Skadden is pleased to announce Sam Blake has joined the firm as a partner in the financial sponsor practice in its London office. Mr. Blake is an experienced private equity lawyer who has advised on complex transactions across the U.K. and Europe, with particular experience in infrastructure and infrastructure-related investments, including energy transition, digital infrastructure, transportation and regulated assets.
Mr. Blake brings more than 20 years of experience across private practice and senior investor-side roles. Most recently, he spent eight years at Antin Infrastructure Partners (Antin), where he was a partner and worked closely with investment teams on the legal aspects of transactions across the investment life cycle, from origination and execution through to exit. During his time at Antin, Mr. Blake worked on investments and disposals across a range of infrastructure sectors, including digital, transportation, energy and social infrastructure.
Prior to joining Antin, Mr. Blake spent more than a decade in private practice advising financial sponsors and other clients on domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions.
“We’re delighted to welcome Sam to the Skadden team. He has considerable experience in infrastructure transactions across the region, a sector that is key to our clients,” said Lorenzo Corte, global head of Skadden’s transactions practices. “Sam’s arrival reflects our focused strategy of investing in areas where we see significant opportunities for our clients and continuing to strengthen our transactional platform in Europe. Infrastructure is an increasingly important part of the global M&A landscape, and Sam’s experience further enhances our ability to advise clients on their most complex transactions in the U.K. and across Europe.”
“Sam is an important addition to our financial sponsor team in London,” said Richard Youle, head of Skadden’s London office and co-head of the firm’s Private Equity Group. “He is an experienced deal lawyer who has spent the past eight years sitting on the other side of the table, working closely with investment teams on infrastructure and infrastructure-adjacent transactions. That gives him a clear understanding of how sponsors approach these investments, from deal structuring through to regulatory and stakeholder considerations, and what they expect from their advisers. He complements the experience we already have across the team and will be an important part of our work with sponsors in London and internationally.”
“Having worked closely with investment teams, I have seen firsthand what sponsors need from their advisers when executing complex infrastructure transactions, where the intersection of regulatory frameworks, long-dated capital and multiple stakeholders creates distinct challenges to navigate,” said Mr. Blake. “I am looking forward to bringing that perspective back into private practice and working with colleagues across Skadden’s transactional practices to support clients investing in the U.K., in Europe and internationally.”
Mr. Blake earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in modern history from New College, Oxford. He is a solicitor of the courts of England and Wales.