‘A PE firm is one of the most interesting places for an in-house lawyer’ – Cinven GC Babett Carrier

‘A PE firm is one of the most interesting places for an in-house lawyer’ – Cinven GC Babett Carrier

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 …

‘You have a measurable impact on the success of the business’ – Lone Star legal chief Mark Coker

‘You have a measurable impact on the success of the business’ – Lone Star legal chief Mark Coker

Mark Coker – Chief legal officer, Lone Star Year of qualification: 1990 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, 1998-2008 Vinson & Elkins, 2008-15 Hudson Advisors, 2016-17 Lone Star Europe Acquisitions, 2018-present Why did you want to become a private equity lawyer? My career in private practice largely pre-dated the concept of being a private equity lawyer. My background …

‘Private capital is a super creative industry’ – KKR Europe GC Susanna Berger

‘Private capital is a super creative industry’ – KKR Europe GC Susanna Berger

Susanna Berger – Managing director, general counsel for Europe, KKR & Co Year of qualification: 2002 University of Chicago Law School, 1997-98 Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, 2000-06 Avenue Capital Management, 2006-08 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, 2008 KKR & Co, 2009-present I joined KKR 15 years ago. At that point the team consisted of about 40 …

Dialling in the deal – the inside track on the Vodafone/Three merger

Dialling in the deal – the inside track on the Vodafone/Three merger

Whatever metric you track, 2023 was a poor year for M&A. One bright spark amid the gloom was the proposed £15bn merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK, which was announced in summer 2023. If cleared by competition authorities, the deal will create the UK’s biggest mobile phone operator. The transaction was one of the …

Table toppers – the law firms leading the pack in the latest Legal 500 research

Table toppers – the law firms leading the pack in the latest Legal 500 research

Almost 1,200 firms have secured spots in the most recent UK Legal 500 Solicitors research, which provides law firms, in-house counsel and individuals with accurate and in-depth analysis of the best firms and lawyers working across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Between them the firms, roughly half of which are in London, share almost …

‘The wind was taken out of everyone’s sails’ – the M&A report 2023

‘The wind was taken out of everyone’s sails’ – the M&A report 2023

2021 was always going to be a tough year to follow. Quite how tough, few could have foreseen at the start of 2022. With global annual deal values totalling almost $6trn – a jump of more than 60% on 2020 – 2021 was roundly described in breathless superlatives. Following a year of pent-up demand during …

Onward, Singapore: King & Spalding names new managing partner as Sidley backs laterals in the city state

Onward, Singapore: King & Spalding names new managing partner as Sidley backs laterals in the city state

As a growing number of international firms pivot their focus in Asia to Singapore, King & Spalding’s appointment of banking heavyweight Andrew Brereton as the office’s new managing partner could be viewed as a declaration of redoubled commitment to the city state. The Atlanta-headquartered firm first brought the Clifford Chance veteran on board at the …

Onward, Singapore: King & Spalding names new managing partner as Sidley backs laterals in the city state

Onward, Singapore: King & Spalding names new managing partner as Sidley backs laterals in the city state

As a growing number of international firms pivot their focus in Asia to Singapore, King & Spalding’s appointment of banking heavyweight Andrew Brereton as the office’s new managing partner could be viewed as a declaration of redoubled commitment to the city state. The Atlanta-headquartered firm first brought the Clifford Chance veteran on board at the …

Euro Elite Benelux: Full steam ahead

Euro Elite Benelux: Full steam ahead

Independent law firms across the Benelux region have gone into 2022 with a renewed sense of optimism, with them successfully withstanding the challenges of Covid-19 to continue winning exciting new mandates. Reflective of the buoyant mood of the market, at Stibbe, Brussels managing partner Wouter Ghijsels says: ‘Last year was our best year in terms …