Alexandra Burger

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Leaders in Law endorses Alexandra Burger as our exclusively recommended expert in South Africa. If you wish to get in touch with Alexandra, please use the contact information provided above.

Alexandra Burger is an Admitted Attorney and Notary in South Africa, Legal Counsel and Senior Advisor to several local and international private equity and venture capital funds and companies. A business and investment executive, entrepreneur and board and governance leader with 20 years’ local and international experience providing bespoke legal and investment solutions to multiple organizations.

Experience and Clientele

Alexandra has a proven track record in investment banking, investment product development, transactional legal work, cross border structuring, stakeholder management including capital raising, investor relations and alternative financing solutions. She has advised and listed companies and funds on several international stock exchanges. In particular, she has 20 years’ experience in international fund and company structuring and management. Alexandra also has experience in management of M & A exits, governance, forensics , distressed assets and cross border licensing and trade. .

Her employers and clients include banks, development finance institutions, asset managers, private equity funds, venture capital funds and retirement funds. Alexandra has a passion for companies in technology from IT, IOT, FinTech, MediaTech, MedTech, Agritech to Mining Tech and, for almost 17 years she has been advising SMEs and Midmarket companies in legal matters, commercialisation capital raising and expansion into international markets.

Firm Description:

We are Specialist Advisors. Lyra Consulting has the advantage of an international network of industry specialists with exceptional know how, skills and expertise to advance competitiveness.

What we offer

  • Legal Consulting and Transactional Services (M&A)
  • Corporate Finance & Valuation Services
  • South African Business Services
  • International Services Business Areas: Funds, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Owner Managed Businesses, Entrepreneurs

Practice Areas

  • Private Equity
  • Venture Capital
  • Funds
  • Corporate Finance
  • Technology Companies
  • International company structuring
  • Transactions, Legal Consulting
  • Business Consulting
  • Tax consulting
  • Valuation Services

 

José Luís Arnaut

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Leaders in Law endorses José Luís Arnaut as our exclusively recommended Private Equity expert in Portugal. If you wish to get in touch with José please use the contact information provided above.

José Luís Arnaut has a vast experience on legal strategic advice to public and private companies. His main areas of practice include restructuring, privatisations, mergers and acquisitions and private equity.

His career has started as a lawyer within the practice area of intellectual property law with special focus on patent, trademarks, domain names, new technologies and competition law, areas where José Luís reached high level of recognition.

José Luís Arnaut is a member of the board of directors of several national and international entities.

Founding partner of CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut.

Relevant experience

  • Since 1992 he has been European Patent Attorney at the European Patent Office (Munich).
  • Since 1996 he has been European Trademark Attorney at the European Union Office for Harmonization in the Internal
  • Market (Alicante) and Official Industrial Property Agent at the I.N.P.I. – National Institute of Industrial Property
  • In 1996 he was a member of the Monitoring and Revision Commission of the Industrial Property Code and between 1998 and 1999 he was a Member of the Revision Commission of the Industrial Property Code
  • He was a Member of Parliament for 12 years
  • He was Minister of State to the Prime Minister José Manuel Durão Barroso (2002 – 2004) and Minister of Cities, Local Administration, Housing and Regional Development (2004 – 2005). He was President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Portuguese Parliament (2005 – 2008)

Education

  • Law degree, Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa
  • Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées en “Accords et Propriété Industrielle”, CEIPI – Centre d’Études Internationales de la Propriété Industrielle, Université Robert Schuman em Strasbourg

Memberships

  • Member of the Portuguese Bar Association since 1996
  • Member of ABA – American Bar Association since 1996
  • Member of several international associations related with his area of practice, in which he has already held leading posts:  INTA (International Trademark Association), AIPPI (Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Industrielle), FICPI (Fédération Internationale de Conseils en Propriété Industrielle), ECTA (European Communities Trade Mark Association) and PTMG (Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group)

Firm Description:

CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is a law firm that dates back to 1964 and is firmly established in the Portuguese market.

Renowned for its proficiency, professionalism and thoroughness, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut builds long-term relationships with its clients which are based on trust and transparency.  CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut works to provide reliable, ethical and legally correct solutions for clients while striving to be creative, competitive and efficient.

Drawing on its multidisciplinary expertise, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut organises its work teams to take account of individual client requirements.  This includes predicting likely scenarios and anticipating potential problems.  The goal is to provide quality legal and tax advice and contribute to the successful pursuit of clients’ business objectives.

We explicitly guarantee the quality of the services we provide.

We carry out our work with dedication, enthusiasm and to the highest ethical standards.

We invest in those who work for us, encouraging their personal and professional growth, reinforcing team spirit and, above all, valuing those who work with us.

We search for what is best in our day-to-day business as well as constantly innovating in the way we work.

Corporate responsibility is for us an essential value which we demand of all those who work with us.

With a strong presence in the Portuguese market, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut is part of CMS, the largest European legal and tax service provider.  CMS´ wide range of jurisdictions and experience strengthens and supports CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut´s capacity, offering strategic added-value for clients of CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut. We have our own unique culture which defines our identity and our work.

Ranked as a Top 10 Global Law Firm, CMS can work for you in 42 countries and 74 offices worldwide. 4,500 CMS lawyers offer you business-focused advice tailored to your needs, whether in your local market or across multiple jurisdictions.

Who we are 

Ranked as a Top 10 Global Law Firm, CMS can work for you in 42 countries and with 74 offices worldwide. 4,500 CMS lawyers offer you business-focused advice tailored to your needs, whether in your local market or across multiple jurisdictions.

Your World First

‘Your World First’ is our promise to you. This means we are client-centric, have world vision and are performance driven.

Client-centric – Being immersed in the industry sectors our clients operate in is at the heart of what we do.  Our business is structured according to the industries our clients work in, delivering technically excellent lawyers who talk your language.

You can benefit from added value services such as Law-Now which provides practical and timely knowledge relevant to your business and from webinars for training at your desk. To help you manage your account, we deliver reporting information such as invoicing, matter progress, fees, work in progress and bespoke reports.

We have deep local expertise in many jurisdictions and major global centers. CMS has a track record of expanding to meet client needs, moving into countries such as Turkey and Oman to support infrastructure and energy projects.

CMS lawyers are part of organizations such as the CMS Lifesciences Asia-Pacific Network and the African Legal Network. We understand how macro trends, such as the fall in oil price, affect your business and stay on top of the news agenda, regulatory discussions and new legislation.

Performance driven – CMS takes pride in first-class execution and project management – we deliver results, not just opinions. This approach to service delivery is the same everywhere, based on a common training program and a shared understanding of what our clients value.

All CMS lawyers, both those we recruit and those we train in-house, are focused on providing quality advice and quality service.  We recruit, value and nurture top talent and through regular, independent evaluations, we identify opportunities to make improvements in our service and feed this back to our lawyers.

 

Kei Asatsuma

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Leaders in Law endorses Kei Asatsuma as our exclusively recommended Private Equity Law expert in Japan. If you wish to get in touch with Kei please use the contact information provided above.

Kei Asatsuma is a partner at Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu. He has a diverse corporate practice with a strong concentration in complex business transactions, including M&A, divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures, strategic alliances, leveraged buyouts, private equity investments, restructuring, and workouts and recapitalisations. He also advises clients in a wide variety of corporate matters, including corporate governance issues, and is often called upon to represent public companies involved in takeovers and active shareholder defences.

He has an LLB from the University of Tokyo (1995), and an LLM from the University of Chicago (2002). He joined Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu in April 1997 and has been a partner since January 2005. He has also worked at Kirkland & Ellis LLP (2002-2003), where he focused on international litigation and cross-border transactions involving Japanese companies, as well as general corporate matters for US and Japanese companies. He is admitted to practise law in Japan and New York.

Firm Description:

Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu is widely known as a leading law firm and the foremost provider of international and commercial legal services in Japan.

We represent domestic and foreign companies and organizations involved in every major industry sector and in every legal service area in Japan.

 

Alvaro Hurtado Bocaletti

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Leaders in Law endorses Alvaro Hurtado Bocaletti as our exclusively recommended Private Equity Law expert in Guatemala. If you wish to get in touch with Alvaro please use the contact information provided above.

Alvaro is the founder of LegalPlus and has more than 10+ years of professional experience as an Attorney in Guatemala, and participating in international transactions in Latin America, USA, Europe and Asia. He currently advises a and serves the Board of a diverse group of clients including start-ups, local and multinational companies. His practice focuses primarily in Private Equity and Venture Capital transactions; however, he has vast experience in Aviation, Estate Planning, Real Estate Development, Corporate Law and Intellectual Property.

Academic Background

He graduated from Universidad Francisco Marroquin (UFM) as a Lawyer and Notary Public, obtained a Master’s Degree in International Economic Law from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and a Master’s Degree in International Trade from AGEXPORT and Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC). Among other academic achievements he has participated in courses at Stanford University and American University.

Currently he is a Professor at his alma mater, the School of Law of Universidad Francisco Marroquin (UFM).

Offices in Hong Kong

Alvaro started the firm’s office in Hong Kong in 2012, and this operation has allowed the firm to provide trading and other offshore services to its clients. This office provides complementary services to multinational corporate groups, family offices and other regional transactions.

Firm Description:

LegalPlus is a business and technology oriented law firm. We specialize in providing legal advisory services that fit the business model, stage and demands of our clients’. Understanding our clients’ business and goals allow us to provide spot on legal solutions that meet their true needs and resources. Unlike traditional law firms, at LegalPlus we maximize our efforts through technology and add real value to our clients.

Experience

At LegalPlus, we are proud to represent a broad and diverse group of domestic and international clients; ranging from emerging startups to multi-national corporations and non-profit entities. Advising diverse clients have provided us with vast experience and extensive understanding of what a client needs, based on their business stage and goals.

The PLUS in Legal Plus

As a business and technology law firm, we are confident technology can provide a business with innovative ways to solve routine legal tasks. Therefore we have developed and adopted a set of legal tools to help us all save time and money on mechanical tasks, and focus truly in adding value to our clients through advise and analysis. Our technological complimentary services set us apart from traditional law firms and allow us to provide cost-efficient services.

 

Fang Xue

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Leaders in Law endorses Fang Xue as our exclusively recommended Private Equity Law expert in China. If you wish to get in touch with Fang please use the contact information provided above.

Fang Xue is Chief Representative of the Beijing office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. She is a member of the firm’s Corporate Department and its Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity practice groups.

Ms. Xue has broad-based corporate and commercial experience. She has represented Chinese and international corporations and private equity funds in cross-border acquisitions, private equity transactions, stock and asset transactions, joint ventures, going private transactions, tender offers and venture capital transactions, including many landmark deals among those.

Ms. Xue previously worked at Shearman & Sterling LLP where she spent four years in the New York office and two years in the Hong Kong office, prior to moving to Beijing in 2009.

Ms. Xue is a frequent speaker on topics relating to cross-border and going private transactions, and is regularly interviewed and quoted by main-stream business publications. She is fluent in English and a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese.

Ms. Xue received her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Duke University School of Law, where she served as Research Editor of the Law and Contemporary Problems and was a member of the Order of the Coif. She was also the recipient of 2003 Faculty Award for Outstanding Achievement in Business Organization and Finance. She received her Bachelor of Arts in International Business, magna cum laude, from Ocean University of Qingdao, and her L.L.M degree from University of International Business and Economics. She is admitted to practice in the State of New York and is qualified to practice in China.

Ms. Xue was named to the shortlist for the “Best in M&A and Private Equity” category of the Euromoney Legal Media Group Asia Woman in Business Law Awards 2016. She has been recognized as a “Notable Practitioner” in the 2018 and 2019 editions of Euromoney’s IFLR1000 financial & corporate legal rankings. She is also listed as a “Recognized Lawyer” in the 2019 edition of Chambers Asia-Pacific.

Ms. Xue published an article “Recent Trends and Issues in Outbound Acquisitions by Chinese Companies” in December 2016, on Thomson Reuters’ The M&A Lawyer, a monthly newsletter specializing in mergers/acquisitions law, corporate governance and antitrust issues.

Firm Description

In May 1872, a tall, 34-year-old, red-bearded lawyer stepped down from the stagecoach at the Plaza of Los Angeles. Corporate attorney John Bicknell had his sights on building a law practice. What greeted him at the stage was a humble little pueblo with dusty unpaved streets, no industry and scant business.

The narrow streets and alleys ran between decrepit adobe buildings roofed with “brea” from tar pits west of the city. Bicknell had summed up his philosophy this way when counselling a younger lawyer: “The safe way is to select a business that you will be satisfied to follow and build up a business of your own.” He began to follow his own advice. By the 1880s, he had attracted one of the region’s most important clients, the Southern Pacific Railroad.

It took time to select a quality partner. But in 1890, Bicknell, a Republican, teamed with Walter Trask, a Democratic litigator, thus launching the unbroken chain of partnership that today is Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Also launched was a set of unique firm attributes. Those included selecting only quality lawyers; balancing ideas across the political spectrum; and providing powerful resources in both transactional and litigation-related legal services. More than a century later, these attributes still define today’s Gibson Dunn.

In 1897 Judge James Gibson joined the firm, thus instituting another Gibson Dunn tradition – hiring lawyers who make an impact in their communities. In 1903, in a move that created the largest firm in Los Angeles, Bicknell, Trask and Gibson merged their practice with that of former Los Angeles City Attorney William Dunn and former Assistant City Attorney Albert Crutcher. Carried out at the behest of a client in order to create a “full-service” firm, the combination was called an “experiment” in the local press. It has worked ever since. Nearly 100 years later, the press would dub the firm “The Rescue Squad” for its response and service to clients in legal need. Another article remarked that it remains easier to get into the CIA than to become a lawyer at Gibson Dunn.

The firm grew as the region grew, into both Northern and Southern California, and both nationally and internationally. By the 1970s, Gibson Dunn had offices in London and Paris. Shortly thereafter, the firm took the bold step of launching its practice in the nation’s capital and New York. Since 2000, the firm has further expanded in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia. As John Bicknell might say, the firm has “built up a business,” based on those attributes of quality, balance and impact and on an unrelenting mission of achieving success for clients – a mission shared today by more than 1,200 lawyers worldwide.

 

Sameena Chatrapathy

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Sameena Chatrapathy joined the Firm soon after her graduation and has been with the Firm’s Chennai office since the year of its inception in 2006.

Sameena has worked on several private equity transactions in her experience representing both domestic as well as foreign funds, advising them through multiple rounds of funding. She also represents companies and promoters assisting in their fund raise right from preparation for funding through to completion. In the course of her experience she has worked with varied businesses and her sector expertise include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy and information technology. Her portfolio of clients include funds such  as Agnus Capital, IndusAge, the Tenshi Group and  businesses such as Olympus backed Aster DM Healthcare, Carlyle backed Newgen  and Qualcomm backed Attune  Technologies.

Sameena is also a lead member of the Corporate and M&A Team focusing on assisting and advising domestic and foreign clients in acquisitions both in India and overseas. She has worked on some of the high value and big ticket transactions in different verticals on one side and on the other, advised start-ups and early stage businesses in their compliances, investments as well as strategic alliances.

Sameena is also the exclusive ‘Recommended Attorney’ for Private Equity practice in India by Global Law Experts.

Lately, with her experience in investigation of allegations of sexual harassment and her inclination towards protection of women’s rights, Sameena Chatrapathy has spearheaded the Firm’s initiative to bring establishments in India in compliance with the sexual harassment laws, being a key member on the internal complaints committees of over 20 domestic establishments.

Sameena Chatrapathy holds a Masters degree in International Commercial Law from United Kingdom and a graduate with an honours degree from the prestigious, School of Excellence in Law, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai. She has been a university top rank holder all through her five years of under-graduate legal education, graduating with distinction.

Private Equity Law Practice:

Raising capital being synonymous with a much needed and necessary growth strategy to various corporations, we have gained significant expertise in this field by successfully leveraging our experience and specialization in domestic and cross-border investments. We combine our rich experience and expertise with laws / regulations and research capabilities to devise innovative structures for funding and have developed a successful domestic and international venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) industry practice. With the advent of a start up culture and increasing interest in entrepreneurship in the country and the success rate of start ups in the country given the country’s rising consumerism, alternate investment funds (AIF) is poised to become an indispensable and integral part of the nation’s economy. India has meticulously been trying to ease the process of investing in India and constantly tried to boost investments in the country, with introduction of new securities such as convertible notes helping start-ups garner more, better and easier investments.

Our core proficiency lies in assisting national and international funds and investors, identify investment targets, structure the funding, conducting due diligences on the investee companies, preparation and negotiation of the transactional documents and assisting the company and investor through pre and post transaction regulatory compliance. Our transactional team’s expertise also ranges from being able to assist promoters and start ups to raise capital to assisting major corporations with corporate compliance and to further diversify their businesses.

We have constantly explored and mastered several verticals in the M&A and private equity market which has helped us grasp the intricacies of regional laws, regulatory environments, economic and commercial realities which in turn has enhanced our service capability. Our rich cross border experience and technical expertise has helped us provide targeted and tailored investment strategies and avenues for both foreign investment in India and overseas investment by Indian entities.

Our work with both listed and unlisted companies, investors and promoters has helped us appreciate and understand the whole gamut of the investments market in India, enabling us to assist companies and funds by providing an all encompassing advice keeping in mind the interest of all the parties to a transaction.

  • Efficient structuring of the investment mechanisms the prevailing laws, regulations and other market practices.
  • Drafting, review and negotiation of term sheets.
  • Comprehensive and  issue  based legal and  corporate due diligence on target companies in light of industry specifications across various sectors and  respective state legislations for the purpose of legal risk assessment and recommending effective  ways to mitigate the same.
  • Legal and regulatory requirements and assistance in seeking requisite approvals and making representations before the regulatory authorities such as RBI, SEBI, etc.
  • Drafting, review and negotiation of transaction documents including share subscription agreement, shareholders’ agreements, and share purchase agreements, intellectual property assignment agreements, employment agreements, charter documents and such other ancillary documents.
  • With preparation of ancillary documents pertaining to transactions such as disclosure schedule, compliance with conditions precedent and assistance towards closing and post-closing activities.

 

Jeff Olson

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Vietnam corporate partner Jeff Olson has more than 10 years’ experience helping private equity firms, venture capital investors and corporations of all shapes and sizes complete complex multi-jurisdictional M&A and joint venture transactions in Asia and the U.S. Representing clients in industries as diverse as agriculture, real estate, food and beverage, healthcare, oil and gas, tobacco and media, Jeff combines mature market experience with emerging market know-how to guide his clients through a rapidly evolving legal and regulatory landscape.

Vietnam and ASEAN are changing by the day, presenting both opportunities and obstacles for clients. Having practiced in New York, Tokyo and currently Vietnam, Jeff knows what it takes to execute deals in challenging markets.

 

Hogan Lovells:

Change is happening faster than ever, and legal challenges come from all directions. To stay ahead, organizations need to anticipate what’s next. Hogan Lovells understands this and works together with its clients to solve the toughest legal issues in major industries and commercial centers around the world. With 2,500 lawyers on six continents, Hogan Lovells offers extensive experience and insights gained from working in some of the world’s most complex legal environments and markets for corporations, financial institutions, and governments. The firm provides practical legal solutions that help clients identify and mitigate risk and make the most of opportunities. Whether a client is expanding into new markets, considering capital from new sources, or dealing with increasingly complex regulation or disputes, Hogan Lovells can help. The firm’s lawyers are straight talking. They understand and solve the problem before it becomes one. And they deliver clear and practical advice that gets the job done.

A fast-changing and interconnected world requires fresh thinking combined with proven experience. That’s what Hogan Lovells provides. Progress starts with ideas. And while imagination helps at every level, the firm’s legal solutions are aligned with each client’s business strategy. The firm’s experience in cross-border and emerging economies gives it the market perspective to be the global partner of choice for its clients. The team at Hogan Lovells brings a diverse variety of backgrounds and experience which delivers a broader perspective. This ultimately makes for more rounded thinking and better answers for clients. Giving back to communities and society is fundamental to good business. And, it’s part of the firm’s core. Everyone at Hogan Lovells is asked to volunteer at least 25 hours a year as part of their normal work duties.

 

Peter Z. Teluk

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Peter Teluk, Managing Partner of our Kyiv office, represents investors in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance matters and real estate transactions.

Peter has served as the Ukrainian general counsel and member of the management team of a multibillion-dollar fast moving consumer goods company with manufacturing facilities in Ukraine and has served as the general counsel of a publicly listed company. Peter handles FCPA, corporate, competition, shareholder agreement, real estate, labor, finance, compliance and marketing matters.

 

Squire Patton Boggs:

We combine sound legal counsel with a deep knowledge of our clients’ businesses to resolve their legal challenges. We care about the quality of our services, the success of our clients and the relationships that are forged through those successes.

Breadth and Depth

Our client base spans every type of business, both private and public, worldwide. We advise a diverse mix of clients, from Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 corporations to emerging companies and from individuals to local and national governments. In the private sector, we provide the full range of legal advice required to implement practical strategies and resolve disputes. In the public sector, we counsel governments on privatization of whole industries and on establishment of regulatory systems under which new private businesses can compete. We also serve the regional needs of the countries and cities we call home.

Whatever is needed, we are able to deliver the seamless cross-practice, cross-border and industry-specific support that clients require for success in today’s competitive markets.

Client Focus

Clients expect knowledge of their business as well as high-quality legal skills from their law firms. Our combination of legal and industry experience allows us to better analyze client requirements and develop the right approach for the matter at hand. Clients receive tested insight and guidance from a team that understands their needs and is able to offer tailored solutions.

We are dedicated to our clients’ success, and their satisfaction shows it. We continue to advise successor organizations of clients that we represented at our formation some 120 years ago.

Business Has No Borders

With offices in 21 countries on five continents, our global legal practice is in the markets where our clients do business. We also have strong working relationships with independent firms in Europe and Latin America.

Our extensive practice and industry knowledge is shared via one of the most robust technology platforms in the legal business, as well as ongoing rotation of lawyers to our offices around the world. In addition, we apply knowledge- and project-management tools to implement continual business process improvements and enhance the value of our legal services.

Outstanding Value

We emphasize quality, efficiency and alignment with client goals as core standards to improve continually our service delivery and the value of what we do for our clients. We encourage and manage processes and tools to improve pricing models, training and resource optimization, knowledge management and more, all centered on our core focus – delivering the services our clients want, when and where they want them and with the value they deserve.

 

Francesco Maria Aleandri

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Francesco Maria Aleandri has extensive experience in the equity capital market sector, advising issuers and financial institutions in a considerable number of IPOs, secondary offerings, listings and public tender offers on the Italian main market as well as on AIM, both in Italy and in the UK.

Furthermore, he gained consolidated experience in corporate transactions, mergers, acquisitions and transfers of business having advised Italian and international multinationals.

His area of practice includes also assistance to listed companies on regulatory matters as well as in extraordinary transactions.

Firm Overview:

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, positioning us to help companies with their legal needs anywhere in the world.

We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality and value to our clients.

We achieve this through practical and innovative legal solutions that help our clients succeed. We deliver consistent services across our platform of practices and sectors in all matters we undertake.

Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies. They include more than half of the Fortune 250 and nearly half of the FTSE 350 or their subsidiaries. We also advise governments and public sector bodies.