Slaughter and May

Slaughter and May

Slaughter and May was founded in 1889 in London by William Slaughter and George May, initially focusing on corporate and commercial law. The firm operates as a true partnership with no external ownership, maintaining its original governance model through a senior partner and elected partnership council. The firm advises on mergers, acquisitions, capital markets and corporate governance matters across sectors including energy, financial services, technology and healthcare. Known for its role in landmark UK transactions — including advising on the privatization of British Telecom and the takeover of Cadbury by Kraft — Slaughter and May operates across Europe and Asia-Pacific via offices in London, Singapore, Frankfurt and San Francisco. Slaughter and May has roughly 150 partners and 1,200 total lawyers, with an additional office in Kingston upon Thames supporting administrative functions. The firm does not publicly disclose financial performance but reports annual revenue exceeding £500M based on industry estimates (per The Lawyer, 2024). In 2024, the firm renewed its lease at its London headquarters, signaling continued investment in its core premises (per public record). Unlike Magic Circle firms that have aggressively expanded internationally and built overseas branch networks, Slaughter and May has remained deliberately slim on global offices, instead cultivating a network of "best friends" — independent law firms in key jurisdictions — to advise on cross-border deals. This model allows clients to access local expertise without the overhead of a giant global organization.