INDUSTRIES & PRACTICES

london bridge

Europe
OUR LONDON LAWYERS GUIDE STRATEGIC TRANSACTIONS AND RESOLVE DISPUTES FOR CLIENTS WITH EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS INTERESTS.

Overview

Based in London, our European practice offers a wide range of experience and expertise serving international clients with business interests in Europe, as well as European clients active in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Whether your enterprise plans to raise capital, borrow or lend funds, serve as trustee, commercialize technology, grow through acquisitions or joint ventures, or needs to respond to a government investigation or resolve a high stakes dispute, our London team can help you achieve your goals.

Dorsey’s clients benefit from our world-class mergers and acquisitions, finance, commercial transactions, intellectual property, employment, tax and dispute resolution expertise located in our offices in London, Asia and North America and our global network of foreign counsel. Dorsey’s London team includes lawyers qualified in England, other European jurisdictions and the United States, enabling Dorsey to provide an integrated team on cross-border transactions. Dorsey’s London lawyers also help clients resolve disputes before the European Court of Justice as well as courts in England & Wales and other jurisdictions and advise on ad hoc arbitrations and international arbitrations conducted under AAA, ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL rules.

We assist our European and international clients with:

  • Transactions – including cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures, venture capital and private equity funding, IPOs and other equity capital market transactions, loans and debt market transactions, trustee representations, and intellectual property and technology transactions
  • Disputes and Investigations – including international arbitration and litigation, government enforcement and corporate investigations, anti-corruption compliance and data breach investigation and response
  • Other Advisory Services – including European Union (E.U.) and U.K. regulatory affairs, cybersecurity and data privacy, employment law, global mobility and employee benefits, real estate, construction and engineering, and U.K. and cross-border tax matters

Experience

Transactions

  • Advised an Israeli company on its $370 million acquisition of a U.K.-based technology company with global operations.
  • Represented Canadian company in the $750 million sale of its luxury brand to a worldwide designer, manufacturer and distributer of watches, electronic systems and luxury jewelry based in Switzerland.
  • Represented a Danish pharmaceutical company in the asset sale of a U.S. manufacturing facility to a large public U.S. health care company.
  • Represented Scandinavian company in the conduct of due diligence for a natural resource company in South Africa.
  • Represented a Norwegian company in connection with the formation of a joint venture company under Dutch law with a Ukraine company for the purpose of developing technology used in the manufacture of furnaces to produce solar ingots.
  • Acquisition from a Netherlands shareholder of a minority stake in the U.S. holding company of a Czech Republic manufacturing concern.
  • Advised a Scandinavian company in connection with a joint venture with an international distributor of solids control equipment in jurisdictions including Russia, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and Singapore.
  • Represented Liberty Global plc in connection with its issuance of about $422 million of shares in an acquisition of a 20% interest in its Chilean subsidiary.
  • Represented Cenkos Securities plc as nominated adviser and sole broker in numerous AIM IPOs and secondary placings.
  • Represented borrowers in connection with amendments and extensions of high value (greater than $1 billion) credit facilities.
  • Technology licensing and joint venture matters handled through Dorsey’s London office include cross-border arrangements involving parties in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the U.K., the U.S., and other locales.

Disputes and Investigations

  • Acted for a client in successful proceedings against sub-contractors alleging fraud and corruption in England and other jurisdictions to preserve money and obtain evidence.
  • Acted for a client in its successful claim against an Eastern European state, which had terminated the client’s exclusive licence to explore, develop and extract petroleum from three areas in the State.
  • Carried out a numerous internal investigations on behalf of clients into allegations of corruption.
  • Acting for an international business in a fraud claim and jurisdictional dispute involving proceedings and the laws of England, Liechtenstein, Russia, Greece, Guernsey and Tajikstan.
  • In close coordination with local French avocats, represented a U.S. based manufacturer in the defense of a lawsuit brought in French commercial court alleging abusive termination of a distribution agreement and claiming substantial damages.
  • Advised a UK based company on aspects of the termination of employees claiming unfair dismissal.

Other Legal Advisory Services

  • Advised international oil and gas exploration and development company on projects and disputes in the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Albania.
  • Advised a global insurance broker on the contracts relating to the design, construction and fit-out of its new global headquarters in London.
  • Acted as external general legal counsel for a number of multinational clients with respect to a variety of legal issues arising from the daily operations of their European subsidiaries.
  • Advised a large international non-profit professional association in connection with the establishment of affiliates in India and Russia, and related employment issues.
  • Advised a US based trade cooperative in connection with obtaining valid security interests in live animals to secure loans made to animal producers in Greece and Poland.
  • Advised on the drafting and implementation of a European-wide employee electronic communication policy in light of EU and national data privacy laws for a Mid-East based group, with particular focus on Belgian, German and Italian law.
  • Counseled a U.S.-based manufacturer on the competition law and contractual issues relating to the termination of a long standing exclusive distributor of its products in Germany under EU and German law.
  • Advised on claims made by employees of a number of our clients in various jurisdictions, including Belgium, England, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain and Austria, relating to a broad range of employment issues such as overtime, pension rights, compensation claims and employee inventions.
  • Reviewed and drafted patent and software licence agreements and providing related advice to a high tech company which previously was spun off from the U.K. Ministry of Defense.

Accolades

Best Lawyers UK Lawyers Ranked Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom 2021

Best Lawyers

2013-2019 Leading UK Firm-Legal 500

Chambers Leading M&A Practice UK 2020

Leading UK Firm Chambers UK 2014-2020

BTI Client Service A-Team 2022

Contacts

Industries & Practices

Cybersecurity, Privacy & Social Media
Government Solutions & Investigations
International Arbitration & Litigation
  • Anti-Corruption Group
  • Construction & Design
  • Corporate Governance & Compliance
  • Cybersecurity, Privacy & Social Media
  • Emerging Companies
  • Government Solutions & Investigations
  • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • International Arbitration & Litigation
  • International Trade
  • Labor & Employment
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Real Estate & Land Use
  • Tax
  • Technology Commerce
  • Trusts & Estates Litigation