Slaughter and May
| Company type | Partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Legal services |
| Founded | January 1, 1889 in London, England |
| Founder | William Capel Slaughter, William May |
| Headquarters | London , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, China, Belgium, Hong Kong |
| Products | Legal advice (Mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, financing transactions, competition law, financial regulatory matters, data privacy, trade issues) |
| Website | www |
Slaughter and May is a prominent British law firm based in London, England. Established in 1889, the firm also operates offices in Beijing, Brussels, and Hong Kong alongside its London headquarters.[1] It is recognized as a member of the "Magic Circle", a collective of elite multinational law firms headquartered in London.[2]
History
The firm was created on 1 January 1889 by William Capel Slaughter and William May, who had previously worked at Ashurst Morris Crisp (now known as Ashurst).[3] Its initial office was located at 18 Austin Friars within the City of London.[3] In 1974, Slaughter and May became the first London-based law firm to establish a presence in Hong Kong.[3] Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the firm played a key advisory role in significant UK privatisation deals involving entities such as British Airways, British Gas, and British Steel Corporation.[3]
In 2002, the firm's London office moved to One Bunhill Row. Two years later, in 2004, it shut down its New York and Singapore branches, choosing instead to direct U.S. legal matters to Wall Street firms and Southeast Asian cases to Australian firm Allens Arthur Robinson.[4] The Paris office was transferred to French firm Bredin Prat in 2005.[5] In 2009, it inaugurated an office in Beijing, concentrating on mergers and acquisitions as well as cross-border investments.[3][6]
Unlike other members of the Magic Circle, Slaughter and May operates with a relatively modest international presence. Its global operations depend extensively on alliances with local firms that themselves maintain limited international reach, thereby avoiding direct rivalry. These strategic partnerships—often referred to as "best friends"—include Australia's Clayton Utz, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, and Gilbert + Tobin;[7] New Zealand's Bell Gully; several continental European firms such as BonelliErede, Bredin Prat, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Hengeler Mueller, and Uría Menéndez;[8] South Korea's Shin & Kim and Kim & Chang; along with three of Japan’s leading law firms.[9]
Operations
In 2015, Slaughter and May's partners achieved the highest profit per equity partner (PEP) among all UK law firms. That year, the firm acted for 33 clients listed on the FTSE 100 and 44 on the FTSE 250, surpassing any other firm. Its clientele included governments, entrepreneurs, investment funds, major banks, retail corporations, entertainment enterprises, industrial groups, and professional sports organizations.
The firm's principal practice areas across London, Hong Kong, and Beijing concentrate on mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and financing transactions. Meanwhile, its Brussels office specializes in competition law, financial regulatory matters, data privacy, and trade issues connected to Brexit.
Carillion collapse
In May 2018, a UK parliamentary investigation criticized Slaughter and May for charging over £8 million for legal services provided to Carillion from May 2017 until the company’s liquidation in January 2018. Members of Parliament observed that although prominent advisers such as Slaughter and May added a degree of legitimacy to Carillion’s board, their role largely reflected the board’s willingness to incur substantial expenses during a crisis. The report underscored that advisers continued to extract large fees even as the company was failing, with £6.4 million invoiced on Carillion’s final day of operation alone. Rachel Reeves, chair of the Commons business committee, highlighted that after accountancy firms, Carillion’s legal advisers received significant payments in the company’s closing period.
Notable clients and cases
- The firm provided counsel to HM Treasury during the 2008 financial crisis on recapitalization and stabilization efforts for UK banks.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, it advised HM Treasury on implementing the emergency corporate covid financing facility (CCFF), aimed at purchasing commercial paper from companies to improve liquidity.
- Slaughter and May assisted the now-defunct British multinational construction firm Carillion with asset disposals, rescue proposals, and restructuring processes.
- In 2019, it guided Prudential plc and M&G plc through the demerger of M&G from Prudential.
- The firm represented New England Sports Ventures (currently Fenway Sports Group) in their £300 million acquisition of Liverpool F.C..
- It advised GlaxoSmithKline on its notable joint venture with Novartis, a deal recognized as 2015 Deal of the Year by Financial News.
Attorneys and alumni
- Steve Edge
- Alan Grieve
- Giles Henderson
- Simon Clarke
- Ivo Stourton
- Chris Jenkins
- Seema Kennedy
- Charles Randell
- William Watson
- David Green
See also
External links
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedoffices - ↑ https://www.cityam.com/magic-circle-law-firms-trying-to-distance-themselves-from-the-prestigious-phrase/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedhistory - ↑ "Slaughters shuts NY and Singapore". The Lawyer. 5 July 2004. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ↑ "Bredin Prat to take over Slaughters Paris". The Lawyer. 14 December 2005. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedoverview - ↑ "Slaughter and May – Overview". The Lawyer. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ↑ "Slaughter and May – The Best Friends group". www.slaughterandmay.com. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ↑ "Slaughters unveils best friends strategy in Asia". www.thelawyer.com. Retrieved 21 September 2015.