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Robert B. Rakison
Partner 
11 Pilgrim Street
rrakison@mcguirewoods.comLondon EC4V 6RN, United Kingdom F: +44 (0)20 7632 1638    |
Mr. Rakison concentrates his practice on international company and commercial law, with a special emphasis on cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. He also has extensive experience advising on mergers and acquisitions for U.K. private companies, venture capital and private equity investment, both for venture capitalists and private equity houses as well as targets, raising private equity capital and debt finance for entrepreneurial companies, advising on security transactions and capital markets, including Official List and AIM listings, with a further emphasis on e-commerce financing and structuring, general and financial business matters.
Additional areas of experience include advising on competition law, licensing, distribution, agency and franchise agreements and other commercial matters generally, as well as on a variety of banking and U.S. and U.K. securities and financial services and regulatory matters, under FSA rules (FSMA) and EU Directives (the Prospectus Directive and Market Abuse Directive, etc.).
- Represented EO Group Limited in the sale of its 3.5% interest in the West Cape Three Points Blocks and 1.75% interest in the Jubilee Field, both offshore Ghana, to Tullow Oil Plc for approximately $305 million.
- Advising NYSE-listed Teledyne Technologies Incorporated on its acquisition of U.K.-based, AIM-listed Intelek PLC worth approximately £30 million.
- Advising the London branches/subsidiaries of Jefferies & Company, Inc, Legg Mason and The Kessler Companies, Inc. on authorization by the FSA, on regulatory issues arising and concerning passporting into the EU.
- Advising Afton Chemical Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of NYSE company NewMarket Corporation, on its acquisition of the Polartech Group of Companies (in the U.S., U.K., China and India).
- Acting for a life settlement bond issuer on its acquisition of the remaining 50% in its U.S. joint venture and acquiring portfolios of life policies for circa U.S. $20 million.
- Acting for an overseas company in its acquisition of a natural resources company for circa £230 million.
- Acting for Earthport plc on its re-listing on AIM.
- Acting for Taghmen Energy Plc (now PetroLatina Energy Plc), a U.K. oil company, on its acquisition of a Guatemalan oil company and raising circa U.S. $30 million on a private placement in connection therewith.
- Acting for a U.K subsidiary of Gammadata Matteknik i Uppsala AB on its acquisition of the vacuum generators business of Thermo Electron Corporation.
- Acting for Technology Capital SA in its €21.3m investment into Polymer Vision Ltd, formerly part of Philips' Incubator Division.
- Acting for the shareholders of Greetings Direct Ltd on their £14 million sale to Flying Brands Ltd.
- Acting for DW Holdings Ltd in its strategic investment in YourJet Ltd.
- Acquisition of a Hong Kong-based consumer electronics manufacturer by our client, a BVI special purpose vehicle, backed by two Bermudan hedge funds, for circa U.S. $32 million. The manufacturer has been a household name for decades in consumer electronics and is now a world leading producer in car satellite navigation systems.
- Acting for a life settlement bond issuer relating to the sale of policies in association with law firms in New York and Luxembourg, totaling circa U.S. $30 million.
- Acting on the sale of shares in an offshore manufacturer and distributor of adaptive living products in a private equity-backed MBO, with a total transaction value of £90 million, of which £39 million was attributable to our client.
- Acting as joint solicitors to the company on the conversion and IPO of UniChem plc (now Alliance Boots).
- Acting for a major U.S. bank in conjunction with New York associates, on U.K. aspects of various film financings for a total of U.S. $1.2 billion, and supervising activity in London of such insurance gap financings.
- Acting for Walker Aviation on its buy-out from Walker Steel as part of the sale of Walker Steel to British Steel, at that time, at circa £300 million, the largest private company sale in the United Kingdom.
- Acting for Bell Atlantic on U.K. issues arising out of its acquisition of Nynex, then the largest merger in the world.
- Acting for a major Italian energy public company's turbine subsidiary and a major Swiss electrical engineering company in connection with the project finance of their provisioning two Chilean power plants, with generators and cabling and additional electrical turbine equipment totaling U.S. $59 million.
- Acting for a U.K. property developer on its purchase and development finance for a major property development in East Anglia totaling circa £63 million.
- Acting for a U.K. property developer in connection with refinancing its circa £23 million redevelopment facility with a U.K. private bank.
- Acting for a major international fashion designer on its worldwide franchising, licensing and distribution agreements.
- Acting for a U.K. school on its sale to a venture capitalist for circa £12 million.
- Commercial Litigation
- International Transactions
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Securities & Corporate Finance
- Broker-Dealers & Investment Advisers
- Commercial Lending
- Capital Markets
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Franchise & Distribution
- Intellectual Property
- Technology & Software
- Securities Litigation
- Restructuring & Insolvency
- Real Estate Finance
- Emerging Markets
- Antitrust & Trade Regulation
- Sports Law
- Board of Partners
- Co-chair, Private Equity Industry Team
- Named a "Legal Expert," Corporate and M&A, Legal Experts EMEA, 2010-2012
- Listed as "Attracting High Praise from Clients," Corporate and M&A: Smaller Deals up to £50m, The Legal 500, 2011
- Listed as "Recommended," Corporate and M&A: Smaller Deals up to £50m, The Legal 500 United Kingdom, 2009
- Listed as "Remains Best Known," Corporate and M&A: Smaller Deals up to £50m, The Legal 500 United Kingdom, 2008
- Listed as "Especially Well Known," Corporate and M&A: Smaller Deals up to £50m, The Legal 500 United Kingdom, 2007
- Partner, Grundberg Mocatta Rakison LLP, London, UK, 2002-2009
- Joint Founding Partner, McDermott, Will & Emery, London Office, 1999-2002
- Partner, Head of UK Corporate and Commercial, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, London Office, 1993-1999
- Consultant, Grundberg Mocatta, 1987-1994
- Joint Founding and Senior Partner, Rakisons, 1979-1993
- Senior Associate, Travers Smith Braithwaite, 1976-1979
- Tarlo Lyons, Partner, 1975-1976; Trainee and Associate, 1972-1974
- Law Society of England & Wales
- English
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EDUCATION University of London, London, UK, LL.B., with Honors, 1970 ADMITTED Solicitor, Senior Courts of England and Wales 1974 PLACE OF BIRTH London, United Kingdom |