M&A

Commercially focused advice on complex public and private transactions

A significant part of our work is advising corporates, private capital funds, founders and family offices on complex, high-value and cross-border public and private M&A transactions. 

We bring a full service offering to these transactions, with our corporate practice supported by leading practices in Finance, Tax, share schemes, Competition, regulation and commercial contracts. We also pride ourselves on a partner-led approach to client service and transaction execution.

Most of our transactional work has a cross-border element. As an independent firm, we coordinate multijurisdictional transactions by working with the oversea firm or firms best suited for the matter in question.

Work highlights include advising:

  • Peter Hargreaves, the co-founder and largest shareholder of FTSE 100 company Hargreaves Lansdown plc, in respect of the £5.4bn recommended takeover of Hargreaves Lansdown by the buyout consortium led by CVC, together with Nordic Capital and Platinum Ivy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority;
  • Preqin, a leading private markets data solutions provider, on its sale to global investment manager BlackRock for £2.55bn;
  • Exponent on its successful exit from Isio, having previously advised on its carve-out from KPMG - the first spin out from the Big 4;
  • Banco de Sabadell S.A., a Spanish listed multinational financial services company, on the sale of TSB Banking Group plc to Banco Santander for £2.65bn;
  • Pandox AB on its recommended €1.4bn offer for Dalata Hotel Group plc; and
  • Valterra Platinum, a South-African incorporated platinum group metals mining, production and marketing company, on its listing on London Stock Exchange’s Main Market. 


How we can help

One of the things I’ve particularly appreciated is their availability; they are always accessible, responsive, and hands-on, even during high-pressure moments. You never feel like just another client; they work alongside you as true partners, which makes a real difference during complex transactions.

The UK Legal 500 2026

Extremely commercial and client-oriented. I have found them to be forward-looking and spotting challenges coming down the road.

The UK Legal 500 2026

The Macfarlanes team brings a combination of outstanding endurance, technical accuracy and commercial drive, together with an important sense of collaboration and humour.

Chambers UK 2026

Examples of our work

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