Two London Partners Recognized in Fifty Most Influential Lawyers List 2025

London Office Managing Partner Ed Barnett and corporate partner Mark Austin have been named to Financial News’ fourth Fifty Most Influential Lawyers list. The list recognizes 50 leading legal minds in Europe working across corporate deals including M&A, restructuring, and equity issuances, as well as those advising on issues such as fund structuring and regulation.

Barnett is one of the city’s leading M&A dealmakers, with vast experience advising public companies, boards, and investors on a variety of high-stakes transactions. He recently advised the consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises Global Football Group on its acquisition of a majority stake in Rangers Football Club, and DoorDash, Inc. on its £2.9 billion proposed recommended take-private of food delivery platform Deliveroo plc, one of the largest take-privates in Europe YTD.

A widely recognized leader in his field, Austin advises clients on a full range of public and private securities offerings, as well as M&A and general corporate matters. He serves on the UK’s Capital Markets Industry Taskforce and the HM Treasury’s Digitization Taskforce. He is a member and former Chair of the Listing Authority Advisory Panel, advising the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on primary markets policy and regulation issues. In 2021, the Chancellor of the Exchequer appointed Austin as the independent chair of the UK Secondary Capital Raising Review and in 2021 he advised Lord Hill on the UK Listing Review. Austin received a CBE in the King’s 2024 New Year Honours List for services to the economy.