Privatisations and public ownership of industries
The transition of an enterprise from public to private ownership, or back again, requires open minds and lateral thinking.
Competing considerations of maximising returns, protecting consumers and tax payers, and ensuring stability of the affected enterprise require careful planning, constructive thinking and, sometimes, crisis management skills.
We routinely create innovative procedures, structures and processes for the privatisation or repatriation of industries on both the sell-side and buy-side; and in both the private and public camp, solutions that are successful for all stakeholders.
We advise on all methods of privatisation, whether by strategic sale, joint venture, initial public offering (IPO) or concession award.
We also have considerable experience of alternative structures, such as the insourcing of private sector management teams into publicly owned enterprises, or the transfer of enterprises into government-owned companies.
A service that our clients find increasingly valuable is structuring competitions for sales, concession awards and the like. Our award-winning procurement team has been at the forefront of developing and running competitions for many assets and interests across the public/private interface.
When it comes to crisis management, our years of experience mean we can be by our client’s side quickly and effectively when they need us most.
EU governments, central banks and financial institutions facing the effects of the recent financial and sovereign crises have turned to us – and we regularly join forces with our market-leading competition, state aid and regulatory lawyers to give clients the comprehensive advice that is so important to success.
