Profile details
About Timothy Wilkins
Tim is the firm's Global Partner for Client Sustainability and a corporate and M&A partner based in New York.
Tim joined Freshfields in 1999 and has been a partner since 2002. He has advised on a wide range of sustainability issues as well as a series of high-profile cross-border M&A, private equity and joint ventures.
Tim leads Freshfields' global sustainability team which comprises leaders from the firm's transactional, regulatory and dispute resolution practices, to advise clients on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. He also leads the firm in its partnership with clients, public policy makers and regulators in their joint effort to tackle the broader range of ESG issues impacting business and society.
He is the Chair of the Board of New York Public Radio. He previously served on the Board of the New York City Economic Development Corporation as Chair of the Governance Committee, appointed by the Mayor of New York City; and served on the Board of the New York Public Theater, as Co-Chair of the Governance Committee. Tim formerly served as the Vice-Chair of the Legal Services Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, where he worked as an investment banker and lawyer for 11 years.
Tim speaks English and Japanese.
Recent work
- Advising Hewlett-Packard Company on multiple engagements, including its global business separation, creating two separate publicly traded companies with revenues in excess of $50bn – the largest technology enterprise split in history.
- Advising Zhongwang USA on its $2.33bn acquisition of Aleris Corporation from a consortium of shareholders.
- Advising Duran Group, a portfolio company of firm client One Equity Partners, on its $131m acquisition of Kimble Chase Life Sciences & Research Products, LLC, a producer of scientific and laboratory glassware, from Gerresheimer and Chase Scientific Glass, Inc.
- Advising Zhejiang Geely on its purchase of Volvo Car Corporation for $1.8bn.
- Advising on the sale of Solvay Pharmaceuticals to Abbott Laboratories for $7bn.
- Advising Global Alliance on Health and Pollution on establishing as a foundation in Switzerland.
Qualifications
Education
- JD, Harvard Law School.
- MBA, Harvard Business School.
- AB, magna cum laude, Harvard College.
Professional
- Admitted to practice in the State of New York.
- Adjunct professor on Sustainability at Georgetown Law School
- Adjunct professor of International Law and International Negotiations at Hunter College.
- Recently lectured at the Japan Society, Harvard, Yale and the University of Chicago on M&A and international law topics.
Service
- Appointed by the Mayor of the City of New York to serve on the boards of the NYC Economic Development Corporation (executive committee) and NYC Global Partners (president of the board) to further economic growth across all five boroughs and develop partnerships for the mayor’s local-to-global equity agenda. Serves as Chair of Governance Committee of NYEDC.
- Board member of the New York Public Theater.
- Vice-Chair of the Board of the New York Public Radio.
- Pioneered the firm’s Legal Outreach Program for New York City high school students.
Awards / Recognitions
- 2020 Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives, Highest ranked lawyer at #16, as listed by EMpower and Yahoo! Finance.
- 2017 Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executives, Highest-ranked lawyer at #11, as listed by EMpower and Yahoo! Finance.
- 100 Leading Ethnic Minority Executives 2016 – Highest-ranked lawyer at #16, as listed in the Financial Times.
- Minority Lawyer of the Year 2016, Chambers Diversity Awards, USA 2016.
- CUP Catalyst: Change Agent 2014, The Council of Urban Professionals.
- Atlas 2010 M&A Deal of the Year for Geely’s acquisition of Volvo Car Corporation.
- Ford Foundation Fellowship in Public International Law.
Press mentions