About Us

Our Banking practice has played a leading role in almost every major development in the modern financial markets and with over 1,000 lawyers worldwide, it’s one of largest in the industry. Few firms can match our top-tier position across the full range of finance specialisms. Join us and you’ll work at the heart of the world’s financial markets, advising leading global businesses and institutions on complex transactions and drawing on your experience to deliver a commercial advantage for your clients. 

 

Insight: British American Tobacco

We assisted the lead banks on a USD 25 billion acquisition loan facility for British American Tobacco, to back the USD 49.4 billion acquisition of the 57.8% stake in U.S. peer Reynolds American Inc. which it did not already own. This was the largest deal in the European syndicated loan markets in 2017.

Working as a finance lawyer at the market-leading finance firm gives you exposure to a quality of work that is unrivalled among our competitors.”

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As part of our global Corporate and M&A practice, you’ll advise some of the world’s most successful companies, commercial and investment banks and private equity firms, on all aspects of commercial law and corporate finance. Mergers and acquisitions are the bedrock of our work; you can expect to tackle everything from public takeovers, private M&A and international equity offerings, to joint ventures, disposals and corporate restructurings – as well as day-to-day regulatory matters. Our lawyers combine excellent transactional skills with specialist expertise in areas such as antitrust, commercial, environmental, IP, tax, employment and pensions. We advised on one of the top five highest value, cross-border M&A deals in 2020 (Mergermarket) and are first globally for cross-border M&A by value (Bloomberg Q4 2020).

Insight: Liberty Global

We assisted Liberty Global on its GBP 31.4 billion joint venture with Telefónica to merge Virgin Media and O2’s fixed, broadband and mobile businesses in the UK.

 

Having the opportunity to advise on complex, high-profile transactions like the Virgin Media/O2 merger is one of the main reasons I became a corporate lawyer and why I chose to join Allen & Overy. The collaboration between various teams within Allen & Overy, the client and the other side was really impressive to observe and a privilege to be a part of, particularly as the serious work began very shortly after the UK went into lockdown #1, which meant that due diligence, drafting, negotiations and signing all had to be conducted completely remotely at a time when most people were still getting to grips with working from a laptop on their kitchen table for the first time.

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With over 550 lawyers based all over the world, our International Capital Markets Team is at the heart of the world’s banking and financial markets. We enjoy a top-tier position across the full range of capital markets product lines and we’ve played a big part in almost every major development in our field. Rapidly changing economic, political and regulatory conditions have made the last few years challenging and we have helped clients address the fallout from several sovereign debt crises. As our focus shifts towards big-picture, long-term projects, we are increasingly working with colleagues from other practice areas to develop innovative solutions that incorporate complex financing techniques.

Insight: MarginMatrixTM

We developed a market-leading IT solution to help our clients comply with the mandatory variation margin rules that now apply to the USD 500 trillion OTC derivatives market. MarginMatrixTM covers global regulatory requirements, template development, data collection, data scrubbing, negotiations, automatic drafting, delivery of legal opinions and the import of data back on the client’s systems for business as usual. MarginMatrixTM provides process efficiencies and economies of scale that no individual client could match on its own. We acted for eight global investment banks, and between them, these eight clients have required over 25,000 negotiations.

Everyone at Allen & Overy takes real pride in doing their job well. It creates an inspiring atmosphere.

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Recognised as one of the market’s top Employment & Benefits teams, we provide our clients with the very best practical, robust and packaged advice. Our experienced and highly regarded specialists in employment, incentives and pensions work closely together and with our market-leading corporate, regulatory and litigation practices, so that we offer a full-service and truly integrated approach.

With over 200 lawyers in 26 countries across Europe, the Middle East, the US and Asia Pacific, our global practice is one of the best-resourced practices in its field. With a client-centric approach we cover not only standalone advisory, litigation and corporate transactional support, but we also provide clients with a more bespoke approach that includes providing training, regular legal bulletins and a broad range of value-added services.

Insight: Covid-19 and the workplace of the future

At the outbreak of Covid-19, leading corporates and financial institutions turned to us to advise on the unprecedented employment aspects of the pandemic’s impact. As countries went into lockdown, we advised them on how to manage their workforces and we are working with them to establish what their ‘new normal’ will look like, ensuring they are covering all the relevant issues and that they have a holistic picture of their risk position. As we come out of the pandemic, we are continuing to advise on mandatory vaccinations/testing, as well as how businesses can move effectively to large-scale, hybrid working models.

People issues are at the top of board agendas and our clients come to us for strategic insight and guidance on the most sensitive and complex HR matters.

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As one of the world's leading disputes practices, Allen & Overy has vast experience litigating, arbitrating and resolving corporate and commercial disputes across multiple jurisdictions. In an increasingly volatile world, our understanding of the different legal and political landscapes in which our clients operate drives our approach to litigation and dispute resolution. We handle high-stakes, complex cases for some of the world’s most recognisable companies.

Become part of one of the world’s leading litigation practices and you’ll advise global financial institutions, major corporates, governments, regulators and state bodies, supported by cutting-edge technology and world-class training.

Insight: South Stream Transport

We worked with South Stream Transport, part of Gazprom, in an ICC arbitration with Saipem relating to a gas pipeline from Russia under the Black Sea into Europe. The case was one of the largest construction arbitrations of recent years.

I really enjoy the fight of litigation: strategy, tactics, intensity and especially the highs/lows of winning and losing.‎ There's no feeling quite like it.

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Our Real Estate team uses deep legal expertise and broad market knowledge to provide clients with a competitive edge. Join us and you’ll help to deliver a full spectrum of services to developers, leading private equity and listed real estate funds and international real estate investors, from construction and sales to finance and litigation, as well as advising on indirect acquisitions and establishing investment funds and joint ventures. You’ll be part of a practice with international reach across our network and a reputation for exceptional work.

Insight: 280 Bishopsgate refurbishment 

Advising a global real estate fund in a joint venture with an investment manager for the acquisition, redevelopment and pre-leasing of 280 Bishopsgate in the City of London: a 250,000 sq ft office building.

Whether you are negotiating a lease, carrying out due diligence on a large property portfolio that is being refinanced, or helping co-ordinate a cross-border property acquisition, no two days in real estate are ever the same. The learning curve is a steep but fulfilling one.

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Our London-based Tax team works alongside colleagues in all jurisdictions to provide cutting-edge advice on the implications of transactions and strategies executed by some of the world’s largest companies and institutions. The work we do is some of the most technical and challenging in our industry; join the team and you can expect to build a broad base of legal knowledge and to work with international clients and colleagues on a regular basis. 

Insight: A truly varied practice

Whether you are interested in M&A, capital markets, banking, real estate, or litigation, the tax team sees it all. We have a huge variety of work, from helping to structure corporate acquisitions for household name clients to advising on real estate investments in iconic London landmarks. We also work on innovative capital markets transactions and litigate against the tax authorities. Add to this the fact that tax law is constantly changing and life is never dull.

One of the most rewarding things about working in the Tax team is the amount of collaboration involved – both within the team and with our colleagues in other departments or jurisdictions. Everyone has an important role to play and these relationships help us deliver the high-quality work our clients demand.

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