Slaughter and May

What Slaughter and May does

Slaughter and May is an international law firm headquartered in London at One Bunhill Row and one of the five original UK Magic Circle firms, with additional offices in Brussels, Beijing and Hong Kong (the latter operating through a separate partnership). Founded in 1889 and structured as a general partnership, the firm employs 5,001-10,000 staff in total, including 1,569 legal and business services personnel engaged through its wholly-owned subsidiary Slaughter and May Services Company (SMSC) as of 30 April 2025. It serves international companies and institutions across banking, insurance, asset management, private equity, energy, real estate, retail, media and telecoms, with practice areas spanning corporate and M&A, capital markets, financing, antitrust, disputes, employment, pensions, incentives, restructuring, tax, intellectual property, cyber, data privacy, digital regulation, ESG, and infrastructure and energy.

The firm's distinctive operating model is a multi-specialist approach in which lawyers work across practice areas rather than within narrow silos, supported by a culture with no billing or time targets that emphasises quality and integrated advice. Technology is centred on a growing Innovation function (under incoming Head of Innovation Anthony Vigneron from February 2026) deploying AI and legal technology tooling including Microsoft Copilot, plus a £75 million investment in Luminance. Distribution is direct and relationship-driven through the four offices and a network of multi-jurisdictional co-counsel partnerships, supplemented by an extensive thought-leadership engine (Horizon Scanning, Strategic M&A series, four niche blogs, multi-format podcasts on Apple, Spotify and Amazon Music, a 17-city 2025 events programme, and structured graduate and apprenticeship pipelines with upReach, Rare, BPP University and 10,000 Black Interns). Revenue is generated through fees for professional legal services, with Magic Circle pricing evidenced by the £150,000 newly qualified solicitor salary; customer logos in 2025-2026 include NatWest, Hang Seng Bank, HSBC, Legal & General, Ford, CPP Investments, Equinix, Schroders, Zurich, John Wood Group, SEGRO and Railpen.

Name

Slaughter and May

Legal name

Slaughter and May

Website

https://slaughterandmay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Slaughter and May is a London-headquartered Magic Circle international law firm with offices in Brussels, Beijing and Hong Kong, providing multi-specialist legal advice across corporate/M&A, capital markets, financing and disputes to large enterprises, financial institutions and private equity sponsors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Slaughter and May generates revenue through fees for comprehensive legal services across corporate/M&A, capital markets, financing, disputes, and other practice areas. The firm records time but lawyers have no billing or time targets, emphasising quality over quantity. The firm is a Magic Circle law firm advising on high-value transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Slaughter and May is an international law firm providing comprehensive legal services to corporations and institutions across practice areas including corporate and M&A, capital markets, financing, competition, disputes, employment, pensions, real estate, tax, intellectual property, cyber, data privacy, ESG, insurance, restructuring, and infrastructure and energy. The firm operates through a multi-specialist partnership model from offices in London, Brussels, Beijing and Hong Kong, advising on high-value, cross-border transactions and complex regulatory matters.

Product overview

Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm providing a comprehensive range of legal services through its offices in London, Brussels, Beijing, and Hong Kong. The firm operates through practice groups covering corporate and M&A, financing, capital markets, competition law, disputes, employment, pensions, incentives, real estate, tax, intellectual property, cyber, data privacy, digital regulation, ESG, insurance, restructuring, and infrastructure and energy. The firm serves clients across sectors including asset management, banking and finance, consumer and retail, government, fintech, healthcare and life sciences, industrial products, media and telecoms, private equity, and real estate. As a general partnership model, the firm emphasises a multi-specialist approach where lawyers work across practice areas rather than being siloed into single practice groups. The firm also operates an Innovation department focused on AI and legal technology strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate and M&A Legal advisory on mergers, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and corporate reorganisations for international companies and institutions.
• Capital Markets Legal advice on IPOs, equity and debt capital markets transactions, securities regulation and listing requirements.
• Financing Legal advice on acquisition financing, leveraged finance, structured lending, refinancing and general banking matters.
• Disputes Legal representation and advice on commercial litigation, international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.
• Global Investigations Legal advice on internal and regulatory investigations, enforcement actions, and compliance reviews across multiple jurisdictions.
• Antitrust / Competition Legal advice on merger control, antitrust investigations, competition compliance and contentious competition matters.
• Financial Regulation Legal advice on financial services regulation including conduct, prudential, and regulatory change matters for banks and asset managers.
• Financial Institutions Group Dedicated multi-disciplinary legal service for banks, insurers and asset managers across corporate, financing, regulatory and disputes matters.
• Global Sponsors Group Dedicated private equity practice advising sponsors on M&A, fund formation, portfolio company matters and exits.
• Restructuring and Insolvency Legal advice on corporate restructurings, distressed financings, formal insolvency processes and creditor negotiations.
• Infrastructure and Energy Legal advice on infrastructure projects, energy transactions, project finance and related regulatory matters.
• Intellectual Property Legal advice on intellectual property protection, licensing, commercialisation and disputes.
• Data Privacy Legal advice on data protection compliance, ICO engagement, cross-border data transfers and privacy enforcement.
• Tax Legal advice on corporate tax, transactional tax, international tax planning and tax disputes.
• Real Estate and Projects Legal advice on commercial real estate acquisitions, disposals, leasing and development projects.
• Pensions Legal advice on pension scheme management, funding, buy-ins/buy-outs and regulatory compliance.
• Employment Legal advice on employment contracts, redundancies, workforce change, disputes and employment regulation.
• Insurance Legal advice on insurance M&A, reinsurance transactions, regulatory matters and insurance disputes.
• Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Legal advice on ESG strategy, sustainability reporting, climate regulation and governance matters.
• Tech and Digital

Quantifiable outcome

• Advised on £2.7bn NatWest acquisition of Evelyn Partners, largest deal since 2008 state bailout
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 10,000 Black InternsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partners with 10,000 Black Interns, an initiative that aims to transform prospects of young Black people in the UK by offering paid work experience across industries, as well as training and development.
• 93% Club / 93% ProfessionalsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with The 93% Club to reach state-educated university students. Also founding member of 93% Professionals, an online and in-person community for state-educated professionals.
• Black Equity Organisation (BEO)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024One of six law firms that collaborated with both funding and pro bono support to assist with development and launch of BEO, the UK's new national independent Black British civil rights organisation.
• 30% ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Member of the 30% Club, a voluntary business-led organisation campaigning for at least 30% female representation on Boards and Executive committees. Provides mentors and mentees for cross-organisational mentoring scheme for high-potential women.
• StonewallminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Ranked 16th in Stonewall's Top 100 Employers List in 2024 with gold award recognition. Committed to supporting LGBTQ+ employees.
• Valuable 500minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Signatories to Valuable 500, a global movement putting disability on the business leadership agenda to ignite systemic change.
• NOTICEDminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Member firm of NOTICED, the UK's first collaborative inter-law firm diversity network promoting opportunities to integrate, celebrate and educate on diversity across the legal sector.
• General Counsel for Diversity and InclusionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Active member of this client-led commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across corporations and law firms.
• AvivaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with client Aviva on diversity and inclusion initiatives. Aviva hosted students from Slaughter and May's Lead in to Law Programme, providing insight into how an in-house legal function operates.
• AvivaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Through employee networks, shared best practice with client Aviva on diversity and inclusion to extend reach and effect wider societal change.
• Rare - Lead in to LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Two-year talent development programme for year 12 and 13 students interested in becoming a solicitor, run in partnership with Rare. Focused on increasing access to the legal profession for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Offers 20 places annually with one-to-one university application support, mentoring and in-person work insight opportunities.
• Futures for AllminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Delivers Excellerators Programme, a virtual work insight programme giving students across the UK insight into working life at Slaughter and May through interactive workshops, hands-on tasks and networking sessions.
• Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Eligible Excellerators students prioritised for SMBP's in-person Work Insight & Skills Experience weeks across the UK.
• Legal CheekminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Participates in Legal Cheek Virtual Law Fairs annually to engage with prospective trainees and clients.
• BPP UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Academic provider for Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme. Students study towards LLB Law and Legal Practice degree and SQE assessments at BPP University one day per week.
• Black Counsel ForumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Sponsored the Black Counsel Forum since 2022, which equips Black heritage lawyers with practical strategies to navigate their careers and network with experienced barristers and solicitors.
• Legal COREcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021In October 2021, Slaughter and May spearheaded collaboration with seven other founding firms to launch Legal CORE, the first leadership-led, cross-firm collective aimed at tackling underrepresentation of ethnic minority groups in the UK legal sector. Now grown to over 40 member firms.
• Rare RecruitmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021One of the first law firms to collaborate with Rare more than 15 years ago. Recruited many work experience students and trainee solicitors through sponsorship and involvement with programmes including Articles (Black heritage) and Advocate (social mobility and ethnicity) programmes.
• Slaughter and May Scholarship SchemecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Extension of Law Springboard Programme with upReach, providing ten exceptional undergraduate students with bursaries and leadership development opportunities for three years of university studies.
• upReachcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Launched Law Springboard programme in partnership with upReach in 2019. The programme is designed to improve access to the legal sector for high potential undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The firm has supported over 450 students through the programme, offering 80 places annually and a week of paid work experience for 25 students.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashurst: London-headquartered international law firm serving financial institutions and corporates on M&A, financing, and disputes. A directly comparable UK-headquartered competitor, though typically positioned slightly below the Magic Circle on the largest flagship transactions.
• Clifford Chance: One of the five UK Magic Circle law firms and the most direct comparable to Slaughter and May. Both serve the same global blue-chip client base with full-service corporate, M&A, capital markets, and disputes practices. Clifford Chance is also the firm Slaughter and May is hiring from for its new Head of Innovation.
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer: One of the original five Magic Circle firms. Closely comparable Magic Circle competitor with a similar full-service practice and enterprise client base. Co-advised on a £7.7bn insurance M&A transaction with Slaughter and May, illustrating direct head-to-head competition on flagship mandates.
• Herbert Smith Freehills: Major international law firm headquartered in London with full-service corporate, M&A, disputes, and regulatory practices. A direct peer in the UK legal market, particularly in financial services and energy sector transactions.
• Allen & Overy (A&O Shearman post-merger): One of the original five Magic Circle firms, recently merged with US firm Shearman & Sterling. Directly competes with Slaughter and May on global M&A, capital markets, and banking transactions, with a similar blue-chip international client base.
• Linklaters: One of the original five Magic Circle firms. Direct competitor in cross-border M&A, capital markets, and banking transactions with a similar international enterprise client base and partnership-based model.

Broad incumbents

• DLA Piper: One of the largest global law firms by headcount, with a wide practice spanning corporate, finance, and disputes. A broader incumbent serving similar enterprise clients, though typically on higher-volume, less bespoke work than Slaughter and May's flagship mandates.
• Norton Rose Fulbright: Global full-service law firm with a strong UK presence and broad sectoral coverage. Comparable to Slaughter and May in scale and enterprise client base, but with greater geographic breadth in the Americas and a different sector mix tilted toward financial services.
• Latham & Watkins: US-headquartered global law firm with major London office and a leading position in cross-border M&A and capital markets. A direct competitor on the largest international transactions, and the type of US firm the data flags as encroaching on Magic Circle dominance.
• Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom: US-headquartered Magic Circle-adjacent firm with a strong London corporate practice. Competes with Slaughter and May on the largest UK and cross-border M&A mandates, particularly those involving US acquirers or targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/slaughterandmaycareers
• Xx.com/slaughterandmay
• Facebookfacebook.com/slaughterandmaytraineecareers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Slaughter and May