Clifford Chance
Neil Barlow's practice focuses on cross-border M&A, with a particular focus on private equity transactions.
Neil is a member of the Global Private Equity Group and he regularly advises private equity houses and strategic investors on a wide range of matters including acquisitions and investments, disposals, joint-ventures, carve-outs and takeovers.
Neil has particular experience of advising on M&A in North America and Europe and is adept at executing on transactions in the Transatlantic space.
Neil has spent time on secondment with CVC Capital Partners and with 3i.
- KKR in its strategic partnership with Carlyle to acquire an approximately US$10.1 billion portfolio of prime student loans from Discover Financial Services
- Advised global asset manager BlackRock on its strategic investment into Montage International, a premier hospitality management company to facilitate the global expansion and strategic growth across its luxury portfolio.
- AA plc (the UK’s leading roadside assistance provider) and its owner Acromas Holdings (backed by Charterhouse, CVC Capital Partners and Permira), on its IPO on the London Stock Exchange
- Alter Domus on its acquisition of IPS Fund Services
- Alter Domus on its acquisition of Credit-Vision Limited
- AlterDomus on its strategic partnership with Permira
- AlterDomus on its strategic expansion into the United States
- Apax and Permira on the sale of New Look to Brait
- Ardian on its US$525 million acquisition by its investee company, the Dedalus Group, of DXC Technology's (NYSE: DXC) healthcare software provider business
- Ascendant Group on its sale to Canadian power and utilities investor Algonquin
- Blackstone on the acquisition of Clarion Events, one of the world’s leading independent events organizers, from Providence Equity Partners
- Blackstone on its merger of Clarion Events with Global Sources, an exhibition and online B2B marketplace operator based in Hong Kong
- Blackstone on the acquisition of a majority stake in temporary workspace business The Office Group
- CDPQ on its acquisition of a minority stake in asset manager SURA Asset Management
- Corinthian Capital on its sale of Eastern Wholesale Fence Company to Center Rock Capital Partners and Leelanau Private Capital
- CVC Capital Partners and Cinven on their acquisition of consumer credit provider NewDay from Varde Partners
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of a significant stake in the RAC
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of warranty services provider Domestic & General from Advent
- CVC Capital Partners on the sale of online service payment provider Skrill to Optimal Payments
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of a significant minority stake in anti-virus software company Avast
- CVC Capital Partners on the acquisition of a significant minority stake in Moove, a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialty lubricants for the transportation industry
- Electra Private Equity on its sale of Elian fiduciary services to Intertrust B.V.
- EQT on its acquisition of global distributor of speciality chemicals and food ingredients Azelis
- Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, through its portfolio company Brit, on their joint investment alongside Blackstone Tactical Opportunities into Ki, the first fully digital and algorithmically-driven Lloyd’s syndicate
- FIS, the Fortune 500 fintech company on its acquisition of a majority stake in Virtus Partners
- Macquarie on its acquisition of the Briceño-Tunja-Sogamoso (BTS) toll road concession in Colombia
- MIRA, ACP and VER on their acquisition of a 100% interest in the Elenia group from 3i Infrastructure
- National Storage Affiliates Trust (NYSE: NSA), a Maryland real estate investment trust, on its acquisition of SecurCare Self Storage, Inc.
- OpCapita on its acquisition of US fast fashion retailer, Maurices
- Permira on its acquisition of Cisco’s video software and processing business
- Permira on the sale of Iglo to Nomad Foods for €2.6 billion
- Permira on its acquisition of Pantheon Healthcare
- Platinum Equity on its acquisition of CBS Corporation’s European outdoor advertising business
- Premia Holdings Ltd on its acquisition of Navigators Holdings (Europe) NV (and its associated companies, including Assurances Continentales – Continentale Verzekeringen NV of Belgium and Canal Re S.A. of Luxemburg) from The Hartford
- Quad Gas Consortium (comprised of MIRA, ACP, CIC, Hermes, QIA and Amber) on the acquisition of 61% of National Grid’s gas distribution network
- SAZKA Group, one of the largest lottery groups in Europe, on its issuance of €500 million convertible preference shares to Apollo Global Management
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on its acquisition of York Risk Services Group
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on its acquisition of Stericycle's Expert Solutions service line
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on the sale of its group health peer review and independent medical examination assets to ExamWorks, LLC
- Watford Holdings on its approximately US$700 million acquisition by Bermuda-based insurance, reinsurance and mortgage insurance company Arch Capital Group Ltd.
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of the Infinis Land Fill Gas business from Terra Firma
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of Wireless Infrastructure Group
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of a significant minority stake in each of Oiltanking Ghent and Oiltanking Terneuzen
- 3i Infrastructure and AMP Capital in connection with its acquisition of ESVAGT, an emergency rescue and response vessels provider to the offshore oil and gas
News and client work
Contact details
- Clifford Chance, New York
Clifford Chance, London - +1 212 878 4912, +44 20 7006 4303
- Email me
- Follow me on LinkedIn
- Practice area M&A corporate
- Sector Private equity
Career and qualifications
- Georgetown University (SFS) 2008
- University of Sussex (LLB) 2009
- University of Law (LPC) 2010
- Joined Clifford Chance 2011
- Admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales 2013
- Licensed as a Legal Consultant in New York 2019
- Partner since 2021
- Admitted as an Attorney-at-Law in New York 2022
Awards and citations
- Recognized as Recommended Lawyer, Private Equity Buyout
Legal 500 US, 2022, 2023
- Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America – Corporate Law
- Working with Neil Barlow has been exceptional. Neil has been working with us since day one and therefore has all the history of what we have done but also is highly capable adding value on deal tactics, unlocking issues and covering us well for potential unidentified issues that may come.
Legal 500, 2022 – United States: M&A/Corporate and Commercial Private Equity Buyouts – Tier