Corporate/M&A: £800 million and above | UK

A&O Shearman maintains a renowned practice with a strong pedigree in cross-border deals, assisted by an extensive network of offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. It is frequently instructed on transactions in the TMT, energy and consumer goods sectors, as well as financial services and healthcare. The department demonstrates excellent strength in corporate financing work, drawing from a pool of financing and capital markets experts to offer a full M&A service. Its typical deal size ranges from the hundreds of millions to the multibillions.

Clifford Chance remains a leading choice for transactional work. It often handles deals in the financial services, energy and retail sectors, among others. The transactions it advises on often carry a value of £1 billion or above. Its client base includes FTSE100 corporates and household-name financial institutions. The department regularly assists with complex cross-border mandates, with a notable emerging markets practice in Africa. Clifford Chance's corporate service is bolstered by strong competition and regulatory compliance expertise.

Freshfields houses a heavyweight M&A practice with a proven track record in complex domestic and cross-border transactions, calling upon a strong roster of expert transactional lawyers with deep experience in the field. It is considered the first port of call for a distinguished and international client base in industries, including telecommunications, oil and gas, and food and drink. Freshfields has a strong presence across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Linklaters maintains a highly sophisticated corporate practice that enjoys an outstanding reputation for complex M&A work. It consistently acts on landmark cross-border deals, servicing industry-leading clients from the energy, healthcare and TMT sectors, among numerous others. Its clients also benefit from a market-leading borrower-side finance practice that can assist with high-value deal work. Linklaters' extensive international footprint covers Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Slaughter and May maintains a commanding position for its skill in the most sophisticated and high-value transactional work, especially public M&A. It can call upon a deep bench of lawyers capable of handling domestic and cross-border deals of the highest complexity. Its enviable roster of clients includes numerous FTSE100 companies operating across a range of sectors, including technology and financial services. The firm retains close relationships with investment banks and private equity sponsors.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has a well-regarded practice that is often instructed on high-value cross-border transactions and prominent acquisition and disposal deals, earning a strong reputation for its abilities in public M&A. Its client base includes numerous well-known blue-chip companies, leading investment banks and sovereign wealth funds. The department's broad sector expertise spans financial services, technology and real estate.

Ashurst represents corporates and financial institutions across a range of sectors, including infrastructure, real estate and natural resources. Its expertise spans big-ticket transactions, joint ventures and sponsor-side advisory work for investment banks on M&A. Ashurst's domestic expertise combines with experience across Europe and North America.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is often engaged in complex multijurisdictional transactions, with deep expertise in deals involving Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It represents a broad range of clients, including financial institutions, private equity firms, public companies and private entities.

Macfarlanes boasts a leading practice that is able to advise on deals of both under and above £1 billion. It has experience of advising high-profile names on a range of transactions, including acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures. It is well versed in high-end deals, often acting on international mandates for corporates and financial institutions. The department is also regularly called upon to advise management and director teams on M&A. It has broad international capabilities and has experience of deals involving the US, Europe and Australasia.

Sullivan & Cromwell has experience of both UK deals and cross-border M&A, with expertise across a wide range of sectors. It maintains strong relationships with corporates and banks operating across Europe and the USA, and is often instructed by leading private equity houses and listed companies. The department is active on transactions occurring across a wide range of sectors.