The legal power 30

Welcome to our exclusive list of the 30 private equity lawyers identified by the industry and by their own peers as the best of the best.

In today’s challenging environment, lawyers are still very much in demand. But in these post-crisis times, with fundraising still difficult and the regulatory sands still shifting constantly, the balance of power has shifted ever so slightly away from the deal gurus – the old-school corporate rainmakers – and into the hands of the regulation and fundraising specialists, who increasingly have the ear of private equity’s powers-that-be.

In the article hyperlinked below, then, we not only hail the most prolific transaction lawyers working around the globe for private equity funds. We’ve also looked to include some of the regulatory experts working on the industry’s behalf on both sides of the Atlantic. We highlight a number of the funds attorneys spearheading complex negotiations with potential investors. And there’s even a leveraged finance lawyer pioneering the growth of the high yield market in Europe. 

We recognize that lists like these are always going to be subjective and partial. You might not agree with all of our choices; you might not even agree with any of them. 

But what’s undeniable is that every single one of the lawyers named below enjoys considerable influence thanks to a career spent building relationships with the key players in the private equity business. These are the go-to advisors for the funds that count; they work on the most sophisticated deals, and they devise new fund and transaction structures that go on to be adopted by the entire industry.

Ten are based in the US, ten in London, and ten work out of the smaller but still significant markets elsewhere around the world. All 30 have been working within this sector for at least a decade, and all of them continue to practice their craft on a daily basis today. 

From our extensive interviews with movers and shakers at private equity firms, law firms and intermediaries, in Europe, Asia and the United States, we’ve concluded that these are 30 superstars of today’s private equity legal world – although at the rate the world is changing, who knows what the list will look like in a year’s time… 

Click HERE to see the full the Legal power 30

NB The three lists are entirely separate. In each one, names are listed in alphabetical order