Pinsent Masons picked up the key advisory mandate as embattled British construction company Carillion was handed a lifeline this summer thanks to the award of two contracts worth £1.3bn on the High Speed Two (HS2) project.
Carillion is to build two sections of the UK’s second high-speed rail project from London to Birmingham along with its joint venture partners Kier Group and France’s Eiffage Génie Civil, which will take at least five years to complete.
The integrated support services company was among the first to be awarded contracts on the controversial HS2 line, including North Portal Chiltern Tunnels to Brackley (worth £724m) and Brackley to South Portal of Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel (worth £616m). Pinsents client Balfour Beatty also picked up £2.5bn worth of contracts on HS2.
Herbert Smith Freehills continues to advise HS2 via global head of infrastructure Patrick Mitchell, alongside global co-lead of the non-contentious and engineering practice, Nicholas Downing, and commercial partner Adrian Clough.
Slaughter and May also has a close relationship with Carillion and was appointed to its roster along with Pinsents in 2015. The Magic Circle firm advised the construction group in 2014 on its proposed £3bn merger with UK rival Balfour Beatty led by corporate partners William Underhill and Kathy Hughes, although talks were abandoned after a third takeover offer was rejected.