Mike Flockhart

Executive Partner, Global Co-Head, Corporate

London

Mike Flockhart is the Global Co-Head of the Corporate practice group and Regional Head of Practice for Corporate, UK. As an Executive Partner, Mike is a member of the firm's Global Executive.

Mike is a corporate lawyer who specialises in advising listed companies and investment banks on corporate finance transactions across a range of sectors, including financial services, industrials, energy and natural resources, telecommunications and real estate.

Mike previously led our UK ECM team and regularly advises on IPOs and secondary capital raisings for a range of corporate and bank clients. He also frequently advises on public takeovers and private M&A transaction and regularly assists listed companies with corporate governance issues.

Mike has been listed as a leading lawyer in the IFLR 1000, Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. Clients say "He is technically strong, commercial and practical in his advice. Most importantly, he's a pleasure to work with" and "Mike is incredibly knowledgeable and exceptional external counsel".

Background

Mike has a Bachelor of Laws degree in Law from Nottingham University and joined Herbert Smith after law school. He became a partner in the firm in 2013. Mike has spent time on secondment at BP and Citi and in the Amsterdam office of a leading Benelux law firm.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

IPOs of companies including Marex, EverArc, SPEAR Investments, AO World, Resolution, BlueBay, Wellstream and Nufcor Uranium
Secondary capital raises by companies including easyJet, British Land, Hammerson, Saga, Unite Group, Hiscox, WH Smith, Phoenix Group, Synthomer, The Weir Group, Elementis, Lonmin, GKN, Cineworld, Premier Foods, Rio Tinto, Wolesley, Kin & Carter and STV
Takeovers of companies including Arix Biosciences, TSB Banking Group, Polyus Gold, Cazenove Capital, Phaunos Timber Group, Northern Foods, Arriva, BlueBay, Resolution and Taylor Nelson Sofres
The Weir Group on transactions including its $1.3bn acquisition of ESCO Corporation, £275 million disposal of its flow control division and $405 million disposal of its oil and gas division
Investment banks on transactions including John Wood Group's £1.2 billion disposal of its built environment business, the Fortress Consortium's £8 billion bid for WM Morrison's, Pennon's £4.2 billion disposal of Viridor to KKR, London Stock Exchange’s $27 billion acquisition of Refinitiv, €4.3 billion disposal of Borsa Italiana and abandoned €27 billion merger with Deutsche Börse, and Tesco’s £3 billion acquisition of Booker Group, £4.2 billion disposal of Homeplus and £8.2 billion disposal of its Thai and Malaysian businesses
A wide variety of transactions in the financial services sector including the disposal of controlling interests in Longview Partners and Veritas Asset Management, the acquisition by Man Group of Aalto Invest, the acquisition by Marex of E D & F Man's capital markets business, the takeover of BlueBay by Royal Bank of Canada and the takeover of Cazenove Capital by Schroders