Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Practitioner Insights Series (online)

As businesses seek to grow and evolve their operations globally, seeking competitive advantage, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are still a key strategic option.

However, the volatile and complex nature of these deals requires professionals to truly understand the nuances of M&A to get the best value for their client. Done successfully, corporate M&A transactions can redefine companies.

Our new Queen Mary M&A “Practitioner Insights Series” online certificate course offers the opportunity to learn from senior practitioners who have worked in this area for more than 25 years, sharing their learning of key elements of the M&A process.

The “Insights” are a series of conversations between senior M&A experts with experience of working in private practice law firms, in-house legal teams, global legal outsourcing providers, insurers, and a range of other M&A teams.  Our programme offers the rare opportunity to learn from practical and strategic M&A experience built up over more than 25 years – insights which one cannot find in textbooks or online.

“Insights” module 1: The M&A lifecycle – taking a holistic view

• Taking a holistic view of M&A, and understanding the “Bigger Picture”
• Your role as “Strategic Risk Manager” throughout a deal
• Key concepts in M&A valuation models and value chains
• How to be an effective External Counsel on your client’s M&A deal.

“Insights” module 2: Risk-based M&A Due Diligence

• The “what” and the “why” of Due Diligence
• Understanding the best timing for elements of the Due Diligence process
• Pitfalls to avoid in Due Diligence
• The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the Due Diligence process
• “Horizon Scanning” as a key success factor for your Due Diligence work
• The growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Due Diligence work.

“Insights” module 3: Allocation of risk in M&A

• The importance of understanding your client’s risk appetite
• Mechanisms for allocating M&A risk effectively
• Warranty & Indemnity Insurance as a tool for externalising risk
• Managing risk during M&A deals if the strategic context changes
• Negotiation strategies for effective risk allocation

“Insights” module 4: The great “M&A challenge” – deal implementation and value realisation

• M&A deal implementation best practices
• Managing M&A stakeholder issues between signing and closing
• Avoiding erosion of value post-closing in your M&A deal
• The key role local counsel play in international deals

Our programme will enable you to understand:

• The “bigger picture” of M&A, and how you can best contribute throughout the lifecycle of M&A deals, whether domestic or global, large or small.
• How the Due Diligence process is best conducted, and the impact and potential use of new AI tools in this important work.
• Actions one can take to mitigate risks identified during the Due Diligence process, including externalising the risk through insurance, and how effective M&A negotiation approaches can assist with risk allocation.
• Strategies to ensure that organisational value is created through effective M&A deal implementation, and the key role you can play in this later phase of M&A.

• This course is presented entirely online.
• Modules can be completed in your own time and at your own pace. This flexible and structured learning approach is designed for busy professionals to fit the course around their work schedules and commitments.
• After completing the recorded, online materials, you will have the opportunity to interact with your peers and faculty at a live (online) one-hour “Ask the Expert” session.

Julienne Baron, lead faculty for the course and commercial lawyer admitted in both England & Wales, and Australia, has more than 28 years’ experience in M&A transactions in both private practice and in senior in-house legal roles. Julienne has experience in private and public M&A transactions across more than 45 countries and different industry sectors.

Mark Gallagher led Shell’s integration activities ranging from major acquisitions, reshaping the global portfolio through divestments and JVs and, more recently, buying startups and utilities in response to the energy transition. He is now an independent consultant on Deal integration and advises on specific deals as well as building in-house capabilities to support growth through multiple acquisitions.

Ross Lima is a business lawyer with a corporate and commercial law background, and Head of Energy & Infrastructure M&A at Lockton Insurance Broker, the world's largest independent insurance brokerage.  Ross is a specialist in Warranty & Indemnity Insurance and works with clients to de-risk M&A transactions, enhance returns and, ultimately, get deals done.

Sylvain Magdinier is a UK-qualified solicitor with many years’ experience in corporate, commercial, regulatory and intellectual property matters both in private practice and in-house.  Sylvain now specialises in the digital transformation and optimisation of the legal function, with a particular focus on contract lifecycle management solutions combining technology, resourcing structures, process re-engineering and domain legal expertise.

Nigel Spencer, Professor of Practice at QMUL Law School, and Executive Coach, has worked in the legal sector for more than 25 years, creating and leading development programmes for both private practice and in-house lawyers.

The programme is designed for professionals who wish to gain a deeper, practical understanding of all steps in M&A transactions, primarily targeted towards lawyers (private practice and in-house), finance and other professionals participating in the M&A process.

Each purchase of the course is for the individual use for the purchaser only:

• Purchase the “Insights Series” (UK individuals) - £200.00
• Purchase the “Insights Series” (individuals outside the UK) - £200.00
• Group bookings for your team(s) or organisation: Please contact our Hub for Professional Practice: law-hub@qmul.ac.uk for pricing information.

Each recipient is responsible for checking their own jurisdictional requirements for counting this online course for “Continuing Professional Development” credit.

Upon successful completion of all elements of the course, if you would like to receive a Queen Mary University of London “Certificate of Completion”, please write to law-hub@qmul.ac.uk to confirm your completion of the 4 “Insights Series” modules, and your attendance at the one-hour “Ask the Expert” session.