Cleary Gottlieb welcomes Ian Shawyer as a partner in the London office, focusing on M&A and private equity transactions. Ian arrives at Cleary from Travers Smith, where he served as Head of the Private Equity and Financial Sponsors Group.

“We are delighted to welcome Ian to our firm,” said Cleary Managing Partner Michael Gerstenzang. “Cleary’s pre-eminent global M&A practice is renowned for handling high-profile, multijurisdictional matters and helping our clients successfully complete transformative deals. Ian’s depth of experience and standing in the market will significantly bolster our London and broader EMEA private equity practices.”

Ian joins Cleary after over two decades as a longstanding and trusted advisor to pan-European and international corporates, institutional investors, and alternative asset managers. 

“I can’t wait to get started at Cleary,” said Ian. “Joining the existing high profile, cross-border team at Cleary is very appealing. I am really looking forward to helping further develop the firm’s global M&A and private equity practice through working with the group of hugely talented lawyers already at the firm.”

Ian has substantial experience advising across a full range of transactions including leveraged buyouts, consortium deals, bolt-on acquisitions, carve-outs, co-investments, minority deals, recapitalizations, divestments, distressed M&A, public-to-privates, and joint ventures.

“Cleary’s EMEA Private Equity group has developed rapidly over the past few years. Ian is widely recognized as one of the leading practitioners in this field, and his addition will be a significant boost to our PE and M&A practice across Europe,” said Tihir Sarkar, partner in the London office. “He joins us at a very exciting time for the London office and our EMEA M&A practice with the recent hire of one of the city’s leading public M&A lawyers, Nick Rumsby.”