Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is widely recognised as one of the pre-eminent law firms globally. Headquartered in New York City, the firm maintains international offices in Beijing, Brussels, Boston, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Tokyo, and Washington, DC. With approximately 1,500 lawyers, the firm draws on over 135 years of experience to advise clients on some of the most complex and high-profile transactions and matters worldwide. Its lawyers operate across offices as a single multidisciplinary team, providing integrated global capabilities.

London Office
Simpson Thacher has had a presence in London for over four decades. The London-based team advises clients in Europe and globally on matters governed by both English and US law, covering cross-border corporate transactions, M&A, banking, capital markets, private funds, real estate, and restructuring, as well as tax, competition law, and arbitration matters.

Practice Areas

• M&A and Private Equity: The firm is recognised for handling complex M&A transactions, buyouts, stock and asset purchases, restructurings, joint ventures, and contested transactions. Its clients include listed and unlisted companies and financial sponsors. Recent London office engagements include Blackstone’s $63 billion take-private acquisition of Atlantia SpA; €18 billion acquisition of a controlling stake in Autostrade per l’Italia; €21 billion recapitalization of Mileway; KKR’s $6.14 billion recommended offer for ContourGlobal; Cegid €6.8 billion combination with Grupo Primavera; and Baring Private Equity Asia’s €6.8 billion acquisition by EQT.
• Capital Markets: The firm advises domestic and international issuers and underwriters on all types of capital markets transactions, including high-yield debt, investment-grade offerings, IPOs, equity capital markets, and derivatives transactions. Notable recent representations include debt and equity offerings for Aston Martin, KION Group, Logicor, Lorca Telecom Bondco, Q-Park, SoftwareONE, and Stonegate Pub Company, as well as IPOs for Bridgepoint Group plc and Baltic Classifieds Group plc, and underwriter representation in KfW debt offerings totaling approximately $28.8 billion (equivalent) in 2021.
• Banking & Finance: The firm advises borrowers, credit funds, sponsors, and bank lenders on a wide range of lending transactions, including domestic and cross-border acquisition financings, infrastructure financings, fund financings, private credit instruments, and working capital facilities. Key engagements include financings for Edizione and Blackstone Infrastructure Partners; KKR; Silver Lake; TDR Capital; Flutter Entertainment plc; BlackRock and Hassana; Apax; and MasMovil and Orange Spain.
• Private Funds: Simpson Thacher maintains a leading global private funds practice, covering buyout, real estate, infrastructure/energy, and debt funds. The London office has advised on the largest European private equity fundraisings post-financial crisis, including Apax X, Astorg VII, BC European Capital X, Bridgepoint Europe VI, Cinven VII, Coller VIII, CVC VIII, EQT IX, EQT Infrastructure V, and Triton V. The firm also serves as counsel for multi-strategy clients in other fundraising initiatives.
• Real Estate: The London-based real estate practice advises sponsors, debt funds, and asset managers on diversified transactions, having completed over 1,300 transactions since 2013. Notable representations include Blackstone on Spanish hospitality and residential refinancings (€4 billion), the €21 billion recapitalization of Mileway, and acquisition of a logistics property portfolio from Corem Property Group AB valued at approximately SEK 5.35 billion.
• Antitrust & Trade Regulation: The firm is internationally recognised for its antitrust and competition law expertise, representing clients before the European Commission, EU Member States, the US Department of Justice, the US Federal Trade Commission, and other merger control authorities. London and Brussels-based lawyers have advised on deals including Twitter’s acquisition by an entity wholly owned by Elon Musk, CSL’s tender offer for Vifor Pharma, and Microsoft’s acquisition of Xandr. The firm also represents clients in high-profile antitrust litigation and government investigations.
• Litigation & Arbitration: With dual-qualified US and English-law lawyers, the firm advises multinational corporations on complex international litigation and commercial arbitration. Key matters include cross-border proceedings related to Brazilian aviation investments, an UNCITRAL arbitration securing €134 million for Danone, emergency SCC arbitration in Stockholm, ICC arbitration for a leading pharmaceutical company, and LCIA arbitration over a major supply agreement dispute.
• Restructuring: Established in London in 2021, the restructuring team comprises 20 lawyers and advises companies, sponsors, credit funds, banks, insolvency practitioners, and other stakeholders on complex distressed situations. Recent significant engagements include cross-border matters for Casino, Wittur, Telepizza, Keter, Flint, and Takko.

Leadership

• Chair, Executive Committee: Alden Millard
• Managing Partner (London): Wheatly MacNamara

Languages: English

International Offices: New York City (headquarters), Beijing, Brussels, Boston, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Tokyo, Washington, DC