‘The industry has changed massively. When we started, we were working with single product mid-cap PE shops, and these have now developed into mega solo funds, handling tens of billions of dollars. We’re now working with listed clients and multi-product funds that not only have a PE business, but a credit and an infrastructure business,’ …
Continue reading “Elite: The rise of the in-house lawyer in private capital”
What does it take to run the legal team in one of the most profitable deal shops in the world? After months of discussions with private equity and leveraged finance partners at the leading law firms in London as well as a host of in-house lawyers, Legal Business has come up with the definitive list …
Continue reading “The Private Equity Elite: the top general counsel in PE”
Simon Tinkler – Senior legal adviser, CD&R Year of qualification: 1993 Clifford Chance, 1995-2022 CD&R, 2022-present Why did you want to become a private equity lawyer? I loved the intersection between the law and the real world. On each transaction you get to understand a new business or sector, and then to think about the …
Alexandra Openshaw – General counsel, Montagu Year of qualification: 2010 Macfarlanes, 2008-15 Winton Group, 2016-23 Montagu, 2023-present Why did you want to become a private equity lawyer? I was previously a funds lawyer at a private practice firm and wanted to be client-side from early on. No day is ever the same – there’s so …
Continue reading “‘In private equity, no day is ever the same’ – Montagu GC Alexandra Openshaw”
Jeremy Dennison – General counsel, Livingbridge Year of qualification: 2009 Travers Smith, 2007-12 Goodwin Procter, 2012-14 MUSTO, 2014-15 Travers Smith, 2015-18 Livingbridge, 2018-present Why did you want to become a private equity lawyer? My first exposure to private equity was during my training contract at Travers Smith, which has one of the leading mid-market private …
Andrew Stevens – General counsel, Inflexion Year of qualification: 2010 Slaughter and May, 2008-13 Och-Ziff Capital Management, 2014-16 HPS Investment Partners, 2017 Inflexion, 2017-present Within law, the transactional side felt like the natural destination for me and, within that, PE always stood out.
Heather Mitchell – Partner, chief risk officer, head of EMEA and global general counsel for Investments, Carlyle Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, 1996-99 Kaiser Group International, 1999-2001 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, 2001-02 Carlyle, 2002-present I absolutely love my job. There’s a natural synergy in my roles as GC for global investments and chief risk …
Continue reading “‘I work with the best M&A lawyers in the world’ – Carlyle’s Heather Mitchell”
Jarlath Pratt – Assistant GC (Europe), GIC Year of qualification: 2006 Travers Smith, 2006-10 Barclays Capital, 2010-13 GIC, 2013-present Why did you want to become a private equity lawyer? I trained at Travers Smith – I had the time of my life as a trainee and junior lawyer in the private equity team.
Tom Patrick – GC, Charterhouse Year of qualification: 1999 White & Case, 2001-05 D.B. Zwirn & Co, 2005-10 Charterhouse, 2010-present Why did you want to become a private equity lawyer? I didn’t really – I originally wanted to be a journalist but once I did law, I was very keen to go in-house and get …
Babett Carrier – General counsel, Cinven Shearman & Sterling, 1996-2012 Arma Partners, 2013-14 Cinven, 2015-present I come from a family of lawyers. My father was a lawyer, my uncle was a judge, so there was maybe some bias. What I like about the law is that it is very analytical and it rewards logic. You …
