In a significant blow to Clifford Chance’s M&A practice, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has enticed private equity star Amy Mahon to its London office.
Mahon, who emerged as the most widely-cited female partner for private equity in Legal Business’ Alphas feature earlier this year, has been acknowledged by her peer group as ‘the most visible woman at Clifford Chance’ .
A partner at Clifford Chance for 10 years, Mahon had forged relationships with a client base including Apax, KKR Infrastructure, Hermes and EQT. Having trained at CC, she also bolstered her credentials with a two-year stint at Macquarie before re-joining the Magic Circle firm at partner level.
She specialises in UK and cross-border M&A, leveraged buyouts, infrastructure and consortium transactions, acting for financial sponsors including private equity firms, infrastructure funds and investment banks. She follows a path from CC to Simpson Thacher already trodden in 2009 by playmaker Adam Signy and Jason Glover in 2010 .
In Mahon, Simpson has secured the services of one of the most widely sought-after PE players. She was rumoured to be in talks with Latham & Watkins and at the time of the Alphas feature was described by one recruiter as: ‘loyal to CC but could go anywhere she wants.’
Bill Dougherty, chairman of Simpson Thacher’s executive committee, said: ‘[Amy’s] extensive experience advising private equity firms and investment banks, particularly within the infrastructure space, makes her an excellent addition to our London team and further enhances our ability to tackle the largest and most complex transactions for clients both in Europe and across the globe.’
‘Amy is a perfect fit for our London team having already worked on a number of market-leading transactions on behalf of longstanding Simpson Thacher private equity clients,’ said Jason Glover, managing partner of the London office. ‘Her impressive track record as a top M&A practitioner will further bolster our global M&A capabilities and add additional depth to our bench of exceptionally skilled London-based lawyers.’
Standout recent mandates for Simpson Thacher’s M&A team have included advising Melrose Industries on the hostile offer for GKN plc, advising KKR on its US$8bn buyout of Unilever’s global Spreads business and acting for Silver Lake on its acquisition of ZPG plc for US$3bn.
Nathalie.tidman@legalease.co.uk
For more on Amy Mahon and why she has a problem with Adele, read her recent Life During Law interview here