RPC hires corporate partner to strengthen its M&A and equity capital markets team

International law firm RPC is announcing the hiring of corporate lawyer Connor Cahalane as a partner. Connor joins a rapidly expanding Commercial practice which has added six new partners in the last eight months, having recently hired Tom Purton as well as internally promoted Henry Priestley, Chris Brierley, Ben Roberts and Andrew Carpenter to partner last year.

Connor Cahalane will be joining RPC's top-ranked corporate team, which is part of the firm's Commercial practice, and is recognised as one of the leading and most comprehensive Commercial practices in the City, spanning the firm's sector focus on retail, technology, media and insurance. Connor's hire reflects the firm's ambition to keep raising the bar in offering best in class advice to clients and comes on the back of the Commercial practice's busiest year to date, having handled high profile, sensitive and complex work for household names in the UK and globally.

Connor is a highly regarded corporate lawyer with significant experience in advising public companies on equity capital markets and public M&A, as well as other transactional and regulatory matters. He has also acted for private equity and venture capital investment funds.

He joins RPC from Latham & Watkins' corporate team, where he provided advice and technical guidance on public company matters. Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, Connor was a partner in Mayer Brown's corporate practice and before that trained at Slaughter and May.

Connor's arrival will further strengthen the firm's M&A and equity capital markets capabilities, offering strategic advice to clients on an array of transactional and advisory work, including supporting clients on public M&A transactions, takeover defence advice, and shareholder activism as well as IPOs and secondary offerings. 

Alongside its PLC work, in 2020, RPC's corporate team was involved in a number of private M&A transactions, including  in the technology, insurance, and retail sectors advising UK-based fintech Ebury on the sale of a majority stake to Banco Santander for £350 million, long duration insurance investor Beat Capital Partners on its Strategic Partnership with Bain Capital Credit, and the owners of British luxury luggage brand Globe-Trotter on the sale of a majority stake to the private equity firm Oakley Capital.

The team, in a cross-firm effort together with the firm's pre-eminent IP and Commercial Contracts team, won the prestigious Luxury Deal of the Year at The Luxury Law Awards for advising Stella McCartney in her buyout of her existing joint venture arrangements with Kering and the subsequent entry into a new partnership with LVMH Moët Hennessy, and was also shortlisted for M&A Team of the Year at the Legal Week British Legal Awards 2020 as well as Corporate Team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2019.

Commenting on Connor's arrival, RPC's Head of Corporate, Karen Hendy said: "Many of our clients are listed, looking to raise funds, or otherwise involved in public markets activities, and being able to support them on transactions and in navigating through the various regulatory regimes is key. Connor has considerable experience in acting for public companies across the board.

"We're a growing – and successful - team, and I am delighted that Connor will be joining us as he has exactly the type of skills, experience and user-friendly delivery that will help us best support our clients".

Adding to this, RPC's Managing Partner James Miller said: "Connor brings a diverse skillset and valuable experience advising public companies across a range of important sectors for our clients, including retail, technology, media and insurance.

"The growth of the firm's corporate team, which has developed impressively in tandem with the extremely busy Commercial practice, reflects our ambition to continue to add high-calibre lawyers to work alongside some of the most well-known brands in building their businesses."  

Commenting on his arrival at RPC, Connor Cahalane said: "I am delighted to join one of the highest quality corporate teams in the City and I am looking forward to building on their considerable recent successes." 

"2020 demonstrated that the public equity markets are a vital source of capital for UK PLCs. In 2021, listed companies will need to adjust to the post-Brexit regulatory landscape and deal with the increased calls from investors and regulators for higher quality corporate governance, disclosures and reporting."