Sean has extensive experience representing clients in all aspects of public and private company transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, consortium investments, minority investments and joint ventures, particularly Canada/U.S. cross-border transactions, involving a broad range of sectors, including the infrastructure, energy, aerospace, metals and mining and insurance sectors, and also regularly represents sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and private equity sponsors. Sean also advises clients on corporate and securities law issues, including securities law compliance and general corporate advisory work.
Expertise
Experience
Representative matters
Mubadala in the expansion of its global partnership with Apollo to support the Apollo Capital Solutions business, its joint venture with Alpha Dhabi to co-invest in global credit opportunities, and in various other investments and transactions, including the acquisition by Mubadala Capital, the wholly owned asset management subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, of Canada Cartage from Nautic Partners and the pending acquisition, together with Fortress management, of Fortress Investment Group from SoftBank Group Corp.
The management team of Galway Insurance Holdings, the holding company for EPIC Brokers & Consultants, in its sale to Harvest Partners, and EPIC and its affiliates in numerous acquisitions, including the acquisitions of New Energy Risk and Reel Media, LLC by Paragon Insurance Holdings and the acquisitions of Treloar & Heisel, Dixon Wells and Sitzmann, Morris & Lavis Insurance by EPIC.
Raytheon in its $120 billion combination with United Technologies Corporation through a merger of equals, in its $275 million divestiture of its military airborne radio business to BAE Systems and in its sale of Raytheon Anschütz Group to DMB Dr. Dieter Murmann Beteiligungsgesellschaft.
Fairfax Financial Holdings in its $1.4 billion sale of its pet insurance business to JAB Holding Co., its $4.9 billion cash and stock acquisition of NYSE-listed Allied World Assurance Company, its proposal to acquire and subsequent investments in BlackBerry Limited, its acquisition of pet insurance provider Hartville Group, Inc. and various other investments.
Pro bono
Sean has been co-chair of Shearman’s Pro Bono Committee since 2023.
Published Work
- Author, “Changes coming for the U.K. Takeover Code,” The M&A Lawyer, April 2011, Volume 15, Issue 4
- Author (with Laurence Levy), “Beating the odds: Xchanging’s successful takeover of Cambridge Solutions was complicated by the interplay between Indian takeover laws and UK market practice,” India Business Law Journal, June 2009
Awards
- Top 40 to watch in the Next Generation of M&A dealmakers, Mergermarket, 2009
Qualifications
Admissions
New York, 2004
England & Wales, 2009
England & Wales, 2009
Academic
B.Sc. (with great distinction), Biochemistry, McGill University, 1999
LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, 2003
M.B.A. (Dean’s Honour List), Schulich School of Business of York University, 2003
LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, 2003
M.B.A. (Dean’s Honour List), Schulich School of Business of York University, 2003
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.