DLA Piper today announces that Jonathan Earle will be joining the firm’s Corporate practice as a partner in the London office. Jonathan’s appointment follows this month’s hire of private equity partner Piero Carbone from McDermott Will & Emery, and the recent additions of Tracey Renshaw (Clifford Chance) and Martin Nelson-Jones (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer), all into London Corporate.
Jonathan, who will be joining the firm in September, has significant experience in cross-border M&A, including public takeovers, and equity capital markets. Prior to joining the firm, Earle was a corporate partner at Ashurst and most recently at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He has a strong track record working on high-profile deals including advising: Stars Group on its USD4.7 billion acquisition of Skybet from CVC Capital and Sky; Markit (now IHS Markit) on its proposed listing on NASDAQ; and William Hill on its acquisition of BetDigital and OpenBet.
Commenting, Bob Bishop, Global Co-Chair of DLA Piper’s Corporate Group, said: “Jon’s appointment further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to invest in the growth of our London Corporate team, having recently hired partners Piero Carbone, Tracey Renshaw and Martin Nelson-Jones. We’re particularly excited about Jon’s public company client base and his deep gaming/betting sector experience. Jon is a first-rate lawyer and his arrival will significantly enhance and broaden our already market-leading M&A practice.”
Jonathan Earle said: “I’m delighted to be joining DLA Piper. The firm provides a fantastic platform through its global reach and full service capability. I very much look forward to joining the Corporate team and its recent new hires to help further build on the firm’s considerable track record of success.”
DLA Piper has one of the world’s leading Corporate/M&A practices and is ranked as the top legal advisor for global M&A, according to Mergermarket’s 2019 league tables. 2019 marked the tenth consecutive year that DLA Piper executed more M&A than any other law firm. Last year the firm was involved in 747 transactions worldwide, valued at approximately USD63 billion.