On qualifying he joined Freshfields company/commercial department where he gained experience in general company law acting particularly for major American corporates.

He subsequently joined Clifford Chance and then in 1974 joined CMS Cameron Mckenna Nabarro Olswang LLP where he specialised in M&A and partnership law particularly inter partner disputes. He became a partner in 1976 and lead the firm’s M&A department in the 1980’s when he also set up the firm’s Japanese desk leading subsequently to the firm setting up an office in Tokyo. He also initiated the firm’s due diligence department probably the first discrete such department in the UK.

Moving to central Europe in 1990 he set up offices for the firm in Budapest, Prague, Moscow, Warsaw and Bucharest between 1990 and 2000. Leaving CMS in 2001 he managed the central European offices of German law firm Haarmann Hemelrath. He moved back to Warsaw in 2009 to manage the office there of Windmill Gasiewski and Roman.

He has now permanently moved back to the UK where he works on a freelance basis. His M&A practice over the years has involved him exclusively in the sale and purchase of companies and businesses outside the public sector. In other words all transactions in which he has been involved were done by direct negotiation. Many of these were cross border deals where he managed teams of foreign lawyers often in several countries at a time.

His client base over the years has been varied including large multinationals (mainly American and Japanese), UK SME’s and sole proprietors.

Robert Windmill