Linklaters has appointed Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz dealmaker Mark Gordon as managing partner of the Americas and co-chair of global M&A, adding an experienced U.S. transactional lawyer as the firm expands its American partnership and M&A operations.
Gordon will join Linklaters in New York and start in November, succeeding Tom McGrath as managing partner of the Americas at the conclusion of McGrath’s term. He brings more than 30 years of experience advising on major transactions, as well as shareholder activism and takeover defence matters across healthcare, technology, mining, industrials and energy.
The appointment comes during a period of substantial expansion for Linklaters in the U.S. Since FY22, the firm says it has increased its U.S. partnership by more than 75%, more than doubled revenue and quadrupled profits in the country. Gordon will work with the firm’s senior leadership as Linklaters continues that expansion.
Aedamar Comiskey, Linklaters senior partner and chair, described Gordon’s recruitment as an important step towards the firm’s ambition of building a top-tier U.S. team. George Casey, chair of the Americas and global chair of corporate, positioned the appointment as a significant addition to the firm’s U.S. M&A capabilities, while global head of corporate Simon Branigan highlighted Gordon’s experience advising on major boardroom matters.
Gordon’s transaction record includes advising The AZEK Company on its $8.75 billion acquisition by James Hardie Industries and Alexion Pharmaceuticals on its $39 billion sale to AstraZeneca. He also represented Analog Devices in its $21 billion acquisition of Maxim Integrated Products and its $14.8 billion acquisition of Linear Technology.
His recruitment follows other senior additions to Linklaters. In the past two months, the firm has added a strategic litigation and sports sector team led by Chris Boehning, Dan Levi and César Rivière from Paul Weiss, alongside Johnson & Johnson global litigation head Erik Haas.
The expansion spans transactional, litigation and finance capabilities, with Gordon now taking a leadership position within both the Americas operation and global M&A practice. Linklaters has more than 650 M&A lawyers globally and says its practice is consistently ranked Band 1 by Chambers.
Gordon’s arrival adds senior M&A leadership as Linklaters expands its U.S. operation. His dual role across the Americas and global M&A places him at the centre of the firm’s next phase of U.S. growth, following the increase in its U.S. partnership and the stated growth in revenue and profits since FY22.
