Skadden has added Sam Blake as a partner in its financial sponsor practice in London, strengthening the law firm’s capabilities across infrastructure and infrastructure-related private equity transactions.
Blake brings more than 20 years of experience spanning private practice and senior investor-side roles.
His practice focuses on complex transactions across the UK and Europe, with particular experience across energy transition, digital infrastructure, transportation and regulated assets.
Most recently, Blake spent eight years at Antin Infrastructure Partners, where he was a partner and worked directly with investment teams throughout the transaction lifecycle.
His responsibilities at Antin covered the legal aspects of transactions from origination and execution through portfolio ownership and exit.
During his tenure there, Blake worked on investments and disposals across digital infrastructure, transportation, energy and social infrastructure.
The experience gives him a perspective that combines private-practice transaction execution with an understanding of how infrastructure investors assess opportunities, structure deals, navigate regulatory requirements and manage stakeholder considerations.
Before joining Antin, Blake spent more than a decade in private practice advising financial sponsors and other clients on domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions.
At Skadden, he will work with the firm’s financial sponsor and broader transactional practices as infrastructure becomes a larger component of global private capital and M&A activity.
Blake holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in modern history from New College, Oxford, and is a solicitor of the courts of England and Wales.
KEY QUOTES:
“We’re delighted to welcome Sam to the Skadden team. He has considerable experience in infrastructure transactions across the region, a sector that is key to our clients. Sam’s arrival reflects our focused strategy of investing in areas where we see significant opportunities for our clients and continuing to strengthen our transactional platform in Europe. Infrastructure is an increasingly important part of the global M&A landscape, and Sam’s experience further enhances our ability to advise clients on their most complex transactions in the U.K. and across Europe.”
Lorenzo Corte, Global Head of Skadden’s Transactions Practices
“Sam is an important addition to our financial sponsor team in London. He is an experienced deal lawyer who has spent the past eight years sitting on the other side of the table, working closely with investment teams on infrastructure and infrastructure-adjacent transactions. That gives him a clear understanding of how sponsors approach these investments, from deal structuring through to regulatory and stakeholder considerations, and what they expect from their advisers. He complements the experience we already have across the team and will be an important part of our work with sponsors in London and internationally.”
Richard Youle, Head of Skadden’s London Office and Co-Head of the Private Equity Group
“Having worked closely with investment teams, I have seen firsthand what sponsors need from their advisers when executing complex infrastructure transactions, where the intersection of regulatory frameworks, long-dated capital and multiple stakeholders creates distinct challenges to navigate. I am looking forward to bringing that perspective back into private practice and working with colleagues across Skadden’s transactional practices to support clients investing in the U.K., in Europe and internationally.”
Sam Blake, Partner at Skadden
