Neil Blundell

I am an M&A lawyer acting for technology businesses. I get involved in deals for global organisations expanding internationally or into new areas of technology, and for fast growth tech companies. I lead the Bird & Bird Japan practice, working closely with Hiro Iwamura who heads our Tokyo office.

We have a significant Japanese client base supported by our Japanese and non-Japanese lawyers all of whom have extensive experience of guiding Japanese businesses on their international transactions and regulatory and compliance needs in Europe and AsiaPac. We also work in tandem with Japanese law firms with whom we have close relations.

Due diligence and integration are key in our tech M&A deals, especially where large organisations merge with a smaller highly entrepreneurial business. The firm is one of the world's leading technology law firms and that expertise together with our one firm approach internationally means we can offer great service and consistency on cross-border deals. We use that in-depth knowledge to help our clients understand risk profiles and guide them through new areas of activity.

We use a leading AI engine for due diligence called Luminance. It allows us to look for specific risks in contracts, however many contracts there are, so we can go deeper across the whole contract dataset. This drives transaction efficiencies, allowing our lawyers to focus more on analysis. We also use automation software for document production and project management. We are always keen to work with clients on new areas of legal tech to drive efficiencies in M&A transactions.

• I lead our M&A relationship with a number of key, global clients.
• Arm, a client of the firm since 2006, is the world's leading semiconductor and software design company, and recently broke the record for the largest semiconductor IPO on NASDAQ. It ranks on Forbes' list of the world's most innovative companies with its technologies reaching over 90% of the global population. We have advised Arm on a series of acquisitions and investment deals in the UK and Europe.
• DXC Technologies is a New York listed client and the world's largest independent, end-to-end IT services and solutions company. We have advised DXC on multiple acquisitions and disposals in the UK, Europe and Asia.
• Gamma Communications plc is a leading provider of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) into the UK, Dutch, Spanish and German business markets. We have advised Gamma since its IPO in 2014 including on its multiple MA deals in the UK and its international expansion in Europe.