Linklaters

Linklaters
Name	Linklaters
Headquarters	London
Founded	1838
Num offices	30+
Employees	4,000+
Practice areas	Corporate, Banking, M&A, Capital Markets, Litigation, Arbitration, Tax, Regulatory
Key people	Senior Partners, Managing Partners

Linklaters Linklaters is a multinational law firm headquartered in London with a history of advising multinational corporations, financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds and government-linked entities across major markets. The firm operates across Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, participating in high-value mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, banking restructurings and complex disputes. Its client roster and deals often involve counterparties and institutions such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and sovereign actors like Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

History

The firm traces roots to the 19th century in London amid the expansion of the British Empire and the development of merchant banking networks tied to firms such as Barings Bank and Rothschild & Co. During the 20th century the firm participated in advisory roles for transactions involving actors like BP, Shell, Rolls-Royce Holdings and Vickers Limited. In the post-war era Linklaters expanded alongside institutions such as the European Investment Bank and the formation of the European Union, advising on cross-border financings and regulatory matters tied to treaties like the Treaty of Rome and the Single European Act. Globalisation in the 1980s and 1990s saw the firm open offices in financial centres influenced by entities such as Deutsche Börse, Tokyo Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In the 21st century the firm advised on transactions related to events like the 2008 financial crisis, sovereign restructurings involving countries such as Greece and privatisations connected to companies like Vodafone Group and British Gas.

Structure and Ownership

The firm operates as a partnership with leadership roles comparable to those at firms like Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Slaughter and May. Its governance features management committees and partner elections similar to governance structures at Linklaters Capital Markets Group-style practices elsewhere, and it maintains professional service arrangements with local firms in jurisdictions influenced by legal systems such as Common law and Civil law. The partnership model places emphasis on practice group heads and regional managing partners akin to arrangements at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Sullivan & Cromwell. Board and compensation decisions mirror approaches observed at TheLawFirm-scale global firms and are responsive to standards set by regulators like the Solicitors Regulation Authority and stock exchanges including the London Stock Exchange.

Practice Areas and Services

The firm offers transactional and advisory services across corporate finance sectors comparable to teams at Latham & Watkins, White & Case and Herbert Smith Freehills. Core practices include mergers and acquisitions involving parties such as Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Tesco; capital markets offerings tied to issuances on the New York Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange; banking and finance work for lenders like Citigroup and Barclays; and regulatory advice in fields impacted by the Financial Conduct Authority and European Central Bank. It also handles dispute resolution and international arbitration before forums such as the International Court of Arbitration, investment treaty claims under ICSID and commercial litigation appearing in courts like the High Court of Justice and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Tax and competition practices engage with authorities including the European Commission and national revenue agencies.

Global Offices and Operations

Linklaters maintains a network of offices across financial and commercial hubs influenced by institutions like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and regional exchanges. Its footprint includes major centres such as New York City, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, Milan and São Paulo. The firm's operations coordinate cross-border teams for multinational mandates involving corporate issuers, sovereign wealth funds and private equity houses such as BlackRock, The Carlyle Group, KKR and TPG Capital.

Notable Cases and Transactions

The firm has been lead adviser on high-profile M&A and capital markets matters involving corporations like Vodafone Group, Afren, Rio Tinto, Glencore, Anglo American and Royal Dutch Shell. It has advised banks and creditors on restructurings comparable to cases involving Lehman Brothers and state-linked reorganisations similar to those seen in Argentina and Iceland. The firm’s arbitration and litigation roster includes mandates against or alongside parties such as Rusal, multinational commodity traders tied to Vitol and sovereign disputes implicating ministries and state-owned enterprises. It has also worked on privatisation and IPO mandates involving entities such as HSBC Holdings-related share offerings and cross-border joint ventures akin to those of Mitsubishi Corporation.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity

Corporate social responsibility initiatives align with programmes run by law firms globally that partner with organisations such as United Nations agencies, Oxfam, Amnesty International and local legal aid charities. Diversity and inclusion policies mirror commitments seen at peer firms like Baker McKenzie and DLA Piper, including recruitment and retention measures for groups represented by professional networks such as Out Leadership, the Society for Corporate Governance and women’s legal initiatives affiliated with institutions like Women in Finance. Pro bono work often supports causes in partnership with clinics at universities including Oxford University, Cambridge University and London School of Economics.

Awards and Rankings

The firm appears in international legal directories and rankings compiled by organisations such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, IFLR1000 and Bloomberg. It receives recognition in league tables alongside firms like Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Allen & Overy for deal volume reported by data providers such as Refinitiv and Dealogic, and has attracted accolades in national listings administered by publications such as The Lawyer and The Financial Times.

Category:Law firms