Bio

Adam Charles is a member of Herbert Smith Freehills’ mergers and acquisitions team. Adam specialises in advising on hostile and recommended takeovers, private M&A, demergers, distressed M&A and joint ventures. Adam advises on transactions across a range of industries. He has particular expertise in acting for financial investors (both sponsors and institutional investors) on private equity and infrastructure transactions. Adam has extensive experience in advising corporations and directors on a range of urgent and critical matters, including investigations by Australian and foreign regulators, directors’ duties and board issues, contentious general meetings and proxy contests. He has worked in Herbert Smith Freehills’ London, Melbourne and Perth offices. Adam is a ‘global’ corporate lawyer, with significant experience advising on Australian, Asian, US and European transactions. Clients have described Adam as “first class”, having a “solutions orientated approach” and “going above and beyond”. Adam has advised on a number of Takeovers Panel proceedings including Mount Gibson’s successful application showing certain of its shareholders had formed an impermissible association in breach of Australian takeovers law. Adam is also deeply experienced in shareholder activism and has published on this subject. Notable shareholder activism scenarios on which Adam has advised include Glaucus Research’s attack on Blue Sky and Elliot Associates’ attack on Samsung C&T in connection with its US$8 billion merger with Cheil Industries.