Practice areas

We have a level of expertise which is commensurate with our position as a leader in this sector. We have seen every form of private equity transaction and in a number of cases have created innovative structures for transactions, or solutions to issues, that have become market standards.

What sets us apart from the other high quality firms in this area is the expertise of our partners in specialist areas. These partners are highly regarded in their own fields and have significant experience of providing their advice in the context of private equity transactions. Our ability to deliver a "standard" private equity transaction is without question. It is the delivery of private equity transactions with complex issues in areas such as funds, financial services regulation, the environment, pensions, trusts and tax that gives us an opportunity to demonstrate fully our expertise.

We provide a significant depth of resource in the following areas:

• Venture/growth: Venture and growth capital has always been an important part of our practice and we regularly advise clients across the full spectrum of early to late stage growth/venture deals.
• Leveraged buy-outs: We have acted on LBOs since they first became a feature of the European marketplace and our ability to deliver a "standard" private equity transaction is without question. We also have the ability to undertake complex "non-standard" private equity transactions and it is those transactions which give us the opportunity to demonstrate our expertise fully.
• Management teams: We have a long history of looking after management teams, which means that we understand what issues are important to them as individuals and can give guidance on the issues they should focus on when dealing with their private equity sponsors.
• Secondary transactions: Macfarlanes is one of the very few firms with lawyers specialising in, and having a significant track record of, advising on secondary transactions. This ensures that we are up-to-date with the latest market developments and that our lawyers are entirely familiar with the unique structures needed for both funds secondaries and direct portfolio secondary transactions.
• Acquisition finance: In the current difficult debt environment, the ability and experience of our acquisition finance lawyers, working alongside our private equity lawyers, is proving more important than ever to our clients. This specialist advice is invaluable in terms of securing new debt on acceptable terms for new deals, and in negotiating revised debt terms on the restructuring of portfolio companies.
• Tax structuring: Our highly-rated tax lawyers commonly structure as well as execute our transactions, giving the client a fully joined-up service with one adviser signing off on both the structure and on the actual implementation of that structure.
• Fund formation: Our leading fund formation specialists act for both GPs and LPs, and work closely with the rest of the team. A large number of our clients look to us to address all of their needs, from fund formation, through to LBOs and portfolio exits.