Allen & Overy (A&O) corporate partner Andrew Ballheimer is most famous for advising US sports tycoon Malcolm Glazer on his bid for Manchester United FC, which finally closed on 15 May last year. But A&O’s decision to accept Glazer’s instruction turned into a nightmare for Ballheimer, his team and the firm.

Once the deal really got going, the magic circle firm was forced to seal its London office entrances after being deluged with abusive phonecalls and emails from disgruntled supporters.

However, thanks to his key role on the Man Utd deal - one of the most controversial takeovers ever witnessed in the City - Ballheimer landed the mandate to advise Och-Ziff and Perry Capital on the landmark management buyout (MBO) of discount retailer Peacocks in the first leveraged buyout (LBO) by hedge funds. Och-Ziff and Perry Capital were the US hedge funds that helped finance Glazer’s ultimately successful bid for Man Utd. Ballheimer is also believed to have a personal contact at Och-Ziff. The £410m Peacock MBO is significant, as it highlighted a genuine threat to the private equity market.

Ballheimer’s success in 2005 was confirmed in the middle of the year, after A&O appointed him as corporate managing partner for operations.