Public Company M&A Partner Will McDonald to Join Gibson Dunn in London

Firm News  |  December 2, 2024


Gibson Dunn is pleased to announce that Will McDonald has joined the firm’s London office as a partner in its Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group.

Will has considerable experience in advising on complex cross-border M&A and brings deep expertise to U.K. public M&A transactions. During his two-year secondment at the U.K. Takeover Panel, he was involved in regulating over 250 transactions including Anheuser-Busch InBev’s £71 billion offer for SABMiller, the biggest takeover in U.K. corporate history.

Commenting on Will’s arrival, George Sampas, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group, said: “Will’s experience in complex mergers and acquisitions makes him an important addition to our London deal team. Clients will benefit, in particular, from his first-hand experience at the UK Takeover Panel, which gives him an edge in U.K. public M&A deals.”

“With Gibson Dunn’s reputation for excellence and network of private equity and M&A lawyers working across geographies and industries, the opportunity to join the firm was too good to pass up,” said Will. “I’m looking forward to getting to work in the London office, which has made some fantastic hires in the deals space in recent years.”

Gibson Dunn recently expanded its transactional practices in London, welcoming private equity partner Will Summers, and finance partners Kavita Davis and David Irvine in the past year. Transactional partners Isabel Berger, Alice Brogi, Wim de Vlieger, Robert Dixon, Federico Fruhbeck, and Till Lefranc also joined the firm in London in recent years.

About Will McDonald

Will is an experienced M&A lawyer specializing in U.K. public and private M&A. He undertook a secondment to the U.K. Takeover Panel for two years, during which time he regulated more than 250 transactions covered by the Takeover Code. He works across a range of industries including defence, aerospace and aviation, technology, real estate, and natural resources. He is a Recommended Lawyer in Legal 500 United Kingdom for London: M&A Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals. Will earned his M.A. Hons. (first class) in History from the Universities of Edinburgh and Washington.