MARK WALSH co-heads Sidley’s Capital Markets group in the EMEA region. He is qualified to practice New York, English and Hong Kong law. He joined the firm in New York in 1986, moved to Hong Kong in 1994 to help establish an office for the firm, and then to London, where he has been resident since 1999.
Mark advises public and private sector clients. He has worked with governments and other sovereign and quasi-sovereign clients, as well as with companies from a broad range of industries, including banking, insurance and other financial services; oil, gas and petrochemicals; pharmaceuticals and life sciences; automotive; paper and forest products; telecommunications, media and technology; real estate; and food services and distribution. Representative clients include Fortune and FTSE 100 companies and leading U.S. and European investment and other banks and providers of alternative capital.
Strong leadership in advising clients on a wide range of matters has earned Mark acknowledgement from numerous industry publications. Mark was ranked in Chambers UK 2021 and Chambers Global 2021 for Capital Markets: Debt, with sources telling the publication that he “has great relationships with his clients and is always very helpful.” In the 2020 edition, an interviewee commented that Mark is a “really personable guy who takes the time to invest in the client and is a real pleasure to work with.” Referring to the Sidley Capital Markets team in London more broadly, Chambers UK 2019 stated that “[o]n large, complex and time-constrained matters they are able to offer intelligent and truly seamless use of their lawyers across multiple jurisdictions.” He was recognized as a Foreign Expert in Chambers Global 2017 for Capital Markets: Debt & Equity, where sources noted that he is considered “very knowledgeable... where a European issuer is issuing into the US market,” has “excellent knowledge of the field, and is a great US securities all-rounder.” Both he and the group are renowned for being “outstanding on the hybrid capital side.” Mark is also “sought after for his advice on corporate and high-yield debt and corporate governance...” Mark has also been listed in Best Lawyers 2021 for Capital Markets Law and is regularly listed as a Leading Lawyer in IFLR1000.
Mark has published articles and book reviews for the International Business Lawyer, International Financial Law Review, the Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht, Legal Business, Legal Week and IR Magazine, amongst others, including a series of articles on the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Most recently, he co-authored with Sidley colleague Michael Hyatte The International Capital Markets Review, Edition 9 – United States Chapter, November 2019.