Category: Analysis | Page 6 of 131

Will Rosen – GC (Europe private equity), Bain

Year of qualification: 1994
Weil Gotshal & Manges, 1996-2007
DLA Piper, 2008-11
Ropes & Gray, 2011-22
Bain Capital, 2022-present

What made you decide to make the switch in-house? And how have you found the change?

After a very enjoyable and fulfilling, decade-long career with Ropes & Gray – first as partner and then as London managing partner – and following an inspiring year-long secondment to Bain Capital, I was asked to stay on as general counsel for the firm’s European private equity business. I had worked with Bain for many years at Ropes, so I had a good familiarity with and understanding of its business. During this time and my secondment, I easily connected with the firm’s culture and values, I enjoyed having a wide range of subjects to cover, and I developed strong relationships with the team. While I loved working in private practice, I thought this was a unique opportunity to join a team that identifies complex opportunities to create exceptional outcomes for its companies, employees, and communities.

What has been the biggest difference compared with private practice?

The biggest differences are the operating model and functional approach. For the former, I was one of a large team focused on private equity transactional work. Now, I am part of a smaller team that covers a much broader set of responsibilities from deal transactions across multiple industry verticals to fund raising, portfolio company matters, and regulatory affairs, among other things.

What are the key skills needed for working in-house compared with private practice?

The skills needed for any career in the legal profession are common: a keen sense of curiosity, strong analytical and written skills, concentrated attention to detail, and an ability to remain calm and adaptable to circumstances. However, when working in-house – due to a wider portfolio of responsibilities – a workday can be less predictable. So, time management skills, an ability to prioritise, and understanding the needs of the business are vital.

What has been your in-house career highlight, and why?

My career highlights have been less about business transactions or work-related dealings but more about feeling personally linked to the firm’s values and purpose and connected with the team across the business globally. It is also about working with brilliant colleagues in the legal team and across the platform to deliver for the business and find the right solutions. Today, there is no shortage of highly capable asset managers but one of the things that drew me to Bain Capital is the culture and the firmwide approach to solving business challenges, partnering with people on the journey to create lasting impact.

What tips do you have for building a career in-house in private equity?

What’s important in any career is building enduring, collaborative, trustful relationships and connection with a diverse set of industry and work partners. Also, it is important to spend time to make sure you understand the business and be proactive in anticipating issues and challenges.

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Chris Bulger – GC, Vitruvian Partners

Year of qualification: 2007
Slaughter and May, 2005-14
Goldman Sachs, 2014-18
Vitruvian Partners, 2018-present

Why did you want to become a private equity lawyer?

I have been involved with alternative asset managers since 2005, during the early stages of my training contract with Slaughter and May. I became very interested in funds work and private equity in particular as the industry grew and was increasingly prominent. I then noticed that the larger private equity firms were beginning to hire their first in-house lawyers, and their role seemed to me to combine the elements of private practice I really liked (such as negotiation and structuring) with a broad in-house mandate that wasn’t limited to involvement in only legal matters.

How long have you been working in-house?

I did a secondment at Goldman Sachs in 2008 shortly after qualifying. It was an extraordinary learning experience as the global financial crisis developed. After six more years at Slaughter and May, I then returned to Goldman permanently in 2014 to cover their private equity and private credit business in Europe, along with various fundraisings and firm investments.

What has been the most memorable moment of your in-house career?

A day trip to Boston to sell shares in an IPO stands out. I made the last-minute decision to fly at 8.30am and was on the plane from Heathrow at 11:30am. Having worked the entire flight on organising the logistics and paperwork (being fortunate that the wi-fi worked throughout the flight and using a copy of the Financial Times for my written notes), I was greeted at Boston Logan International Airport by a banker, lawyer, notary and driver. After signing various documents in the arrivals hall, we then made a few stops on the way to hand-deliver the required paperwork to the transfer agent, making it with an hour or so to spare. After a celebratory Sam Adams at the airport I was back home within 24 hours of departing!

Which sectors do you expect to drive activity this year?

I anticipate technology, healthcare and energy as being busy. Closer to home, I also expect to see further activity in financial services, and asset management in particular. I anticipate that traditional asset managers will continue to look to acquire alternative managers, and alternative managers will acquire managers of other products that they don’t currently offer.

Would you recommend a career working in private equity?

Absolutely – the private equity industry has matured considerably during the nearly 20 years I have been working in it. Private equity and other alternative firms are now significantly more regulated, as are their fundraisings and the transactions they undertake. But this actually provides more opportunities for lawyers to enter the industry at an earlier stage in their careers, and more paths they can then take to develop. Working at a private equity firm can also provide more opportunities for lawyers to get involved in other areas (such as HR, operations and tax), than might be the case with other in-house roles. The industry continues to innovate as well, such as on sources of capital for fundraisings and the structure and type of investments.

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Jonathan Pugh-Smith – GC, funds, Bregal Investments

Year of qualification: 2010
Berwin Leighton Paisner, 2008-11
International Justice Mission, 2011-12
Berwin Leighton Paisner, 2012-13
Bregal Investments, 2013-present

Why did you want to become a private equity lawyer?

To be honest, I did not specifically set out to become a private equity lawyer. I have always sought out opportunities in my career where I am valued, where I can continue to grow and learn, that are dynamic and where I feel I can make a difference. Across the last ten years of working in private equity these boxes have more often than not been ticked across the board. Continue reading “‘You are working with some of the sharpest minds on the planet’ – Bregal Investments funds GC Jonathan Pugh-Smith”