Corporate M&A Lawyer Search Project: Case Study
Background
A FTSE 100 company instructed us to find a mergers and acquisitions lawyer. The client is a speciality ingredients manufacturer focused on life sciences and consumer care. Operating in nearly 40 countries, it had experienced a significant period of growth through strategic acquisitions. Recent deals had included earnings-enhancing international transactions valued at over €850m and US$260m, with several more in the pipeline.
This growth trajectory had led to a strategic portfolio realignment programme. This included the divestment of its performance technologies and industrial chemicals businesses. The overall aim was to focus on the kind of higher-growth, higher-margin activities that were aligned with global trends. This corporate transformation had led to the need for additional in-house legal expertise in M&A work.
The role would report jointly to the European GC on commercial matters and to the Group GC on M&A transactions. The company therefore needed someone capable of balancing both corporate and commercial responsibilities, but with significant experience of the former, as the main requirement.
Challenge
The primary challenge was finding candidates, at the right level, who were both capable and willing to split their time effectively between corporate M&A work and general commercial matters. The role was ideally suited to someone who had maintained their corporate transactional expertise while developing broader commercial skills.
Additionally, with the position based in ‘out of town’ headquarters rather than in a major city centre, the location could present a potential hurdle in attracting candidates used to commuting, more easily, to and from the major commercial legal centres nearby, where most corporate mergers and acquisitions lawyers are typically based.
Solution
We executed a focused search strategy targeting two distinct candidate pools:
- Corporate M&A lawyers from top commercial law firms looking for their first in-house role
- Former corporate lawyers who had moved in-house and developed commercial contracts expertise whilst also continuing to practice their specialist M&A lawyer skills from time time.
Through our established networks and targeted approach, we identified close to a dozen potential individuals who appeared to have the required level of experience. Out of the two final-stage candidates at second interview, the client appointed an outstanding individual: a qualified solicitor who had started their career in M&A at a leading law firm before moving in-house. They had since developed strong commercial contracts expertise but maintained a keen interest in corporate work.
The successful appointee brought:
- Previous experience leading corporate deals;
- Strong commercial contracts capability;
- The versatility to switch between M&A and business-as-usual legal work; and
- The ability to manage external counsel on major transactions.
The appointment was completed within 8 weeks of receiving the mandate, enabling the client to progress their strategic acquisition plans while strengthening their European commercial legal support.
