Clifford Chance taps Skadden for private capital heavyweight Embley in London

Bruce Embley co-headed Freshfields’ global M&A practice before joining Skadden in 2020

Bruce Embley Credit: Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance (CC) has hired well known M&A partner Bruce Embley in London from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, as the UK firm continues its private capital growth push. 

Embley has joined CC’s private equity team after just over four years at Skadden, having earlier spent 15 years at Freshfields where he rose to become co-head of global M&A. 

Embley advises on private capital transactions for private equity and corporate clients, including recently acting for International Paper on its $7.8bn takeover of DS Smith and Permira on its partial sale of Alter Domus Group to Cinven, at an enterprise value of €4.9bn. 

At Freshfields he led the team that guided AB InBev’s $103bn combination with SABMiller, which was the largest-ever cash offer worldwide and the largest UK M&A deal. 

Jonny Myers, CC’s global head of Private Equity, said Embley would be invaluable as the firm continued to grow its global private capital practice. 

“[Embley’s] longstanding expertise and leadership experience makes him a hugely respected figure in our field – we look forward to him joining,” Myers added. 

Embley’s arrival comes hot on the heels of CC hiring fund finance partners Aimee Sharman and Matt Lilley in London last week from Mayer Brown. 

The firm has also been adding to its private capital practice internationally, tapping O’Melveny & Myers in New York late last year for private equity partners David Schultz and Vince Ferrito and recruiting private equity partner Jamie McLaren in Singapore last February from Herbert Smith Freehills. In late 2023 the firm also added partners Arnaud Fromion and Frédéric Guilloux to its global financial markets team in Paris from Goodwin Procter.

A Skadden spokesperson commented: “We thank Bruce for his contributions to our firm over the past five years and appreciate his efforts, as he embarks on his next chapter.”

Skadden ranked second in LSEG’s M&A global legal advisor league tables for 2024, working on 211 deals worth $422.0bn; the year before it placed fifth. Meantime, Clifford Chance’s work on 186 deals worth $112.6bn saw it fall five places to 20th. Worldwide M&A activity totalled $3.2trn in 2024, an increase of 10% from 2023, although still a huge decrease on 2021’s record high of $5.9trn.

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