Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom has named corporate partner Lorenzo Corte head of its global transactions group after the passing of Scott Simpson in May. 

Corte is based in Skadden’s London office, where he co-leads the firm’s London M&A group. His experience covers contested takeovers, inversions, private equity transactions, de-SPAC transactions and joint ventures, the New York firm said. 

He steps into the global role for Simpson, who passed away suddenly in May at the age of 65. Simpson was widely regarded as one of Europe’s most influential M&A lawyers, having worked on a number of the most famous contested deals of the last two decades.

Since joining the firm at the start of his legal career in 1999, Corte has worked on a number of significant deals, including Intel’s $15.3bn acquisition of Mobileye in 2017. He worked alongside Simpson in London for many years, including advising Arcelor in its $33.8bn merger with India’s Mittal Steel Company back in 2006.

Other clients for which Corte has worked on big ticket M&A deals include Silver Lake partners, Blackstone and InvestIndustrial. 

Simpson is credited with kickstarting Skadden’s success in Europe in the 90s’, having joined the firm’s budding London office for a temporary assignment in 1990 and eventually spending 32 years there. 

His status as one of the most influential lawyers in Europe was recognised by publications including the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and the American Lawyer.