Rafique Bachour

Freshfields' former global managing partner is moving to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Brussels. Rafique Bachour is set to join Skadden just months after his departure from the firm's global leadership team, which, led by senior partner Georgia Dawson, was in July re-elected to lead the firm for a second term until 2030, but without Bachour's involvement. He joined Freshfields in 1999 as a trainee, according to his LinkedIn profile, and made partner in 2011. He pointed to Skadden’s global reach and standing in the market as reasons for joining the U.S. headquartered firm. Bachour has worked on some of Freshfields' largest mandates in recent years, including advising Teck Resources on its $53 billion ‘merger of equals’ with Anglo American in 2025 and advising AstraZeneca on antitrust and foreign investment strategy for its $39 billion acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals in 2021. Skadden executive partner Jeremy London, said: “We have continued to grow in Brussels over the last few years, and his joining will further support our plans for the office and the wider global Antitrust/Competition Group.” Brussels is a key hub for competition and antitrust being one of the most competitive markets globally due to the location of the European Commission. Skadden is advising Netflix on the possible acquisition of Warner Bros which is likely to require EU antitrust concessions. The hire reflects a push by firms into Brussels. On Monday, Fieldfisher hired former managing partner of McDermott Will & Schulte’s Brussels office; Kirkland & Ellis hired two competition lawyers from Weil, Gotshal & Manges expanding its integrated London-Brussels platform; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison opened an office in Brussels in 2024. For Freshfields, the departure follows the exits of four pivotal partners in Germany to Latham & Watkins last month in a move described as the ‘biggest move the German market has seen in years’. Those departures included former continental Europe managing partner Markus Paul and co-head of Freshfields’ global M&A group Wessel Heukamp. Despite the exits, Freshfields ranked first for European M&A in 2025. Bachour stepped down as managing partner earlier this month after announcing his intent to do so in July. He had been managing partner of the firm since 2021. A Freshfields spokesperson said: "We wish Rafique all the best."

Jan 14

2 min

Global law firm Freshfields has advised the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (“ADIA”) on its investment in a multi-asset continuation vehicle (“the CV”) that will acquire multi portfolio companies from CDH Fund V. A wholly owned subsidiary of the ADIA has acted as lead investor. The CV was formed to acquire a scaled and diversified portfolio from CDH Fund V, with a value of US$770 million as of 31 December 2024, each a leading player in its respective industry. The Freshfields team advising on the transaction was led by partners Philip Li and Tom Lawless, with support from counsels Ya Ma and James Visick, and associate Yichen Xing. Tax aspects of the transaction were advised by partners Peter Clements and Jill Gatehouse, counsel Chris Gotch, and Brandon Spears. Antitrust and FDI matters were advised by partners Hazel Yin (Freshfields RuiMin) and Rafique Bachour, counsel Tuna Tanik, and associates Dina Madadi and Siying Ruan (Freshfields RuiMin).

Jan 9

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields has announced the re-election of Georgia Dawson as Senior Partner, with the next term commencing in January 2026. First elected in 2020, Dawson’s re-election reflects strong partner support and confidence in her continued leadership to deliver global growth and strategic progress. During Dawson’s first term, she has overseen a period of meaningful evolution at Freshfields - deepening client relationships, strengthening in strategic markets, such as the US, and advancing the firm’s commitments to innovation, inclusion and sustainability. Her first term also saw the introduction of a refreshed brand identity, reinforcing Freshfields’ ambition to be the firm of the future. Dawson will continue to work alongside Global Managing Partners Alan Mason and Rick van Aerssen as part of the firm’s global leadership team, with Rafique Bachour stepping back from his leadership responsibilities to focus on his market leading client practice. Dawson said: “It’s a privilege to continue serving as Senior Partner and I’m proud of the progress we have made to date. With strong momentum behind us, we’re refining what works and picking up the pace where we can do more, drawing on the strength of our global, multi-disciplinary platform. “I’m deeply grateful to Rafique for his leadership and support over the past term - he has been instrumental in helping shape the firm’s direction and commitment to our clients.  Alongside Alan and Rick, our ambition remains clear: to be the firm of the future, agile, principled and relentlessly focused on helping our clients succeed. That means continuing to invest in our people, to lead with purpose and deepening our global capabilities for the benefit of our clients.”

Jul 24

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields has advised the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (“ADIA”) on its investment in a multi-asset continuation vehicle (“the CV”) that will acquire multi portfolio companies from CDH Fund V. A wholly owned subsidiary of the ADIA has acted as lead investor. The CV was formed to acquire a scaled and diversified portfolio from CDH Fund V, with a value of US$770 million as of 31 December 2024, each a leading player in its respective industry. The Freshfields team advising on the transaction was led by partners Philip Li and Tom Lawless, with support from counsels Ya Ma and James Visick, and associate Yichen Xing. Tax aspects of the transaction were advised by partners Peter Clements and Jill Gatehouse, counsel Chris Gotch, and Brandon Spears. Antitrust and FDI matters were advised by partners Hazel Yin (Freshfields RuiMin) and Rafique Bachour, counsel Tuna Tanik, and associates Dina Madadi and Siying Ruan (Freshfields RuiMin).

Jan 9

1 min

Freshfields is maximising use of its contractual six-month notice period for non-U.S. partners who opt to leave the firm, in a shift away from its usual practice of allowing partners to leave after three months. Although the firm’s partnership contract allows it to require departing partners to observe a full six-month notice period, normal practice was to accept half that, according to two sources with knowledge of the firm. The firm has recently decided to use the full extent of its contractual power with certain senior partners as it faces a growing number of top level exits across Europe, the people said. One of the people said that it is the first time the full six months has been implemented. Lengthy notice periods are generally associated with U.K. and European headquartered law firms and can serve several purposes, including disincentivising departures and minimising their impact. Most of the time, partners are put on garden leave, which requires them to see out their notice away from work. Some firms have justified longer notice periods as a means to offset the sometimes destabilising effects of exits by smoothing succession planning and enabling the orderly transfer of mandates. Long notice periods can disrupt the departing partner’s client relationships, reducing the likelihood of the firm losing clients and market share. Last month, Law.com revealed that A&O Shearman was also implementing lengthier and less defined notice periods, with the potential to insist on a nine-month period, against a backdrop of a planned 10% reduction of its equity partner ranks among many other partner departures, which by January had closed in on 200. Freshfields too has faced departures, with several, many long-time, partners leaving for rivals. Among them is a four-partner Germany team that last month left for Latham & Watkins, led by the firm's former Continental European head Markus Paul, and his fellow private equity partner Carsten Haak, as well as Munich-based corporate partners Wessel Heukamp and Verena Nosch. Others have included Brussels antitrust partner Rafique Bachour, who before his exit to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom was one of the firm’s global managing partners, and senior corporate partner in Spain Armando Albarran, who left last month to launch Gibson Dunn & Crutcher’s Madrid office. Meanwhile, Cyril Valentin, the firm’s former Paris tax head, and veteran corporate partner Hervé Pisani, both left last month for White & Case. Over a similar period the firm hired Kirkland & Ellis partner Florian Sippel to its Munich office. In the U.S., where Freshfields is focusing much of its hiring attention, it has hired Nema Milaninia, a regulatory and investigations partner from King & Spalding, and Manish Kumar, a veteran of the Department of Justice. However, this month, the firm saw its head of the U.S. energy and infrastructure group and co-head of the firm’s Latin America practice, Melissa Raciti-Knapp, join Vinson & Elkins in New York. The notice period development adds to the perception of a growing divergence between Freshfield’s U.S. practice, into which it has invested a great deal, and its historical European hubs. In the U.S., employers are generally prohibited from using long notice periods, with most U.S. law firms utilizing 30 day periods or less. Freshfields declined to comment.

Feb 23

2 min