FT Names London Partner One of Europe’s Top 10 Most Innovative Legal Practitioners

Mark Austin, a partner in Latham’s London office, has been named an Innovative Practitioner at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers 2024 Awards. Austin was recognized for emerging “as a leading adviser to the UK government and City regulators on promoting London’s future as an international finance centre.”

Austin has served as an adviser to several reform-focused reviews of the UK capital markets in recent years, including by HM Treasury and the FCA, as well as being asked by the then Chancellor to conduct his own review of the UK’s secondary capital raising regime. Earlier this year, Austin was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the economy.

The awards program also commended Latham in two categories. The firm received recognition in the Private Capital category for its role advising on Permira and Blackstone’s proposed consortium buyout of online classifieds company Adevinta, a landmark private credit loan financing that marked one of the largest European buyouts announced in 2023.

Additionally, Latham earned a commendation for its pro bono work collaborating with migrant children’s charity Kind and the Italian Council for Refugees, in which Latham partnered with several firms to provide free legal assistance to more than 500 unaccompanied minors and young adults.