George Swan

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising Sun Life Financial Inc. (‘Sun Life’) on the sale of SLF of Canada UK Limited (‘Sun Life UK’) to Phoenix Group Holdings plc (‘Phoenix Group’) which completed today. As part of the sale, Sun Life will begin a long-term partnership to become a strategic asset management partner to the Phoenix Group. Sun Life’s asset management companies will continue to manage approximately C$8 billion of Sun Life UK’s general account. Sun Life will also retain its economic interest in Sun Life UK’s payout annuities business. The Freshfields team was led by global transactions partners George Swan and Lauren Honeyben, assisted by counsel Mac Mackenzie, senior associate Jonathan Carver and associate Brandon Thompson.

Apr 3

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising international private equity firm Cinven, on its agreement to acquire International Financial Group Limited (‘IFGL’), a leading life insurance provider of cross-border, long-term savings products for internationally mobile clients. IFGL has £19 billion of assets under administration and operates through three principal brands: RL360, Ardan International and Friends Provident International. Financial details of the transaction are not disclosed. IFGL represents the third investment from Cinven’s long-term financial services-focused strategy. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. The Freshfields’ advisory team is led by London-based private equity partners Alastair Brown and Victoria Sigeti, and senior associate Mark Brewer, together with financial institutions regulatory partner James Smethurst and insurance partner George Swan. This latest acquisition carries on Freshfields’ long-standing and successful relationship with Cinven. This transaction marks the first transaction of 2022 on which Freshfields has advised Cinven, having recently advised Cinven on a number of transactions in 2021 including, among others, its investment in Ufinet International, its acquisition of a majority stake in Arcaplanet and Maxi Zoo Italia, its disposal of Chryso and its successful bid, alongside Bain Capital, for Lonza Specialty Ingredients.

Feb 1

1 min

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising Aon plc (‘Aon’) on the sale of Willis Re and a set of Willis Towers Watson (‘WTW’) corporate risk and broking and health and benefits services to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co (‘Gallagher’). These businesses will be divested for a total consideration of US$3.57bn. The agreement resolves questions raised by the European Commission and is intended to address certain questions raised by regulators in certain other jurisdictions. Aon and Willis Towers Watson continue to work toward obtaining additional regulatory approval in all relevant jurisdictions, including the United States, where regulators are conducting an independent review of the Aon and WTW combination. “This agreement demonstrates strong momentum on the path to close our proposed combination with Willis Towers Watson,” said Greg Case, Aon’s CEO. “We’ve used this time to align our future leadership team around a one-firm culture that will create new opportunities for colleagues, accelerate innovation on behalf of clients and deliver shareholders the long-term value creation they have come to expect from our team.” The Freshfields team working with Aon General Counsel Darren Zeidel, VP & Global Chief Counsel Julie Cho and Chief Antitrust Counsel Elise Kirban and their team was led by: global transactions partners Julian Long, James Smethurst and George Swan; people and reward partner Andrew Murphy; and antitrust partners Martin McElwee, Laurent Garzaniti and Jennifer Mellott. About Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a global law firm with a long track record of successfully advising the world's leading national and multinational corporations and financial institutions on ground-breaking and business-critical challenges. Our team of more than 2,800 lawyers and other legal professionals delivers global results from our 28 offices worldwide. Our commitment, local and multinational expertise and business know-how means our clients can rely on us when it matters most.

May 13

1 min

Freshfields is advising Aon plc, a leading global professional services firm, on the acquisition of UK insurance broker Griffiths & Armour (‘G&A’), following which G&A will become wholly-owned by Aon UK Limited. Griffiths & Armour has established a market-leading presence from their base in the north of England as well as a strong national and international reputation. With around 200 employees, Griffiths & Armour are known for their specialist expertise in professional indemnity insurance and strength in general insurance broking. The Freshfields team in London advising on the transaction was led by partner George Swan, senior associate Maria Zaitseva and associate Danyela van der Sande. Partner James Smethurst advised on regulatory matters, partner Martin McElwee advised on antitrust matters, partner Dawn Heath led on pensions, partner Ali Sallaway on litigation matters and partner Paul Davison on tax issues. Matheson LLP advised Aon plc as to issues of Irish law.

Nov 6

1 min

Ten law firm partners have been identified as the top U.K. M&A lawyers based in London for 2025, according to a dataset produced by MergerLinks. Samuel Newhouse of Latham & Watkins topped the rankings, and was found to have led on M&A transactions last year with a combined deal value of £54.05 billion. Newhouse was part of the Latham team which advised on the merger of mining giants Anglo American and Teck—creating a $53 billion combined group. Notably, every lawyer on the MergerLinks list of the top ten practitioners is male. The online platform’s final list is based on the total value of M&A transactions announced last year, and considers only those in which the respective lawyers led teams in which their firm was the primary legal adviser. The list also features top names from Freshfields, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Cravath Swaine & Moore, A&O Shearman and Slaughter and May. Freshfields partner Stephen Hewes was in second place on the list, having led on deals with a combined value of £21.9 billion, while Skadden partner Denis Klimentchenko was in third place with an equivalent figure of £15.8 billion. Freshfields' Hewes advised on CVC's acquisition of Smiths Detection from Smiths Group for £2 billion in December 2025, with Latham & Watkins also leading on the deal.

Mar 3

1 min