Pinsent Masons bolsters mergers and acquisitions expertise with major UK team hire

Richard Thomas, Mark Hough, Rob Warren all join the firm on 22 September.  The trio will be joined by three legal directors and a team of senior associates and associates.

Richard previously led EY’s UK Commercial, Corporate & Employment practice as well as serving as lead of the UK M&A Law group. Richard, Mark and Rob specialise in domestic and international transactions with particular expertise in industrials, mobility and technology.

Commenting on the team hire, UK Head of Corporate Ed Stead said: “We are committed to a programme of major growth investment into our UK Corporate business and this team hire is a great illustration of our ambition.  Richard, Mark, Rob and their team have built a wealth of experience in advising FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies and large private companies on a range of M&A matters and their client focus and strategy is very consistent with our own.”

“We are excited about what we will be able to do together and believe we are giving Richard and team a fantastic platform from which they can support their own network of clients and contacts as well as combining with us to capitalise on new opportunities.  We also recognise that there will be opportunities to learn from Richard, Mark and Rob as they have developed a very strong legal practice within the broader EY business.”

On joining Pinsent Masons, Richard Thomas said: “Joining Pinsent Masons at this juncture allows us to capitalise on the firm’s full-service capability and international network as we look to deepen relationships with clients and offer a broader range of legal solutions.”

“Throughout our discussions with the Pinsent Masons’ team, we have felt a strong strategic alignment and are now really looking forward to getting to know our new colleagues and leveraging their expertise as we look to support our clients in the UK and internationally.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our time at EY and have built excellent relationships over the last nine years which we look forward to continuing.”

In addition to Richard, Mark and Rob, Legal Directors Jennifer Lee and Chi-Shing Lam will join the Manchester Corporate practice, whilst Nigel Cousin will sit in Employment & Reward. A broader team of senior associates and associates from EY will also join the Corporate team across Manchester and London.

The team hire coincides with the move of Pinsent Masons Manchester office to Gary Neville’s flagship development, St Michael’s. It also follows the recent partner appointments of energy sector-focused partner Chris Sawyer and education and social care specialist Rachel Soundy to our UK Corporate team.