Neil Barlow's practice focuses on global M&A, with a particular emphasis on private equity transactions.
Neil is a partner in the firm's Global Private Equity Group and regularly advises private equity sponsors and strategic investors on a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including acquisitions, investments, disposals, joint ventures, carve-outs, capital raises and takeovers.
Neil has significant experience advising on transatlantic M&A across a wide range of sectors, including sports, media and entertainment; financial and professional services; insurance; technology; healthcare and life sciences; aviation and defense; consumer; industrials; transportation and logistics; and infrastructure.
Neil has spent time on secondment with CVC Capital Partners and with 3i.
Neil is ranked by Chambers and Partners for Private Equity Buyouts and recognized by Legal 500 and IFLR1000 for his work on high-value private equity and M&A transactions. He was also named a Rising Star by Law360 and included in The Lawyer Hot 100.
- CVC and Cinven on the sale of NewDay's portfolio of consumer credit receivables to private credit funds and accounts managed by KKR
- Sixth Street and Bay Collective on the acquisition of Sunderland AFC Women's football club
- Sela on its launch of a boxing promotion platform with HE Turki Alalshikh and TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO)
- KKR on its purchase of a significant interest in Harley-Davidson Financial Services
- KKR on its strategic partnership with Carlyle to acquire an approximately US$10.1 billion portfolio of prime student loans from Discover Financial Services
- BlackRock, in collaboration with Influence Media Partners, on its agreement to acquire assets of Anthem Entertainment's music publishing catalogs and related assets for over US$600 million
- BlackRock on its strategic partnership with Uniswap to make its BUIDL fund tradable on UniswapX, alongside a strategic investment in UNI—signaling a major institutional move into DeFi
- BlackRock on its launch of Easttree Media, an investment platform established to acquire income rights in iconic films and television shows
- BlackRock on its significant investment into CoreWeave, an AI hyperscaler
- BlackRock on its strategic investment in Montage International, a premier hospitality management company to facilitate the global expansion and strategic growth across its luxury portfolio
- AA plc (the UK’s leading roadside assistance provider), and its owner Acromas Holdings (backed by Charterhouse, CVC Capital Partners and Permira), on its IPO on the London Stock Exchange
- Alter Domus on its acquisition of IPS Fund Services
- Alter Domus on its acquisition of Credit-Vision Limited
- Alter Domus on its strategic partnership with Permira
- Alter Domus on its strategic expansion into the United States
- Apax and Permira on the sale of New Look to Brait
- Ardian on its US$525 million acquisition by its investee company, the Dedalus Group, of DXC Technology's (NYSE: DXC) healthcare software provider business
- Ascendant Group on its sale to Canadian power and utilities investor Algonquin
- Blackstone on its acquisition of Clarion Events, one of the world’s leading independent events organizers, from Providence Equity Partners
- Blackstone on its merger of Clarion Events with Global Sources, an exhibition and online B2B marketplace operator based in Hong Kong
- Blackstone on its acquisition of a majority stake in temporary workspace business The Office Group
- CDPQ on its acquisition of a minority stake in asset manager SURA Asset Management
- Corinthian Capital on its sale of Eastern Wholesale Fence Company to Center Rock Capital Partners and Leelanau Private Capital
- CVC Capital Partners and Cinven on their acquisition of consumer credit provider NewDay from Varde Partners
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of a significant stake in RAC
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of warranty services provider Domestic & General from Advent
- CVC Capital Partners on its sale of online service payment provider Skrill to Optimal Payments
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of a significant minority stake in anti-virus software company Avast
- CVC Capital Partners on its acquisition of a significant minority stake in Moove, a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialty lubricants for the transportation industry
- Electra Private Equity on its sale of Elian fiduciary services to Intertrust B.V.
- EQT on its acquisition of global distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients Azelis
- Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, through its portfolio company Brit, on their joint investment alongside Blackstone Tactical Opportunities into Ki, the first fully digital and algorithmically-driven Lloyd’s syndicate
- FIS, the Fortune 500 fintech company, on its acquisition of a majority stake in Virtus Partners
- Macquarie on its acquisition of the Briceño-Tunja-Sogamoso (BTS) toll road concession in Colombia
- Martello Re, the Bermuda-based Class E life and annuity reinsurer, on its US$1.3 billion capital raise
- MIRA, ACP and VER on their acquisition of a 100% interest in the Elenia group from 3i Infrastructure
- National Storage Affiliates Trust (NYSE: NSA), a Maryland real estate investment trust, on its acquisition of SecurCare Self Storage, Inc.
- OpCapita on its acquisition of US fast fashion retailer, Maurices
- Permira on its sale of Alter Domus, the global fund administration business, to Cinven for US$5.3 billion
- Permira on its acquisition of Cisco’s video software and processing business
- Permira on its sale of Iglo to Nomad Foods for €2.6 billion
- Permira on its acquisition of Pantheon Healthcare
- Platinum Equity on its acquisition of CBS Corporation’s European outdoor advertising business
- Premia Holdings Ltd on its acquisition of Navigators Holdings (Europe) NV (and its associated companies, including Assurances Continentales – Continentale Verzekeringen NV of Belgium and Canal Re S.A. of Luxemburg) from The Hartford
- Quad Gas Consortium (comprised of MIRA, ACP, CIC, Hermes, QIA and Amber) on its acquisition of 61% of National Grid’s gas distribution network
- SAZKA Group, one of the largest lottery groups in Europe, on its issuance of €500 million convertible preference shares to Apollo Global Management
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on its acquisition of York Risk Services Group
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on its acquisition of Stericycle's Expert Solutions service line
- Sedgwick, a Carlyle portfolio company, on the sale of its group health peer review and independent medical examination assets to ExamWorks, LLC
- Sixth Street on its acquisition of a significant interest in FC Barcelona's La Liga media rights
- Launch of the Soccer Champions Tour, a series of matches featuring six of the world's most prestigious football clubs and played across the United States and backed by global investment firm, Sixth Street
- Watford Holdings on its approximately US$700 million acquisition by Bermuda-based insurance, reinsurance and mortgage insurance company Arch Capital Group Ltd.
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of the Infinis Land Fill Gas business from Terra Firma
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of Wireless Infrastructure Group
- 3i Infrastructure on its acquisition of a significant stake in each of Oiltanking Ghent and Oiltanking Terneuzen
- 3i Infrastructure and AMP Capital in connection with its acquisition of ESVAGT, an emergency rescue and response vessels provider to offshore oil and gas
News and client work
Contact details
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Clifford Chance, London
Clifford Chance, New York - Email me
- Practice area M&A corporate
- Sector Private equity
Career & qualifications
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Georgetown University (SFS)
- University of Sussex (LLB)
- University of Law (LPC)
- Admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales
- Admitted as an Attorney-at-Law in New York
Awards and citations
- Ranked by Chambers and Partners – Private Equity Buyouts (2026)
- Recommended by Legal 500 – Private Equity (2026)
- Named Bloomberg 2026 40 Under 40 (2026)
- Recognized in The Lawyer Hot 100 (2026)
- Named a Rising Star by Law360 (2025)
- Highly Regarded by IFLR1000 – M&A and Private Equity (2025)