James Watthey

Michael Kazakevich is a partner in Ropes & Gray’s finance group in London, co-head of the firm’s global practice, and co-chair of the firm’s investment banking industry group. Michael’s practice focuses on corporate finance transactions. He has advised issuers and underwriters in connection with high yield debt issues, secured leveraged loans, initial and follow-on public equity offerings, tender offers and acquisition financing commitments.

Mark Sperotto is a partner in the London office of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher and a member of the Corporate Transactional practice group. Mr. Sperotto has broad experience in both the UK and Italian markets, covering all aspects of corporate, private equity and investment banking with a focus on cross-border M&A, leveraged buy-outs, fund establishment and international corporate finance and equity capital markets transactions. Mr. Sperotto’s experience extends to advising private equ...

Penny Madden is an English qualified Queen’s Counsel and serves as Co-Partner-in-Charge of the London office at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is Co-Chair of the International Arbitration Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Transnational Litigation Practice Group. She has a wide range of experience in all key aspects of international arbitration with particular expertise in shareholder, telecommunications, SPA, energy, international trade and insurance disputes. She repres...

Justin Watts is an experienced patent litigator who has an established and well-regarded intellectual property practice. Clients rely on his industry knowledge and years of experience to handle their complex, multinational disputes. Dr. Watts represents a variety of clients, with an emphasis on those in the pharmaceutical, medical devices, biotechnology, communications, and hardware and software industries, in disputes involving standards, competition law and patents. Dr. Watts' experience en...

Hannah Blom-Cooper is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Fraud. Hannah, who practices law in London, United Kingdom, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Hannah is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David Birchall advises clients on the full range of energy transactions in the mid- and downstream fields, including types of commodity trading matters, conventional, renewables and clean-tech projects, energy and infrastructure projects, regulation and waste, including waste-to-energy schemes. Having practised as an energy corporate, regulatory and projects lawyer since 1993, he also worked from the start of the renewables and physical commodities trading legal market, in the UK, throughout ...

Simon Cook has experience in a wide variety of banking and finance transactions, including in particular in relation to structured trade finance, trade finance, project finance, invoice discounting facilities and borrowing-base facilities in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the CIS. His work in the structured trade area covers a range of pre-export and prepayment financings acting for both lenders and borrowers notably in oil, telecoms, soft commodities and metals sectors with particular exp...

Graham Iversen focuses his practice on corporate tax matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, joint ventures, partnerships, corporate restructurings, debt and equity finance, derivatives, structured investments, real estate and tax disputes. Graham joined the firm from Slaughter and May in London, where he was a partner in the firm’s London office in their tax department for more than 14 years. He has been a corporate tax attorney for more than 22 years,...

Wim De Vlieger is a partner in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Mr. De Vlieger is Co-Head of Private Equity in Europe and a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions and Capital Markets practice groups. Mr. De Vlieger advises private equity investors and their portfolio companies on a wide range of corporate transactions, including growth equity and control investments and co-investments, structured transactions, buy-out transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and exits. He also...

Joel D. Harrison is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Information Technology Law and Outsourcing. Joel D., who practices law in London, United Kingdom, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joel D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.