The London offices of O'Melveny & Myers and Goodwin have taken the key roles on a $1bn private equity funds deal that saw former partners from legacy law firm SJ Berwin come together again.

Bahrain asset manager Investcorp, advised by Goodwin private equity funds partner and former SJ Berwin partner Michael Halford (pictured), has transferred a handful of its assets into a new $1bn fund, which is backed by UK private equity secondaries firm Coller Capital. Private equity partner Richard Lever, another ex-SJ Berwin partner, also advised.

O'Melveny London funds partner John Daghlian, another former SJ Berwin partner, led the team acting for long-term client Coller. He was supported by funds partner Aleksander Bakic, tax partner Jan Birtwell and Christian Riis-Madsen, managing partner of O'Melveny's Brussels office.

Daghlian was one of the first generation of private equity partners to move to a US firm, joining O'Melveny's London office in 2004.

Legacy firm SJ Berwin had a highly regarded private equity funds practice prior to its merger with Asia-Pacific firm King & Wood Mallesons in 2013, but the UK arm collapsed four years later.

Lever joined Goodwin in 2015 and Halford made the same move the following year.

US firms now dominate the rankings for leading private equity funds lawyers in the UK, holding about two thirds of the top positions in legal directories.