United Kingdom

Our key experience includes advising:

Global Infrastructure Partners an independent $5.64 billion investment fund, on its agreement with BAA Airports Limited to acquire London Gatwick Airport for £1,455 million in cash. This was one of the most strategically significant deals in the infrastructure sector in 2009 ( 'Acquisition of the Year', Infrastructure Journal awards 2009 ), and the largest leveraged deal in the UK in 2009.

Cadbury on a cash and share final offer by Kraft Foods Inc. The final offer valued Cadbury at approximately £11.9 billion. Working with Cadbury’s advisers on the defence strategy over £2.1 billion of additional value was generated for Cadbury shareholders.

HM Treasury, working alongside Treasury Legal Advisers, on the the establishment and implementation of the Asset Protection Scheme (APS). The APS is the UK’s scheme for dealing with toxic assets. It forms a central part of the Government’s comprehensive package of measures designed to reinforce the stability of the financial system, increase the capacity of banks to lend and to support the recovery of the economy. The APS is the largest and most complex asset insurance arrangement of its kind.

Sempra Metals Limited in its successful defeat of HMRC's appeal to the House of Lords in a test case against HMRC in the ACT group litigation (in which we also represented the Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Plc in its successful appeal to the House of Lords). The House of Lords upheld the Court of Appeal's decision in favour of our client that companies such as Sempra should recover compound, rather than simple, interest on amounts paid by way of ACT. The judgment is significant as it remedies a number of perceived defects in the English law on interest and very considerably widens the circumstances in which compound interest can now be claimed.

Lend Lease on its role as development partner of the Olympic Delivery Authority for the Olympic Village for the 2012 Games, in particular letting all of the construction contracts for the residential apartments and associated infrastructure within the Olympic Village.