Advising Mitel on its transaction to acquire Unify from Atos

We have advised Mitel, a global leader in business communications, on its transaction to acquire Unify, the Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) and Communication and Collaboration Services businesses (CCS) of the Atos group. 

The transaction strengthens Mitel’s position in multiple geographies and segments, while reinforcing the company’s commitment to delivering choice and flexibility for business communications customers and establishing a deep bench of talent to accelerate innovation in the Unified Communications (UC) space.

Together, Mitel and Unify will have the operational scale, portfolio, geographic reach, go-to-market resources, and financial profile to modernise the UC experience for customers faster and more effectively than either company could do alone. 

With a collective customer base of more than 75 million users in over 100 countries and a channel community of more than 5,500 global partners, Mitel and Unify become a prominent UC leader, securing a number two position in global UC market share and increase regional leadership in the Americas and Europe.

Channel partners will also have a broader portfolio of products and services with which to ensure customers have the flexibility to choose the communications model they prefer, as well as more global resources to support the overall partner experience.

The scale and new structure of the business had a significant impact on the overall delivery of this deal, requiring specialist cross border legal advice from a multi-jurisdictional legal team to ensure its success.

Mark Barron, corporate partner at Taylor Wessing said: "This acquisition is transformational for Mitel and one of the most complex the telecommunications industry has seen. Industry analysts predict many companies will continue to choose the unified communications deployment model for the foreseeable future. Mitel has been a long-standing client of Taylor Wessing with a strategic focus to continue to grow its UCC footprint and we are excited to partner with them on that journey."

Mitel executive vice president and general counsel, Greg Hiscock, said: “The UC industry today holds significant opportunities to grow through M&A, aligning well with Mitel’s strategy and expertise. It was important to get the structural and operational governance considerations for our combined businesses right in order to support the various investment and equity splitouts of specific areas of the company. Having worked with Taylor Wessing before, we knew the firm's international capabilities and notable M&A expertise would be invaluable, and they have really excelled in helping us navigate the multi-jurisdictional complexities of this deal. The support and seamless collaboration across the firm's international team, as well as the expertise and understanding of our business always impresses. We look forward to continuing to work with them in the future."

The multi-jurisdictional team from Taylor Wessing's corporate group was led by partner Mark Barron and senior counsel Elinor Picton in the UK, partner Dr Christian Traichel in Germany, and partner Gilles Amsallem in France. Support was also provided by salary partner Dr Rebekka Krause and associate Dr. Christian Dietz in Germany, counsel Dalila Mabrouki in France and associate Phoebe Sennett based in the UK. 

Further support was provided by:

Banking and Finance
Partner Gabriel Estevez.

Disputes and Investigations
Senior associate Nick Maday.

Employment, Pensions and Mobility
Partners Paul Callaghan and Mark Smith, senior counsel Joe Aiston, senior associates Georgina Wardrop and Afshan Mallik, associates Oscar Hodgson and  Akash Jamang in the UK and partner Marc André Gimmy and senior associate Dr Klara Pototzky in Germany.

Financial Services and Competition
Partner Paolo Palmigiano and senior associate Elisabetta Rotondo.

Commercial Technology and Data
Partner Christopher Jefferey, consultant Angus Finnegan and senior associate Laura Mackie.

Corporate Technology and Life Sciences
Partner Siobhán Langwade and associate Bhavna Pattanaik. 

Patents
Partner Adrian Toutoungi and senior associate Charlie Adams.

Paralegal Operations
Paralegal Savannah Swale.

Real Estate
Partner Emma Oakley and senior associate Rhys Bufton.

Tax and Incentives
Partner Graham Samuel-Gibbon and associate Joe Fallon in the UK and partner Dr Bert Kimpel in Germany.