Chris Connolly

Associate Mergers & Acquisitions Private Equity
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP

London +44 20 7953 2780

Chris Connolly

Practices

Overview

Chris Connolly is a corporate associate in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.

Chris has experience in a broad range of corporate law matters, including cross-border M&A, public-to-private takeovers, group reorganisations and joint ventures.

Since joining Kirkland, Chris has worked on the following matters, advising:

  • Eagle Street on its joint venture with Nuveen Real Estate and HESTA to acquire a Build to Rent asset in Dublin 
  • Antin Infrastructure Partners on CityFibre’s £1.125 billion capital raise
  • Apex on the c. £1.51 billion recommended all cash acquisition of Sanne Group plc
  • Cushman & Wakefield on the launch of an underwritten public offering of 12,500,000 ordinary shares 
  • Cobham on the c. £2.57 billion recommended all cash acquisition of Ultra Electronics Holdings plc
  • GIC on its $3.9 billion additional joint ventures with Equinix to expand the xScale™ data centre programme
  • Sun European Partners on the sale of Dreams to Tempur Sealy International 
  • Advent International and its portfolio company V.Group on V.Group's successful debt and equity restructuring 
  • HGGC on the sale of a majority stake in Davies 
  • Naviga, a portfolio company of Vista Equity Partners, on the £12m acquisition of Miles 33
  • I Squared and TDR Capital on the £2.322 billion recommended cash acquisition of Aggreko
  • Pinnacle Renewable Energy, the Toronto-listed entity, on its $652 million acquisition by Drax Group plc 
  • Grubhub on its $7.3 billion sale to Just Eat Takeaway.com
  • Antin Infrastructure Partners on its reinvestment in Eurofiber, including the sale of a minority stake to PGGM

Prior to joining Kirkland, Chris worked on the following matters, advising:

  • Cineworld Group plc on its US$2.1 billion class 1 acquisition of Cineplex Inc.
  • Ensco plc on its US$12 billion combination with Rowan Companies plc
  • Cineworld Group plc on its US$3.6 billion reverse takeover of Regal Entertainment Group
  • Premier Oil plc on the class 1 disposal of its 33.8% stake in Wytch Farm
  • ARM Holdings plc on its £24.3 billion acquisition by SoftBank Group Corp.
  • Tata Steel UK Limited on the sale of its 42- and 84-inch pipe mills in Hartlepool to Liberty House Group
  • Goals Soccer Centres plc on its strategic North American joint venture with City Football Group
  • Tata Steel UK Limited on the £100 million disposal of its speciality steels business to Liberty House Group
  • Accsys Technologies PLC on its firm placing and open offer
  • Ensco plc on its US$606 million placing of ordinary shares

Slaughter and May

  • Associate (2016–2020)
  • Trainee Solicitor (2014–2016)

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Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • 2016, Admitted to Practice as a Solicitor of England and Wales

Education

  • BPP Law School, LondonAccelerated Legal Practice CourseDistinction2014
  • BPP Law School, LondonGraduate Diploma in LawDistinction2013
  • University of CambridgeM.Phil., Theoretical LinguisticsDistinction2012
    Arts and Humanities Research Council Academic Studentship
  • University of CambridgeM.A., Modern and Medieval Languages (Russian and French)Starred First2011
    Peterhouse Academic Scholarship