Private-Equity-40-Under-40-pic-2019_616x372 The list includes (clockwise from top left) Harry Bacon, Aprajita Dhundia, Gabriel Boghossian and Tamara Young.

Seeking out the best up-and-coming private practice lawyers in the U.K. private equity industry was not an easy task. Legal Week spent months approaching many of the world's largest and most influential private equity firms to seek out recommendations before surveying a wide range of experienced partners for their views on who they rated.

Next, Legal Week approached the top U.K. and U.S. firms in the market, particularly the ones known for private equity work, to ask for their own recommendations.

Nominees were then assessed on the following criteria: quality of their client base; scale, significance and complexity of their deals; their client feedback and general market reputation; the standing of their mentor; and any other examples of career success and innovation.

The process was extremely competitive and many talented lawyers did not make the cut, not only because of the calibre of the other entrants but also because the number of lawyers that could make the list from any single firm was capped at three.

But the rigorous analysis ensured that the final list consists of the U.K.'s finest private equity legal practitioners aged under 40 as of the end of September, 2019.

 

 

Susannah Amini, Kirkland & Ellis

Susannah Amini, Kirkland & Ellis

  • Year of birth: 1985
  • Joined firm: November 2013
  • Position: Partner, since October 2016
  • Key clients: Advent International, Bain Capital Private Equity, Investindustrial, and Sun European Partners

Just three years since she was made partner at one of the world's top private equity firms, Kirkland & Ellis, Susannah Amini has worked on several major international financing mandates for the likes of Sun European Partners and Bain Capital Private Equity. She is described as the "go-to partner for many sponsor and fund clients for their global financings" and is especially proud of working on the initial public offering financing of Nets for Advent and Bain Capital in 2016 as "the deal made the front page of the Financial Times and was complex and high profile". Amini says that she'd always wanted to be a lawyer, but admits that she had "anticipated leading a more glamorous jet-set lifestyle, heading out to signing meetings in Paris and New York, but so far the furthest I've been is the Hilton in Bath". Outside of work, Amini enjoys watching football matches – "I'm a season ticket holder at West Ham so I tend to spend my weekends in a constant state of disappointment."

 

 

Harry Bacon, Slaughter and May

Harry Bacon, Slaughter and May

  • Year of birth: 1986
  • Joined firm: September 2009
  • Position: Partner, since May 2019
  • Key clients: Blackstone Group, InvestIndustrial, Palamon Capital Partners, Pollen Street Capital, Prudential, HM Treasury, and Venn Partners

Described by a major private equity client as "fantastic" and "a different breed of lawyer", Slaughters' Harry Bacon has had a big year: he was made a partner at the Magic Circle firm in May, and has recently advised Blackstone Group on its acquisition of a minority interest in Ireland's largest waste management provider, Beauparc Group. He was also praised by the client for his broad practice area. Bacon had originally wanted to be a barrister but says he "later realised that I wanted to do that as part of a team, and in the spirit of dealmaking, rather than deal breaking". He adds: "I had always thought of lawyering as more of a science than an art, and one thing I didn't expect is just how much energy you need to put into the people rather than the problem."

 

 

Peter Banks, Allen & Overy

Peter Banks, Allen & Overy

  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Joined firm: March 2007
  • Position: Partner, since May 2017
  • Key clients: Bridgepoint, Exponent Private Equity, H.I.G. Capital, 3i Group, PAI Partners, and NXMH

A&O's Banks makes Legal Week's Private Equity Rising Stars list for the second consecutive year, having been recommended by a senior partner at a rival Magic Circle firm. One of his notable deals from the past year is his leading role for Belgian family investment holding vehicle NXMH on the acquisition of Luxembourg-based bitcoin exchange company Bitstamp. Prior to that, he was a key part of a transatlantic team that advised TDR Capital on the sale of the world's largest car wash operator. He says "timetables can be challenging and demand a significant amount from you". But he adds that his pastime of sailing helps him take his mind off the day job because it requires so much concentration.

 

 

Aled Batey, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Aled Batey, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

  • Year of birth: 1985
  • Joined firm: February 2009
  • Position: Partner, since May 2019
  • Key clients: Cinven, Permira, Centerbridge, and iCON Infrastructure

Leveraged finance lawyer Batey made partner at Freshfields in May, having picked up roles on several big-ticket deals including the £1.5 billion financing for Phoenix Group on its acquisition of Standard Life's life insurance business. He cites his father, a greengrocer, as the biggest influence on his career for having "instilled in me the drive and determination that are critical to getting deals over the line and delivering the service and results that our clients rightly expect". In his spare time, Batey enjoys backpacking, having recently ticked Iran, Bhutan, Myanmar and Madagascar off his travel list. His travel experiences have seen him cross jungles in Borneo and Guyana and get frostbite climbing in the Himalayas.

 

 

Gabriel Boghossian, Stephenson Harwood

Gabriel Boghossian, Stephenson Harwood

  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Joined firm: January 2017, formerly at King & Wood Mallesons
  • Position: Partner, since 2016
  • Key clients: Rothschild (Five Arrows), Unigestion, Aberdeen Standard Investments, Northleaf Capital, and Inspired Education

Secondaries specialist Boghossian has won mandates advising a syndicate of buyers on a tender offer for Emeram's private equity fund, and acted for BlueGem Capital Partners on a liquidity offering made to all investors in a vintage private equity fund. He frequently pitches against U.S. firms to win large mandates related to fund transactions. Though his inspiration to become a lawyer stemmed from watching the trial of O.J. Simpson in 1995 and wishing to be a "sharply dressed celebrity defence attorney like Johnnie Cochran", Boghossian says his main career influences were his parents – "Armenian parenting embodies the best of Asian tiger parenting and Middle Eastern smothering love."

 

 

Mark Brewer, Taylor Wessing

Mark Brewer, Taylor Wessing

  • Year of birth: 1989
  • Joined firm: November 2018
  • Position: Senior associate, since November 2018
  • Key clients: Rutland, Caledonia, and Accel-KKR

Taylor Wessing senior associate Brewer has taken a leading role on several transactions involving large-cap private equity funds investing growth capital in the technology space. He recently advised Accel-KKR and other shareholders on the sale of web hosting company One.com to private equity giant Cinven, and Montagu Private Equity on its acquisition of European smart connectivity provider Wireless Logic from CVC's $1 billion technology growth fund. His proudest professional moment was "seeing the first trainee I supervised coming back to the team to qualify as an associate". He adds that the best thing about private equity is funds' willingness to "look at a huge variety of assets", whether they are "looking to sell a global sports business, buy a tech startup or restructure the holding of an infra asset".

 

 

Katja Butler, Skadden Katja Butler, Skadden

Katja Butler, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom

  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Joined firm: June 2017, formerly at White & Case
  • Position: Partner
  • Key clients: Hg, Castik Capital, and Montagu

Skadden's Butler recently took a role on British cafe chain Pret A Manger's headline-grabbing acquisition of rival group EAT, winning the lead mandate ahead of Magic Circle firm Freshfields, which had historically advised the company's shareholders. Having joined Skadden in 2017 alongside private equity heavyweight Richard Youle, Butler was one of the youngest partners to have been made up at her former firm White & Case, with the firm having to change its partnership rules to accommodate her election a year early. On her experiences as a private equity lawyer, Butler says: "Life in PE is 24/7 and work-life balance isn't something that is attainable in any structured way. It's a constant juggle and you have to be someone who enjoys the hustle. But it's also hugely flexible and remote working has only made that more so over the last few years."

 

 

Neil Campbell, Latham & Watkins

Neil Campbell, Latham & Watkins

  • Year of birth: 1986
  • Joined firm: February 2015
  • Position: Associate, since February 2015
  • Key clients: Onex, Platinum Equity, The Carlyle Group, Permira, EQT, Blackstone Group, and CVC Capital Partners

Campbell has been described by Latham's global head of private equity, David Walker, as "an all-rounder, with excellent legal skills, great client and project management skills, and a really nice guy". His deal sheet from the last year has seen him take a leading role on the consortium arrangements for Blackstone Group and CVC Capital Partners on Paysafe's acquisition financing of iPayment, with a transaction value of nearly £3 billion. He also led for investment management firm Onex on its $1.8 billion investment in insurer Convex back in April. While he counts private equity partners at Latham among the biggest influences on his career, he adds: "I started my career at Linklaters carrying Ian Bagshaw's bags, which was an incredible learning experience for a fresh-faced trainee!"

 

 

Alexander Chester, Clifford Chance

Alexander Chester, Clifford Chance

  • Year of birth: 1985
  • Joined firm: 2008
  • Position: Partner since 2019
  • Key clients: Arcus, DWS, Equistone, EQT, and ICG

Magic Circle funds partner Chester cites advising Equistone on raising its fourth fund last year – which closed at a hard cap of €2.8 billion – as his proudest professional moment because it was "the first fund where I had a central role negotiating with investors and closing the fund". As well as advising existing clients, Clifford Chance says he is playing a key part in helping the firm cultivate new relationships. The best parts of the job, Chester says, are solving complex problems, negotiating with investors and closing deals. He adds that the worst part is emails – "so much more can be done in person or over the phone, and it is all too easy for floods of emails to crowd out the real areas of focus".

 

 

Joseph Dennis, Herbert Smith Freehills

Joseph Dennis, Herbert Smith Freehills

  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Joined firm: October 2014
  • Position: Senior associate, since May 2016
  • Key clients: Impilo, Cabot Square Capital, Three Hills Capital Partners, and Wesfarmers

Dennis received rave reviews from clients for his work for companies including Wesfarmers, Impilo and Translinc. Described as a "self-starter", clients spoke of Dennis as being "particularly impressive" during their dealings with him. He works closely with the firm's London head of private equity, John Taylor – who Dennis counts among his key mentors – to build up HSF's private equity practice. He counts advising Wesfarmers on its acquisition of Homebase in 2016 as a deal that he is extremely proud of. "To complete due diligence on a hostile basis, make an unsolicited approach and complete the deal within a couple of months – all with the spectre of takeover approaches from Sainsbury's and Steinhoff hanging over us – was a huge achievement," he says.

 

 

Aprajita Dhundia, Kirkland & Ellis

Aprajita Dhundia, Kirkland & Ellis

  • Year of birth: 1985
  • Joined firm: March 2013
  • Position: Partner, since October 2015
  • Key clients: Apax Partners, Bain Capital Credit, Francisco Partners, GTCR, KKR Credit and Montagu Private Equity

"I'd love to see more women in the [private equity industry], says Kirkland's Dhundia, who has been responsible for bringing in several new clients to Kirkland's London private equity offering. She has picked up mandates for U.S. private equity firm Francisco Partners, which specialises in technology, and has introduced other Kirkland teams to her clients, which also include KKR Credit, Bain Capital Credit and Montagu Private Equity. Being the most senior female lawyer in the firm's London corporate practice, she has also taken on extra responsibility within the firm to support the careers of junior female associates. "While we have seen a significant increase in the last 10 years or so, it would be fantastic to have more teams and firms being led by women in the next decade," she adds.

 

 

Alex Edmondson, Macfarlanes

Alex Edmondson, Macfarlanes

  • Year of birth: 1980
  • Joined firm: August 2007
  • Position: Partner, since 2014
  • Key clients: Exponent Private Equity, Silverfleet Capital, GHO Capital, Alchemy, Hayfin

Edmondson has played a significant role in strengthening Macfarlanes' relationships with select firms including Hayfin, GHO Capital, and Exponent. His position in this list was solidified by a recommendation from an in-house counsel at a private equity client. He counts his proudest professional moment as agreeing a deal for Hayfin, which was acquiring a drilling rig, in order to meet a tight deadline "after a meeting with a small group of people in one room which lasted eight days straight (bar a few hours' sleep each night), during which we were negotiating completely bespoke documents and drafting them in the room as we went along".

 

 

Neil Evans, Mayer Brown

Neil Evans, Mayer Brown

  • Year of birth: 1980
  • Joined firm: March 2018
  • Position: Partner
  • Key clients: Equistone and Francisco Partners

Evans co-led a Mayer Brown team to advise Francisco Partners on its acquisition of software and supply chain company ByBox for about £221 million, alongside the firm's global joint head of corporate & securities Perry Yam. Since joining Mayer Brown as a partner in 2018 from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he was an associate, Evans has helped to expand the depth and reputation of Mayer Brown's U.K. private equity practice. He classes Yam and Simpson Thacher London private equity partner Adam Signy as having had a big influence on his career. He says: "Adam gave me opportunities to work with great clients early in my career and understand what is required in this job. Perry has taught me about the business of law – a topic that certainly isn't covered at law school!"

 

 

Alex Green, Macfarlanes

Alex Green, Macfarlanes

  • Year of birth: 1981
  • Joined firm: March 2006
  • Position: Partner, since 2016
  • Key clients: Alchemy Special Opportunities, Graphite Capital, Lexington Partners, and AlpInvest Partners

In the fourth month of his cancer treatment, Green experienced what would become his proudest professional moment. He received a call from one of his key mentors, Macfarlanes M&A partner Ian Martin, who informed him that he had been put forward for partnership. "It meant a lot in the midst of some quite tough treatment to feel that cancer wasn't stopping me from getting on with my career and that the firm fundamentally believed I'd get through the treatment and be able to come back to work when I was ready," he says. Green's active role in the booming secondaries market has given him an edge in the market, and is a far cry from his first job: he operated rollercoasters at Legoland before joining Macfarlanes as a trainee in 2006. He recently took a role for Lexington when French private equity firm Eurazeo moved approximately €600 million worth of interests in companies off its balance sheet into a new vehicle partly funded by Lexington.

 

 

Jan-Hendrik Horsmeier, Clifford Chance

Jan-Hendrick Horsmeier, Clifford Chance

  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Joined firm: 2007
  • Position: Partner, since 2019
  • Key clients: KKR, Carlyle, Riverstone, CVC Capital Partners

Amsterdam-based partner Horsmeier acts for several of Clifford Chance's core private equity clients, and advised KKR on its acquisition of Q-Park, a pan-European owner and operator of parking garages. He is described by clients as a "great motivator and team player". His experience on the infrastructure side of the business has helped develop the firm's relationships with financial investors, who are becoming more active in the space. Working alongside M&A partner Thijs Alexander in the firm's Netherlands office has been a big influence on his career in recent years, Horsmeier says. In his spare time, he engages with various non-profit organisations. He says: "I believe it is important that we each play our part in society and contribute the best we can."

 

 

Mike James, Cleary

Mike James, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

  • Year of birth: 1987
  • Joined firm: March 2010
  • Position: Associate, since March 2012
  • Key clients: TPG Sixth Street Partners, TPG Capital, Warburg Pincus, TPG Growth and The Rise Fund.

The longest-serving Cleary associate in London, James is part of the U.S. firm's private equity strategy planning team in London, and has led on deals for a number of its key clients. He is described as a go-to lawyer for many of the firm's leading private equity clients and has advised on several early-stage social impact investments – a fast-growing area for the practice – across Latin America and sub-continental Asia. These included The Rise Fund, which focuses on social and environmental impact and was created by Bill McGlashan, TPG Growth's founder and managing partner. He thinks the legal industry is "a little less Suits and a little more battling with computers and printers at 4am".

 

 

Delphine Jaugey, Debevoise & Plimpton

Delphine Jaugey, Debevoise & Plimpton

  • Year of birth: 1980
  • Joined firm: July 2017
  • Position: International counsel (equivalent to salaried partner), since January 2019
  • Key clients: HarbourVest Partners, Apera Asset Management, GHO Capital, Pantheon, Allianz, LGT Capital Partners, Development Partners International, Lexington, and TPG

Jaugey recently advised core client Apera on raising its first private debt investment platform, and last year took a leading role advising a consortium of leading secondaries investors led by HarbourVest in a complex fund restructuring. She has lived in a total of six different countries, and practiced in London, Luxembourg and Hong Kong. Jaugey cites meeting people in each of those places "who taught me something unique and expanded my understanding and appreciation for the complexity of the law" as the biggest influences on her career – alongside her mother. She also says that by building the necessary skills and stamina it is possible to get through the long hours on complex transactions and "start to really enjoy the personal and professional company of your colleagues and clients".

 

 

Nick Karangizi, Taylor Wessing

Nick Karangizi, Taylor Wessing

  • Year of birth: 1989 
  • Joined firm: August 2013
  • Position: Associate, since September 2015
  • Key clients: Rutland, Press Association, Caledonia, Pitch International, Bridgepoint Growth

Karangizi is described as being a key component of the firm's core client relationships with Rutland Partners, Bridgepoint Growth and Caledonia Investments but is also known for building close links with management teams. A keen churchgoer, he says his proudest professional moment was helping to save a distressed private equity asset from going into administration and he also has acted on deals such as Caledonia's time-pressured acquisition of a majority stake in Deep Sea Electonics. He cites the firm's head of private equity Emma Danks as a key influence on his career and says he had not appreciated how much good service delivery and an understanding of a client's needs were before he started as a lawyer "but it is something I appreciate a lot now".

 

 

Rob Lee, Simpson Thacher, London

Robert Lee, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

  • Year of birth: 1981
  • Joined firm: October 2011
  • Position: Partner, since January 2018
  • Key clients: EQT, Cinven, and CVC Capital Partners

A prominent member of Simpson Thacher's much-vaunted private funds practice, Lee has taken key roles on three of the largest European fund closings in the year to date, including EQT's eighth buyout fund and its fourth infrastructure fund – which hold nearly €20 billion between them – and Cinven's seventh fund, which closed at €10 billion. He has been mentored by the firm's London managing partner, Jason Glover, who he says "takes a real interest in personal development". A member of the firm's personnel committee, Lee also heads up the firm's London pro bono committee. The thing he likes most about his job with private funds is creating documents for clients that "stand the test of time". He says: "That brings with it a certain amount of discipline and rigour in ensuring they work properly and are flexible enough to deal with different scenarios over time."

 

 

Tom Lloyd, Simpson Thacher, London

Tom Lloyd, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Joined firm: January 2012
  • Position: Partner, since November 2016
  • Key clients: Blackstone Group, Goldentree Asset Management, KKR, Roundhill, Biomed, and Northwood Investors

Finance partner Lloyd is a go-to adviser for one of Simpson Thacher's biggest private equity clients: Blackstone Group. He advised it on more than 30 real estate financing mandates in 2018 alone for a total debt amount of more than €20 billion. A key mandate includes advising Blackstone on the financing related to its acquisition of a majority stake in Spanish bank Banco Popular's €30 billion real estate asset portfolio last year. Making partner in 2016 marked Lloyd's proudest professional moment, he says, on the very same day as another personal milestone – that day his first child, Zachary, was born. He credits his wife for helping him to evolve "from a hot headed associate into a calm and (relatively) laid-back partner".

 

 

Tracey Lochhead, Linklaters

Tracey Lochhead, Linklaters

  • Year of birth: 1980
  • Joined firm: March 2007
  • Position: Partner, since May 2014
  • Key clients: Cerberus, Rothesay

New Zealand-born Lochhead is a Magic Circle partner but has been the acting European general counsel for private equity firm Cerberus following a lengthy secondment there. She advised the firm on its acquisition of My Money Bank from GE, the first time a private equity sponsor has successfully acquired a French bank. Rothesay is another key client of hers, and she also completed a secondment at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Despite walking out of her first interview for a summer clerkship in New Zealand "convinced I would never get an offer", Lochhead has taken roles on several notable transactions, including advising British-Swiss mining company Glencore on its merger with rival Xstrata in 2013. She says the best thing about private equity is "the inside jokes from deals that nobody outside the team thinks are funny and the huge support we give each other".

 

 

Keir MacLennan, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Keir MacLennan, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Joined firm: 2010
  • Position: Partner, since 2019
  • Key clients: Hellman & Friedman, Warburg Pincus and Centerbridge

MacLennan has advised key Freshfields private equity client Hellman & Friedman for five years on multiple transactions, and was seconded to another core U.S. client, Warburg Pincus, in Hong Kong in 2014. He took a leading role advising on the merger of payments groups Concardis and Nets last year, a complex deal comprising four financial investors including Hellman & Friedman, Advent, Bain and Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC. Highly rated by two Freshfields ex-partners, MacLennan cites various people for influencing his career including Neil Ferguson of Latham & Watkins, Adrian Maguire of Kirkland & Ellis and Claire Wills of Freshfields.

 

 

Charlotte Madden, Clifford Chance

Charlotte Madden, Clifford Chance

  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Joined firm: 2009
  • Position: Senior associate, since 2015
  • Key clients: 3i Group, IFM Investors, Carlyle, and British Colombia Investment Management Corporation

A homegrown CC talent, Madden was recommended for the Rising Stars list by an in-house lawyer. Her clients are varied and she advised IFM Investors on its acquisition of a 50% interest in logistics group Impala Terminals as part of a joint venture arrangement with Trafigura last October, and advised CC institutional client 3i Group on the sale of Danish ferry business Scandlines to a consortium, as well as on its subsequent reinvestment into Scandlines. She says that working with 3i Infrastructure senior legal counsel Jim Stoner while on secondment was "hugely influential", especially for teaching her the importance of "overlaying the commercial context when giving legal advice".

 

 

Max Oppenheimer, Weil Gotshal & Manges

  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Joined firm: June 2013
  • Position: Senior associate, since June 2013
  • Key clients: Bain Capital, General Atlantic, and Lone Star

Just weeks after the Christmas chaos caused by a drone, Oppenheimer and the rest of the Weil team were on hand to advise Vinci Airports on its £2.9 billion acquisition of a majority interest in Gatwick Airport in a deal that involved navigating complex shareholder arrangements between Vinci and General Infrastructure Partners, who retained a 49.9% stake in the company. A protégé of Weil private equity veterans Mike Francies and Marco Compagnoni, Oppenheimer had not initially planned for a career the law, but opted to do a vacation scheme to plug a three-week gap while he waited for an internship at an investment bank to start. He says: "It quickly became apparent that the law suited me down to the ground and was far more appealing than the spreadsheets the bank had to offer!"

 

 

Adam Orr, Travers Smith

Adam Orr, Travers Smith

  • Year of birth: 1980
  • Joined firm: 2010, formerly at Dickson Minto
  • Position: Partner, since June 2015
  • Key clients: TA Associates and Caledonia

Orr recently won the firm a first-time mandate for Caledonia, with his work on the firm's acquisition of cinematography lens company Cooke Optics. Caledonia director Chris Hodges described him as a lawyer who was "calm and intelligent, with a highly effective negotiating style that combines excellent technical ability with articulate communication". He helped found the firm's successful management advisory practice alongside the firm's then senior partner Chris Hale. On whether the job of a lawyer has been what he expected, Orr says he has noticed a clear move away from face-to-face meetings in the time he has been practising. Though still aged under 40, Orr has recently decided to give up playing football and take up golf instead, but he finds it infuriating, saying it is the only sport that "you can practise and get worse".

 

 

Matthew Poxon, Paul Hastings

Matthew Poxon, Paul Hastings

  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Joined firm: August 2011
  • Position: Partner, since September 2018
  • Key clients: ABRY Partners, Oakley Capital

Raised in Cardiff, Poxon has gone on to help to develop the U.S. firm's private equity bench strength alongside the firm's London private equity head Anu Balasubramanian, who joined Paul Hastings from DLA Piper last year. He has worked on mandates for new clients including Boston-headquartered private equity firm Abry Partners, which turned to Poxon for its first European take-private on communications company Link Mobility Group last October. The firm says the deal has cemented its position as Abry's European deal counsel – a notable win for Poxon and the team. He counts Kathryn Davis, who recently retired from Slaughter and May, and Paul Hastings managing partner Ronan O'Sullivan as key influences on his career, saying: "While both are very different people, they both demand the highest standards of those that work for them but in an encouraging way that pushes you on."

 

 

John Pryor, DLA Piper

John Pryor, DLA Piper

  • Year of birth: 1980
  • Joined firm: January 2003 as a legal assistant in knowledge management; September 2007 as a qualified solicitor
  • Position: Partner, since May 2019
  • Key clients: Graphite Capital, LDC, Inflexion Private Equity, Carlyle Group, Duke Street Capital, Oakley Capital

Pryor advised Inflexion on its acquisition of Times Higher Education from private equity rival TPG Capital, which closed in March. Alongside his private equity capabilities, Pryor has developed DLA's management advisory practice, having acted on more than 20 deals with a combined transaction value of £20 billion during the last two years. He sees the cyclical nature of private equity as being a key perk of the industry, in that "the relationships you develop with the investors and the management team can be longer term and have more frequent touchpoints", in contrast to a corporate M&A deal. He also takes an active role in mentoring associates at the firm.

 

 

John Rife, Debevoise & Plimpton

John Rife, Debevoise & Plimpton

  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Joined firm: 2009
  • Position: Partner, since July 2018
  • Key clients: Baring Vostok Capital Partners, Exponent Private Equity Partners, Glendower Capital, LeapFrog Investments, Morgan Stanley, Park Square, and Tishman Speyer

The first Debevoise trainee to be promoted to partner in London, Rife was cited by a partner at Glendower Capital as "a domain expert when it comes to secondary deals", while a portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley who was on the other side of two deals to him described him as a "formidable counterpart" who "made excellent points in respect to sensitive negotiation topics". In the past year, Rife has advised LeapFrog on its third financial inclusion fund which closed at $700 million, making it the largest-ever private equity fund by a dedicated impact fund manager. He also led on Tishman Speyer's eighth European real estate venture fundraising, which exceeded its target by 25% to raise €750 million.

 

 

Alex Robb, Ropes & Gray

Alex Robb, Ropes & Gray

  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Joined firm: March 2013
  • Position: Partner, since November 2017
  • Key clients: Liberty Global, Intermediate Capital Group, MV Credit, 3i, Partners Group, and Baring Private Equity Asia

New Zealand-born leveraged finance partner Robb joined Ropes & Gray from Freshfields six years ago. In the last two years, he has advised telecommunications company Liberty Global on more than £25 billion worth of syndicated refinancings, and worked for key private equity clients such as 3i, Intermediate Capital Group and Partners Group. Robb, who was recommended for this list by a major private equity client, says that "working in teams to come up with creative solutions for clients is hugely satisfying", although "the daily grind of completing timesheets is significantly less enjoyable".

 

 

Gemma Roberts, Goodwin Procter

Gemma Roberts, Goodwin Procter

  • Year of birth: 1981
  • Joined firm: February 2014
  • Position: Partner, since October 2016
  • Key clients: Ampersand Capital, Graphite Capital, DST Global, Spice Private Equity, JMI Services, GTT Communications, and WisdomTree Investments

Goodwin partner Roberts' client testimonies speak of a lawyer who was "the one person that held it all together" during a deal, with another saying that she was "fantastic" and "crucial" to a transaction. In addition to her role in the private equity group, Roberts also co-founded Goodwin's Women's Initiative, which aims to recruit, retain and promote female lawyers across the firm's London office. She led an all-female team to advise New York-based asset manager WisdomTree on its carve-out acquisition of ETF Securities in a $611 million deal. She says: "Building relationships and connecting with people at a human level is vital not just for enjoying what you do every day but in the client sense it helps you step into a trusted adviser role – you stop being a service provider and become the 'phone a friend'."

 

 

Bryan Robson, Sidley Austin

Bryan Robson, Sidley Austin

  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Joined firm: March 2016
  • Position: Partner, since October 2014
  • Key clients: TowerBrook Capital Partners, Blackstone, Five Arrows Principal Investments, Pillarstone, and KKR

Robson became an equity partner at Sidley's London office after just seven and a half years following qualification. He joined from Kirkland & Ellis in 2016, and now co-heads the Sidley's London leveraged finance offering. During his time at Sidley, he has won mandates from key clients of the firm, such as LetterOne, JPM, Five Arrows and Blackstone. He recently took a leading role for Sidley in advising TowerBrook Capital Partners and its portfolio company, health and life sciences company Independent Clinical Services, on its portable leveraged refinancing. Outside of work, Robson likes cycling and Japanese food, and describes himself as a "classic deal junkie".

 

 

Huw Thomas, Latham & Watkins

Huw Thomas, Latham & Watkins

  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Joined firm: January 2011
  • Position: Partner, since January 2018
  • Key clients: Hellman & Friedman, KSL Capital Partners, Equistone, TA Associates, and the Carlyle Group

Thomas was recommended for this list by partners at rival firms as well as Latham partners. His strong relationship with Hellman & Friedman has led to his advising on a series of mandates from the private equity giant, including on the disposal of its minority interests in the Verisure Securitas Direct group. Though the thing he likes least about his job is the unpredictability of the hours, he says: "Every successful person that I know works hard – and many of them in a much less supportive environment – so I try to resist the temptation to think the grass is greener elsewhere." In his spare time, Thomas says that he enjoys "hiking, skiing, sailing, surfing: pretty much any outdoor activity that gives me an opportunity to spend some time in nature".

 

 

Linzi Thomas, Latham & Watkins

Linzi Thomas, Latham & Watkins

  • Year of birth: 1985
  • Joined firm: September 2014
  • Position: Partner, since January 2019
  • Key clients: CVC Capital Partners, The Carlyle Group, Ares, Helios, Leonard Green and BC Partners

Singled out as a rising star in private equity by one of London's best-known private equity partners, Thomas is a new addition to the partnership in Latham's London office. Earlier this year, she advised on a dual-track IPO and M&A process as part of a deal for longstanding client CVC, which sold a 30% stake in appliance care specialist company Domestic & General to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund. She had previously advised on the £2.4 billion IPO of CVC-backed Czech tech company Avast in 2018. She says: "Working with clients over time and building relationships is the best reward – many of the clients I work with now I've been working with since I was a junior associate." She also likes to get involved in pro bono projects in emerging markets and in women's leadership and diversity initiatives.

 

 

Elizabeth Tindall, Eversheds Sutherland

Elizabeth Tindall, Eversheds Sutherland

  • Year of birth: 1987
  • Joined firm: July 2012
  • Position: Principal associate, since May 2018
  • Key clients: H2 Equity Partners, Sovereign Capital, Livingbridge, Northedge Capital, Phoenix Equity Partners, Baird Capital, Elysian, and Better Capital

Manchester-based Tindall was described by a client as a lawyer who is "very personable, very practical" and as someone who "picks her arguments". She has taken leading roles for private equity clients including Sovereign, Equistone, H2 and Livingbridge, and counts the firm's head of private equity, James Trevis, as the biggest influence on her career as he introduced her to the world of private equity and to a number of his clients. Tindall had originally wanted to be a barrister, she says, having been inspired by TV series Kavanagh QC, but realised when she got to university that she was more suited to the life of a solicitor. She adds: "It also transpired that my dislike of standing up and talking in a room full of people is not exactly compatible with being a barrister!"

 

 

Neil Sinha, Allen & Overy

Neil Sinha, Allen & Overy

  • Year of birth: 1984
  • Joined firm: September 2008
  • Position: Partner, since May 2017
  • Key clients: Bridgepoint, Brookfield Private Equity, CVC Capital Partners, Exponent Private Equity, Hg Capital, and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners

Sinha is described as a core partner within A&O's private equity and leveraged finance teams and is part of a group attempting to capitalise on the way private equity and infrastructure funds are targeting similar assets. In May, he advised on the financing of CVC's investment in Spanish education provider Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio. His mentors include the likes of leveraged finance heavyweight Tim Polglase. Sinha hates losing though – explaining that advising on a losing bid is the worst part of the job: "After weeks of hard work it comes to nothing and that is very disappointing."

 

 

Thomas Waller, Linklaters

Thomas Waller, Linklaters

  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Joined firm: September 2006
  • Position: Partner, since May 2019
  • Key clients: Bridgepoint, Apollo, GSPE, ION, and Triton

In the past year, leveraged finance partner Waller has led on high-profile transactions for Linklaters, including advising Switzerland-based investment firm Jacobs on its £2 billion acquisition of Cognita Schools from KKR, and has taken roles on a number of 'covenant lite' loan transactions. Linklaters says that Waller is "regularly praised" for "his understanding, agility and ability to digest complex terms and provide clear and commercial advice and thinking". Waller turned to law after being "a failed musician", but says it differs from what he expected, saying: "Being a transactional lawyer and working private equity and leveraged finance is much more about being practical, agile and business-focused rather than academic points of law, and it's definitely not about spending hours sitting still or days in the library doing legal research."

 

 

Tom Ward, Fieldfisher

Tom Ward, Fieldfisher

  • Year of birth: 1983
  • Joined firm: November 2011
  • Position: Partner, since April 2018
  • Key clients: Fuse Universal, Avail Technologies, and Movebubble

Despite his mother's best efforts to nudge him towards a career as a criminal barrister by leaving John Grisham books in his bag when he was 16, Fieldfisher partner Ward ended up as a venture capital solicitor with a strong focus on legaltech. He acts for a large client base and last year worked with software company Fuse Universal, which counts Vodafone and Dixons Carphone as clients, on its £10 million financing, and took a leading role for Accenture Ventures on its £5.7 million investment into Ripjar. Based between the firm's London and Manchester offices, he switches off by running or cycling in the mountains near his new home in the Forest of Bowland.

 

 

Vanessa Xu Allen & Overy

Vanessa Xu, Allen & Overy

  • Year of birth: 1982
  • Joined firm: September 2006
  • Position: Partner, since May 2017
  • Key clients: Providence, OMERS, and Exponent

Leveraged finance partner Xu, who says that she became a lawyer because she's "always liked a challenge", was the firm's first A&O-trained Chinese national to make partner in the firm's London office. Having worked with private equity clients including OMERS and Providence, Xu was also ranked in last year's Rising Stars list, and enjoys a reputation as a solid practitioner in the market, according to a partner at a rival firm. Last October, she took a role advising Vue and its private equity sponsor on the financing for the cinema company's acquisition of German rival group Cinestar, and advised on the related group financing. She is also qualified as an attorney and counsellor-at-law in the State of New York and speaks four languages.

 

 

Will Yates, Travers Smith

Will Yates, Travers Smith

  • Year of birth: 1981
  • Joined firm: November 2007
  • Position: Partner, since June 2015
  • Key clients: Livingbridge, Silverfleet Capital Partners, August Equity Partners and Horizon Capital

Described by Darwin Private Equity partner Kevin Street as "an adviser in the fullest sense of the word" and having provided "first-class" legal advice, Yates has handled mandates for several Travers clients. He advised Lothbury Investment Management's shareholders on the sale of a 75% stake in the business to Nomura Real Estate Holdings, and Livingbridge on the sale of its Baronsmead venture trusts and equity funds investment management business to Gresham House. Yates, who recently returned from the Dolomites and Alps after taking part in a six-day charity cycling event where he covered roughly 850km with approximately 16,000m of vertical ascent, says the thing he likes best about private equity is "the human interactions that sit behind all the legal documents and structure papers".

 

 

Tamara Young, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Tamara Young, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

  • Year of birth: 1988
  • Joined firm: February 2011
  • Position: Senior associate, since May 2018
  • Key clients: Permira, TPG, and CVC

Young was singled out by an ex-Freshfields partner for being "really good". She studied law with the aim of becoming a journalist but after taking a vacation scheme at Freshfields she "loved it and never looked back". She says she secretly loves finding her way through tricky technical points. Young advises a select roster of Freshfields clients including Permira and CVC. She advised CVC's seventh fund on its first investment, in which it acquired Amsterdam-headquartered business services company TMF Group from DH Private Equity Partners for €1.75 billion. She has a focus on public-to-private transactions and experience of dealing with event-driven activists. Outside of work, Young says that she travels as much as possible, and is a keen dancer, which she tries to find time for a couple of times a week.