, I bring a global perspective to the advice I provide. I am trusted by Boards and Chief Legal Officers to be their main adviser to deliver pragmatic and insightful counsel when needed most.”

Overview

Paul is a specialist in corporate law, advising global businesses on public and private M&A, corporate restructurings, public offerings and joint ventures. He advises Boards as lead counsel on their most important events, including hostile public offers, activist situations, large complex demergers and interactions with significant shareholders, Governments and other stakeholders. Paul was formerly a partner in our London, New York, Shanghai and Tokyo offices.

Work highlights

Over his career, Paul has advised companies across sectors and across continents on their most important transactions and situations. Some examples of his experience include advising:

  • Unilever PLC and N.V. on their £120bn cross-border merger, Europe’s largest ever
  • Unilever on its £18bn capital reduction, the UK’s largest ever standalone capital reduction
  • Unilever on the disposal of its €6.8bn Spreads and €4.5bn Tea businesses
  • Unilever on its successful defence of the US$145bn unsolicited approach by the Kraft Heinz Company
  • Unilever on its $3bn tender offer to increase its stake in Hindustan Unilever
  • Schlumberger on the sale of its Global Connectivity Services to Harris Corporation
  • NTT Corporation on its £2bn recommended cash offer for Dimension Data Holdings plc
  • Diageo on its acquisition of Shui Jin Feng and on the establishment of a strategic joint venture in Japan with Kirin Brewery Co
  • Citibank as lead consortium investor on the $3bn acquisition of an 85.6% interest in Guangdong Development Ban
  • Anglo American on the $19bn public take-over of De Beers by a consortium comprising Anglo American, the Oppenheimer Family and Government of Botswana, unwinding the historical cross-holding between the two groups and De Beers’ stapled stock structure