We advise financial sponsors, investors, financiers, portfolio companies and management teams on international transactions. Our team supports the full spectrum of strategies, including private equity, infrastructure, private credit and venture capital, working on matters that range from mid-market deals to those involving the very largest targets and funds.
Our clients include private equity firms, asset managers, portfolio companies, and infrastructure, real estate, sovereign wealth and pension funds.
We regularly act on deals at all stages of the investment life cycle – from initial investment to exit – and at all levels of the capital structure, including both equity and debt finance. Our work covers a broad range transactions including acquisitions and disposals through bilateral and auction sales, primary investments (including both common and preferred equity), bolt-on and tuck-in acquisitions and carve-outs. We have particular experience in minority investments and transactions involving targets involved in financial services and other regulated sectors, and are experts in public to private transactions, where our understanding of the dynamics of boards, regulators and other key stakeholders is outstanding.
We are known for our technical excellence, our commercial pragmatism and attentive, client-focused service. We set ourselves apart by focussing on client relationships rather than on particular practice areas. This enables us to deploy smaller, but more versatile, teams, offer intensive partner engagement and deliver a seamless service that is carefully tailored to the needs of our clients and particular transactions.
Our private equity team comprises specialists from across the business, including Financing, Tax and Employment and Incentives. Together, we provide seamless advice that is clear, confident and commercial, but also advice that guides and leads clients towards a recommended solution.
We have one of the strongest corporate practices in the world and are one of the top M&A law firms. This market-leading position gives us an unmatched insight into the sectors and businesses you might be considering investing in, as well as the challenges and opportunities within them.
Our international strategy means that we are able to act with clients' preferred firms across all jurisdictions. We frequently act as deal counsel on international transactions – even where they may not have a direct connection with the UK or with English law – seeking and co-ordinating advice from local experts as required.
Communication and efficiency is key to the success of a private equity transaction. Whilst our approach is flexible, we will always be partner-led, with our personal relationships and emphasis on bringing genuine value to transactions at the core of how we work with clients.
Key experience
Fortress Investment Group, LLC
We advised Fortress Investment Group, LLC on its £9.9bn recommended cash offer for Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC.
Blackstone
We advised Blackstone on a series of investments, including its investment in, and subsequent disposal of Beauparc; its investment in Ki (the first fully digital and algorithmically-driven Lloyd’s syndicate) alongside Fairfax; and its minority investments in HH Global, Beauparc, and Prima Assicurazione.
Palamon Capital Partners
We advised Palamon Capital Partners on a number of acquisitions and disposals, including its acquisitions of majority stakes in Simplify, Thomas International, IDH Group, and Happy Socks, and its disposals of Feelunique, SARquavitae, Towry and Cambridge Education Group.
Pollen Street Capital
We advised Pollen Street Capital on a number of investments and transactions, including, as joint offeror with DBAY, on its offer for Proactis Holdings.
Our offering brings together top-tier experts from across the firm who provide sharp, commercially-focused advice and negotiate hard to secure the best terms for our clients. We follow our clients wherever they want to do business, drawing on in-depth local expertise to complement our international experience and provide seamless, tailored advice to each client, from newly-established funds to global pioneers.