NEWS
Paul Hastings Adds Elite M&A and Sports Partner From Band 1 Practice in London
May 01, 2026
LONDON (May 1, 2026) – Paul Hastings LLP announced today that preeminent M&A partner Mark Zerdin has joined the firm in its London office.
Joining from Slaughter and May’s Chambers Band 1 practice, Zerdin’s arrival in London parallels the addition of elite partners Eric Schiele and Eduardo Gallardo in New York – all leading corporate M&A lawyers of their generation – and continues the strategic build of the firm’s premier public M&A platform. Zerdin was co-head of Slaughter’s Sports practice and brings deep experience advising sports teams and regulatory bodies, corporates, private equity firms and family offices on a wide range of transactions.
Zerdin’s arrival continues the ongoing growth of the firm’s premier global private equity and M&A platform, which has added more than 25 partners over the past two years, and deepens the firm’s transactional capabilities in the U.K. and Europe. He also adds to the strong momentum of the London office, where revenue has grown 25% year over year and 90% over the past three years.
“Mark’s arrival is a significant step in the strategic build of our M&A and sports offering across Europe. His experience and relationships will significantly strengthen our transactional capabilities in London beyond M&A and sports,” said firm Chair Frank Lopez. “He brings a combination of elite transactional experience and sector insight that will further position us to capture greater market share, including at the expanding intersection of sports and entertainment.”
Zerdin’s experience spans public takeovers, private acquisitions and disposals, private equity investment and joint ventures. Representative matters include advising the Football Association Premier League Limited on various high-profile and complex matters arising out of the application of the Premier League Rules; TWG Motorsports and General Motors on their successful application to compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship under the name of Cadillac Formula 1 Team; and a U.S. private equity investor on the sale of a large portfolio of care homes to a U.S.-listed REIT.
“Paul Hastings has established itself as a firm with strong momentum in M&A and private equity, underpinned by an integrated global and cross-sector approach,” said Zerdin. “I’m looking forward to contributing to the firm’s continued growth in London and more broadly, while also collaborating with colleagues across its market-leading M&A and Entertainment & Media practices.”
Paul Hastings is the No. 1 firm for global deal value growth over the past two years according to Bloomberg, with a 2025 total deal value nearly 14 times higher than the 2023 total — an increase to $275 billion from $20 billion. The firm’s average deal value climbed to $1.6 billion — more than seven times higher than 2023 ($208 million). In 2025, Paul Hastings ranked No. 13 among global firms for global M&A deals by value, jumping 59 spots from 2023, and 10 of the more than 200 deals the firm closed were valued between $5 billion and $20 billion-plus.
The practice and the firm more broadly continue to gain market share with a wide range of work for leading asset managers, including Apollo, Ares, Atlas, Blackstone, Brookfield, Carlyle, EQT, Fortress, Francisco Partners, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Great Hill, H.I.G., KKR, Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, Sixth Street Partners, Symphony Technology Group and TPG.
Zerdin is the 10th partner in a series of strategic lateral hires in London in recent months. He follows Ferish Patel (Private Equity), Jennifer Passagne (Fund Finance), Alicia Osei, Jenny Doak and Catherine Richardson (Tax), Thomas Picton (Structured Credit), Sally Evans (Antitrust), David Richardson (Investment Funds), and Stephen Diosi (Employee Benefits and Incentives).
About Paul Hastings
With widely recognized elite teams across 17 core practices, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm with a culture of excellence focused on providing intellectual capital and superior execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers and corporations. For more information, visit www.paulhastings.com.