Private Equity

The team’s experience includes advising on transactions across the major jurisdictions of Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. Private equity houses, investors, funds, banks and financial institutions rely on Linklaters’ market leading global experts. Linklaters’ private equity lawyers advise clients at all stages, from establishing the fund and making investments, to ongoing portfolio assistance including restructuring advice, to exiting from those investments.

Clients benefit from market-leading funds, corporate M&A, restructuring and finance experts and their understanding of both the fund-raising, fund structuring, buyout and restructuring market. Linklaters helps clients structure the best investment methods for them, from helping sponsors position themselves to ensure they are the lead equity sponsor when looking at M&A situations to clubbing together to compete for distressed assets.

Clients can also rely on the proven track record of lawyers from Linklaters’ pensions, IP and tax groups to support their private equity transactions. Sector experience covers the full spectrum of industry, from telecoms to utilities, consumer.

Recent private equity transactions include advising:
  • Cerberus on the acquisition of the shares and c.£13bn UK residential mortgage loan book of Northern Rock Asset Management PLC from UK Asset Resolution
  • The consortium consisting of BC Partners and PSP Investments on the €1.4bn acquisition of a majority stake in Keter Group
  • PAI Partners on the acquisition of Atos Medical through a competitive auction
  • Apax on the acquisition of Invent Farma, a Spanish healthcare company
  • Apollo on the €2.95bn acquisition of Verallia
  • TDR Capital on the €3.7bn acquisition of LeasePlan
  • Brait on the £1.9bn acquisition of New Look and £1.3bn acquisition of Virgin Active
  • The Carlyle Group on the public-to-private takeover offer for The Innovation Group plc
  • Eurazeo on the €550m acquisition of Fintrax from Exponent
  • Macquarie on the successful €3.2bn acquisition of the German long-distance gas distribution network, Open Grid Europe, from E.ON
  • HgCapital, Bain Capital and ICG Alternative Investment Limited on the €1.2bn disposal of TeamSystem group to Hellman & Friedman