Private equity

One of the largest dedicated private equity practices in the mid-market in London, our team comprises of a top private equity transactional practice which is frequently ranked in the top tiers of the legal directories as well as a thriving private equity funds and secondaries practice. This combination of skills is unique in the market and means that we can offer unparalleled technical and transactional advice to private equity houses, management teams and investee companies.
  • Profile
  • Experience
  • Key contacts

Our private equity team is a multi-disciplinary group led by five partners and supported by 15 associates. This gives us significant depth of resource and a considerable pool of market information on recent trends which we can draw upon to pre-empt the issues that are likely to arise when dealing with private equity transactions.

We can assist you on buyouts, growth and venture capital investments, management advisory roles, bolt-on acquisitions, secondaries and fund formation.
We advise clients worldwide, including:

  • private equity houses
  • growth and venture capital investors
  • management teams
  • portfolio companies
  • entrepreneurs seeking funding
  • business angels
  • high net worth individuals
  • small independent fund managers
  • debt providers
  • pension trustees

We can help you with:

  • MBOs, MBIs, BIMBOs and LBOs
  • start-up, early-stage and growth capital investments
  • public-to-privates
  • exits by trade sale, secondary buy-out and IPO
  • management incentives
  • debt and mezzanine finance
  • establishment of private equity funds and fundraising
  • PIPE transactions

In addition, we have 11 dedicated funds partners internationally, eight of those in London.  All of our funds lawyers are very familiar with private equity fund raisings and we are able to draw on this huge resource, as necessary, to ensure we provide full service project teams.

As well as the core private equity group, we can draw upon specialist lawyers to provide transactional support, covering commercial contracts, competition, IT, IP, banking, tax, employment and pensions, real estate and regulatory matters. 

"the consistency and quality of advice has never varied and remains just excellent" 
The Legal 500 UK 2020

Bowmark Capital

We regularly advise Bowmark Capital on its investments including on its public-to-private takeover of AIM-listed Tax Systems plc (the acquisition valued the entire issued share capital of Tax Systems at approximately £114 million on a fully diluted basis) and on the sale of portfolio company, Aston Lark to Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division. Most recently we advised Bowmark Capital on its significant minority investment in Focus 4 U Ltd, which provides integrated technology solutions to more than 15,000 businesses.

Elysian Capital 

We have advised Elysian Capital on several transactions over many years including the management buy-outs of The Landscape Group, Wellbeing Software, Raymond Brown and the secondary buy-outs of Key Travel from Livingbridge and Aspirations Care from August Equity, as well as Elysian Capital’s investment in BXT Accelyon.  We have recently acted for Elysian Capital on the successful sale of Wellbeing Software to The Citadel Group (an ASX listed company). 

BlueGem Capital Partners 

We advised BlueGem Capital Partners, a mid-market buyout private equity firm focused on Western Europe, on a liquidity offering made to all investors in its 2007 vintage private equity fund, involving transfer of its four portfolio companies being transferred to a new fund managed by BlueGem. The new fund was funded by Glendower Capital, a spin-out of Deutsche Bank's secondaries private equity business.

Kellas Midstream

We advised the management team of Kellas Midstream in connection with its sale by Antin Infrastructure Partners to BlackRock and GIC. Kellas Midstream transports gas from the central and southern North Sea areas to the UK.

MBI backed by Baird Capital

We advised a former team from a FTSE plc on the simultaneous acquisitions of two leading tech businesses – Intevi and Karlson – to create a new brand to reimagine future workspaces, Aura, in a management buy-in deal backed by Baird Capital.

Inspired Education Group

We advised Inspired Education Group and the management team in connection the investment in the Group by Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. Inspired is a leading group of premium schools in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific, along with existing shareholders TA Associates. The deal value was in excess of Euro 250m. We have subsequently advised Inspired Education on the acquisition of the St Peter’s International School in Portugal and on the acquisition of the American Institute of Monterrey, Mexico.  

Mobeus Equity Partners

We advised Mobeus Equity Partners on a £4m investment round led by Mobeus for IPV, the media asset management software provider that helps leading brands intelligently create, search and automate video content.

Rockpool Investments

We have advised Rockpool Investments on several transactions including its investment in Interact Training Group and most recently advising Interact on its acquisition of Apex Training & Development as part of the business’s plan to build a UK-based technology training group.

Lawyer

Clotilde Billat Partner

T:  +33 (1) 44 15 80 71
M:  +33 (6) 30 01 55 22 Email Clotilde | Vcard Office:  Paris

Lawyer

Gabriel Boghossian Partner and head of our secondaries practice

T:  +44 20 7809 2762
M:  Email Gabriel | Vcard Office:  London

Lawyer

Guillaume Briant Partner

T:  +33 1 44 15 80 07
M:  Email Guillaume | Vcard Office:  Paris

Lawyer

Richard Coleman Partner

T:  +44 20 7809 2605
M:  Email Richard | Vcard Office:  London

Lawyer

Adam Crossley Partner

T:  +44 20 7809 2603
M:  +44 758 705 1543 Email Adam | Vcard Office:  London

Lawyer

Sarah de Ste Croix Partner

T:  +44 20 7809 2561
M:  +44 7901 216 154 Email Sarah | Vcard Office:  London

Lawyer

Malcolm MacDougall Partner

T:  +44 20 7809 2625
M:  Email Malcolm | Vcard Office:  London

Lawyer

Jonathan Pittal Partner

T:  +44 20 7809 2768
M:  Email Jonathan | Vcard Office:  London

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