Partner
Corporate
“Ben Higson brings valuable experience within the nooks and crannies of foreign/cross-border M&A transactions and seamlessly merges overall advice with fine attention to detail. He is able to reply quickly and pragmatically to any kind of issue or problem.” [Legal 500 UK, 2021]
Legal 500 UK, 2026
Ben is Head of the London Transactions practice and a partner in our Corporate team. He advises on a wide range of domestic and international mergers and acquisitions (public and private), financial investor investments and exits, joint ventures, strategic alliances, projects and complex commercial contracts. His work involves many industry sectors but he has a particular focus on energy, infrastructure, natural resources and diversified industrials. In recent years, Ben’s practice has also included a significant amount of Japan outbound investment work.
Ben is rated as an Acritas Star (since 2020) and has been highly rated for high value M&A by Legal 500, was identified as one of the “corporate rising stars” of the London market by Legal Business magazine in November 2013 and featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 for 2011.
Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation plc on its $735 million acquisition of Bahia Minerals (Brazil) and related transactions
ExxonMobil on its $1.75 billion disposal of the North Sea assets of Mobil North Sea and other (confidential) projects
Stellwagen, a Dublin-based leader in global aviation asset management and financial and technology solutions, on its sale to Acasta Enterprises (Canada) as part of a cash and stock deal worth more than $900 million
Lone Star Funds in its acquisition of Carlisle Fluid Technologies from Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE: CSL)
Asahi on its £250 million acquisition of Fuller, Smith & Turner plc’s entire beer and cider business
Citi Infrastructure Investors on its $1.5 billion acquisition of 75% of D.P. World’s Australian port terminals business and the related joint venture arrangements
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners on joint venture arrangements with Abertis and OHL relating to Arteris SA (Brazil), for an amount in excess of €1 billion, and the follow on take private offer
Urals Energy PCL on its $600 million acquisition of an upstream oil and gas interest in East Siberia
Autogrill S.p.A. on its £545 million purchase of World Duty Free Europe from BAA
Bureau Veritas on its £450 million acquisition of the Inspectorate group
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation on its disposal of NedCar (the largest car plant in Holland) and its European network development
Fressnapf on its acquisition of the Italian Arcaplanet group from Permira
Citi Infrastructure Investors and InfraCapital on the reorganisation and sale of their interests in Yorkshire Water (the Kelda group)
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on each of its recent global joint ventures, namely with Siemens (in metals machinery manufacturing technology), Hitachi (in thermal power) and Vestas (in offshore wind turbines)
VTB Bank on its interests in Pulkovo Airport (St Petersburg) and the restructuring of those interests as part of the underlying joint venture arrangements
Primetals Technologies and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on their acquisition of ABP Induction Systems
An oil major on the potential acquisition from another oil major of its downstream businesses in Botswana and Namibia
Chiyoda Corporation on its acquisition of a controlling stake in Xodus group, a global oilfield services group, and related matters
Kuwait Petroleum on its acquisition of the entire downstream business of Shell in Italy
Schlumberger on its oilfield services joint venture interests in Libya and Tunisia
Renault on the restructuring of its dealer and customer financing joint venture with RBS
Education
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Client Alerts
Practice Leader Insights from Vinson & Elkins’ Ben Higson
In this Law360 U.K. Expert Analysis series, practice group leaders share thoughts on keeping the pulse on legal trends, tackling difficult cases and what it takes to make a mark in their area.
August 6, 2025 • Published by Law360
August 6, 2025 • 1-minute read
Client Alerts
Europe Energy and Infrastructure M&A: Risks and Opportunities in 2025
Although 2024 marked another challenging year for M&A globally, the European energy and infrastructure market showed signs of resilience in …
February 12, 2025 • Published by IFLR
February 12, 2025 • 1-minute read
Client Alerts
European Renewable Energy M&A Expected To See Uptick
As energy transition investment picks up pace and inflationary pressures subside, the European renewable energy sector could see more high-value M&A transactions.
September 26, 2024 • Published by IFLR
September 26, 2024 • 1-minute read
Client Alerts
In a landmark judgment handed down on 20 June 2024, R (Finch) v Surrey County Council and others [2024] UKSC 20, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has ruled that “Scope 3” greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from the eventual use of hydrocarbons produced from a proposed oil development should have been assessed in an environmental impact assessment (EIA) process carried out by a local authority.
June 24, 2024 • V&E Energy Update
June 24, 2024 • 5-minute read
Client Alerts
Europe Energy and Infrastructure M&A: Risks and Opportunities in 2024
Rising interest rates and stubbornly high inflation contributed to a subdued deals market in 2023. There was, however, no shortage …
February 14, 2024 • Published by IFLR
February 14, 2024 • 1-minute read
Deals & Cases
Vinson & Elkins Advises SOCAR on $1 Billion Apollo Funds Investment in TANAP Stake
Vinson & Elkins advised the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic and SOCAR Turkey Enerji A.Ş. on the issuance …
June 11, 2026
June 11, 2026 • 1-minute read
Awards & Rankings
The Legal 500 UK ranks Vinson & Elkins in five categories. In total, 15 attorneys were ranked, some in more than one practice area.
October 3, 2025
October 3, 2025 • 1-minute read
Deals & Cases
Apollo Funds to Acquire OEG, a Leading Provider of Core Services to the Offshore Energy Industry
Vinson & Elkins advised funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management in their agreement to acquire a majority stake in OEG Energy Group.
March 19, 2025
March 19, 2025 • 1-minute read
Deals & Cases
SCF Partners Acquires DeltaValve & TapcoEnpro
Vinson & Elkins advised SCF Partners, Inc. in connection with the acquisition of the refinery valves business of CIRCOR International, Inc.
September 4, 2024
September 4, 2024 • 1-minute read
Awards & Rankings
IFLR1000 2023 Recognizes Vinson & Elkins as a Leading Law Firm in its USA and UK Guides
IFLR1000 ranks Vinson & Elkins in 16 practice categories and names 44 of the firm’s attorneys in its 2023 guides.
July 14, 2023
July 14, 2023 • 1-minute read
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