The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - Solicitors > London > Venture capital

‘Mark Rundall was absolutely fantastic at Bird and Bird. They took a very personal approach and were thoughtful and considerate of the fact as a founder I’m always rushed. Mark was: Knowledge rich. Gave great insight around the deal. Researched the investors and was clear on when I should hold my ground and when not to. Clear with advice.’

‘Geraint Lloyd has huge experience of venture capital transactions generally and Venture Capital Trust transactions specifically. He is commercial in approach and calm however difficult negotiations become.’

‘Their experience working on similar transactions was enormously helpful in benchmarking how hard to push on both legal and commercial terms. They were effective at cutting through the noise to distil complex and multi-faceted issues into a simple solutions. They also gave us confidence in terms of how their time was being spent – we had a strong sense that they were being efficient in their time and therefore ultimately our fees.’

‘Mark Rundall and Joseph Stolerman were always available and it was clear they were both equally up to speed on the transaction which gave us confidence that we were in good hands with either of them. They were incisive in their search for solutions, commercial in their advice and patient in terms of explaining the more technical legal concepts. I would strongly recommend both to any company raising VC funding. Mark was particularly helpful when it came to the sharp end of negotiations with our VCs.’

‘Strong life science specific experience across all legal matters, including licensing, equity investing and M&A. This also includes a strong grasp of the underlying technical side of the life sciences sector, especially that associated with biotech and pharma therapeutics.’

‘Deep sector experience and a flexible, open-minded approach – open to new ideas. In particular James Baillieu.’

‘I have always found the Bird & Bird Corporate team to be extremely efficient and pragmatic. When doing a fund-raising or company sale, I want direct advice and guidance and minimum time wasted and the B&B team always provide this.’

‘Struan Penwarden has been the leader partner on several transactions for us. He is always available when you need him, with practical advice and no waffle. He feels like a real partner on getting the transaction done for the best possible result.’

‘Great client service. Service is consistent and timely. Friendly and available. Great experience and knowledge.’

‘Ylan Steiner is a friendly, sharp, patience and experience leading corporate lawyer who we highly recommend. We have worked with him for many years and have been always impressed by his high quality service and work.’

‘Strong team with significant expertise and a deep bench of lawyers at all levels, and across all practice areas, meaning there is always an answer.’

‘Chris Grew – incredible experience and a great partner and adviser on transactions when is is engaged.’

‘Jamie Moore is focused, responsive and straight forward to deal with. He clearly knows his stuff.’

‘We were impressed with Shawn Atkinson and his team’s knowledge and experience of venture capital fund raisings and how highly they were rated by other VC investors. They were on top of the legal process and worked really hard to hit the various deadlines.’

‘The Orrick team brings a very US style mindset to doing deals – fast, practical, and not bogged down with formality. As a US VC, we value this a lot. This is on top of the normal stuff we’d expect, like responsiveness, quality execution, and market knowledge.’

‘Shawn Atikinson has been a great partner to us. He has a solid team, and is able to advise on deals of different kinds throughout Europe. We really value this versatility. He also always makes himself available, both to the lawyers on our team and our investment professionals. We view Shawn as one of our most trusted outside partners.’

‘We work primarily with Ylan Steiner (a partner), who has been a joy to work with. From our first conversation I felt complete confidence that Ylan would be able to get done what we needed in a quick time.’

‘Very responsive. Experienced and expert. Gets the job done with the least amount of fuss and the highest level of pragmatism. Clear and fair.’

‘Robert Wood – Peerless. Intelligent, articulate, efficient and pragmatic. Katharine Ramsay – First class associate. Punches a long way above the title.’

‘Simon Jones is a truly great guy to deal with. Makes any issue seem simple and brings things down to earth without oversimplifying

‘Having worked with Osborne Clarke in London for the past two years, I found the whole team accessible and going beyond normal working hours and efforts to support the growth of our business. Whether it’s the next funding round, or an acquisition or legal disputes, the team is available on short notice to listen and support us. Just what you want from a lawyer and I really enjoy working with him.’

‘I’ve mainly worked with Mathias, who has been exceptional in his support for the growth of our company. Whether its getting up early, staying up late or even doing weekend work for a transaction with deadlines, I’ve never found him unavailable or inaccessible.’

‘Hyper responsive, very commercially focused and strategic – Taylor Wessing have helped us through multiple fundraises and provided invaluable support.’

‘Angus Milne is an excellent lawyer and business partner, he is strategic and well connected and passes on the invaluable benefit of his experiences in fundraising and transactional work.’

‘Speed of service; 24 hour availability irrespective of vacations, weekends etc. Commercially sensitive and pragmatic advice with a wide knowledge of all aspects of venture capital. Their reputation as the leader in the field only enhanced our negotiating leverage.’

‘Josef Fuss – partner. Pro-active; solution driven; strong inter-personal skills which proved important given the complexity of the deal; constantly accessible.’

‘Goodwin’s VC practice is unique because of the extensive experience they have from early stage start-ups through to later stage VC work – this helps them to be able to advise companies throughout their life cycle with a great deal of experience of market practice/commercial terms as well as the legal considerations. I found the knowledge of the team as to what large acquirers of VC practices (both US and UK) expect/want in M&A to be absolutely key and incredibly helpful.’

‘David Mardle is a brilliant team leader and has a wealth of knowledge and experience.’

‘An impressive roster of lawyers recruited from impressive peer firms in a short space of time. The team at Goodwin has certainly made an impact on the London and UK venture capital scene, replicating the success of its US colleagues. An excellent reputation in the field of life sciences, with a Cambridge offering which fits in well to the wider firm-wide ambitions. With the recent recruits, they provide a full-service offering for technology companies in the corporate field, which will undoubtedly grow over the years in light of the quality of the lawyers recruited.’

‘Ali Ramadan is a “go-to” lawyer for all matters venture capital-related, but also a particularly trusted adviser for general corporate and M&A work as well. He is one of those lawyers who simply “gets it” and is able to seamlessly combine legal/technical and commercial/practical advice all in one. Very responsive and hardworking, he is a stand out junior partner and is highly recommended, both on the investor side and on the company side.’

‘They have extremely focus business oriented capabilities and able to deliver agreements which are very easy to understand, to the point covering all necessary legal aspects. Timing is essential in many deals and they have always demonstrated to have focus on the deal and keep the pressure to execute in a timely manner.’

‘Strong team with good industry experience. They know the market well and bring a no-nonsense approach to the work.’

‘David Strong has great knowledge of the industry and leads an experienced team. Jonathan Leigh-Hunt has been around for a long time and knows his area well.’

‘Nimble, high quality and responsive, with no fuss, at very reasonable rates. Authoritative on market terms and explaining the reason for them.’

‘Great team, always professional & easy to deal with. They have really solid VC experience. Definitely punch above their weight. Competitive on fees with a partner led service, so you get attention. Good turnaround times too and they seem to be building a decent junior team beneath the partners so have some depth there.’

‘The team at Marriott Harrison is absolutely stellar, I could not recommend working with them highly enough. Led by David Strong, the team is efficient, personable, commercially-minded, and a delight to deal with. We work with Marriott Harrison for every deal that we do, simply due to the excellent people working with David. The team listens to instructions well, and is able to adapt their approach based on the complexity of the deal. MH works in small flexible teams, with excellent oversight from David ensuring that their work is consistently up to scratch – I’ve never worked with lawyers as suited to the VC market as this team.’

‘Marriott Harrison offers a bespoke, thoughtful, available, ego-free and unfussy service which exactly meets the needs of our business.’

‘Highly commercial; solutions driven; highly experienced in VC work.’

‘The team has a real client focus and really understand the work that they do and, in particular the tax rules that apply to our funds. That really sets them apart from many other firms in the market who just don’t have that depth of experience.’

‘Sanjeev Sharma – pragmatic, sensible and a very safe pair of hands. Has an excellent grasp of what is important to us and doesn’t waste time on the things that aren’t.’

‘Tom Wilde – provides corporate tax support and is, in my view, the leader in this field for EIS and VCT investing.’

‘Very experienced in US & UK venture capital deals; adept at supporting emerging VC firms; professional; have gone beyond the call to deliver; technical capability very sound too.’

‘James Shaw has been a trusted adviser for almost a decade. His interest, attention to detail is great and responsiveness is best in class.’

‘Sarah Manderson (Associate) is extremely strong both as an adviser and in terms of managing the relationship with us. She’s a stand out for us.’

‘I believe Withers has an enormous expertise, in depth knowledge of VC practice and ability to guide companies and entrepreneurs in securing the best deals and help them in negotiating process which is set for the best outcome for the client. It is fundamentally the legal leadership aspect that was the most compelling in our case, to help us navigate in a complex set of circumstances for the best result possible.’

‘I have worked with Iain Cockburn, a leading partner at Withers, an experience which was great in terms of confidence and leadership that Iain and his team brought to our legal dealings.’

‘Easy to work with, extremely responsive, fantastic critical thinking and ability to find workable solutions to complex problems. Iain Cockburn has been a phenomenal partner to work with.’

‘James Shaw and his team have been super helpful and reactive to all questions and concerns we’ve had to date. Couldn’t ask for more collaborative and supportive team.’

‘Robert Glass is superb to work with, always super responsive and very commercially minded and flexible in his approach which makes our lives considerably easier. When we’re faced with a new situation he gives fantastic advice and guidance.’

‘We have a long standing relationship with Ashfords which ensures continuity for our business. This deep background knowledge of the company also ensures that we are able to execute on corporate transactions quickly due to the ongoing oversight. The team are well versed in our background and requirements and endeavours to deliver the right advice/contracts to often short deadlines.’

‘Jocelyn Ormond is frequently in contact with us as a business to ensure that he has the latest updates and our thinking on future strategies. This is “off the clock” and ensures that Ashfords are able to react to our needs with minimal upfront diligence on our approach. Jocelyn ensures that his broader team are equally well versed in our corporate activities and always ensures that our requirements are delivered on time and within budget – which is greatly appreciated.’

‘The team are first rate, always on hand and always deliver a great service. Have a good mix of legal knowledge and pragmatism backed up by good knowledge of the VC industry.’

‘Extensive knowledge of me as a client having worked with them for 8 years. Ability to go the extra mile when needed.’

‘The team I work with is extremely knowledgeable and capable in this area. The lawyers at Brown Rudnick are also very efficient.’

‘I work primarily with an Associate, Sayjel (Sage) Revell, and she’s top-notch. She’s highly intelligent, very hard working and very thorough. She’s one of the best associates I’ve ever worked with.’

‘H&L have been on our journey as a start up since day one, even though we have limited budgets and only a small understanding of the legal side of things, they have been amazing in breaking things down and offering time which is above and beyond their means. Always available whenever I needed them to answer questions, no matter how big or small.’

‘Stand out partner is Tom Macleod. He has been like an extension of our team, got to know individuals in my company and supported us through our growth, he has always introduced the right partners at the right times to keep costs down for us too.’

‘The ability to see both side of the equation – investors and founders. The firm always provides a balanced view. They know the VC area inside out and can do small and big deals alike. Love working with this firm.’

‘Anthony Littner – always available with a strong customer focus and commercial mind. Always looking for solutions. Sees all sides of the debate. Tom Macleod – sees many different viewpoints.’

‘Great communication and balancing of key strengths against fees to ensure a holistic service delivered in the most cost effective way.’

‘A very warm and hands-on approach, no question or query is deemed silly and you really get the sense that H&L act and feel like an extension of your own in-house legal team.’

‘Tom Macleod has been handling our account for the last few years and the experience has been second to none. Tom has a rich understanding of the start-up ecosystem and is very well placed to provide us with a top-class service.’

‘Partners were surprisingly responsive to our questions and actively engaged in delivering many aspects of the work we needed to complete our spin out and seed round.’

‘The associates and partners we worked with at Penningtons were all very informative and readily provided the information we needed to understand the process, documentation and all the practical implications.’

‘I would pull out Attilio Leccisotti as he has been fantastic at supporting our company through a number of different rounds.’

‘They know what needs to be done for early stage companies without overcomplicating. This leads to sharp and efficient legal progress that serves the companies well both from a future proofing and a fees angle.’

‘Knowing when enough is enough is crucial especially for early stage companies. Not over complicating issues and having a time and cost efficient style for companies who really want to put their resources in to science and not legal fees is refreshing. The team also work well with their tax partners and this has been a very valuable additional service.’

‘The Penningtons VC team are a brilliant team with exceptional experience of early stage VC work. Their knowledge and experience sets them apart from others in the sector.’

‘Elizabeth Yell is exceptional and incredibly experienced. Attilio Leccisotti is very talented and one to watch for the future. Elizabeth Yell is definitely a rising star.’

‘The Browne Jacobson team are a professional group of people who work hard to get the deal done.’

‘Mike Jackson (partner) is a great adviser, going above and beyond what I expect most lawyers would do. He knows his stuff when it comes to corporate deals and the best way to achieve the intended outcome on a particular deal. He is always willing to have a chat – no matter what time of day.’

‘Good pragmatic advice with appreciation of the commercial aspects of a transaction.’

‘Good experience levels, quick response time, led on helping to resolve a key transaction issue, very approachable.’

‘Strong team set up with very strong FinTech / InsurTech credentials.’

‘Jon Snade, Partner and Harry Pearson, are our advisers of choice for anything related to corporate advice, predominantly fund raising.’

‘Incredibly responsive. Knowledgeable and always go over and above.’

‘Jon Snade – exceptional and supportive. I’ve recommended him for years and choose the firm because he is there.’

‘They are starting to build a good venture practice in London, clearly have the legal & technical experience and are becoming well known in the industry being at the forefront of VC projects. It still feels like a small team in London but they are focused and effectively leverage the real depth of VC knowledge and experience they have in the US. Always commercial, responsive and quick to react.’

‘Ryan Naftulin is very commercial, pragmatic and smart. He’s seen most of it before so a wise head when you need it. Extremely responsive.’

‘Aaron Archer is a very personable and capable lawyer, commercial and responsive too.’

‘Cooley brings a strong experience set from the US and Europe – this global outlook is hugely beneficial in terms of best practices, prior experience in a multitude of situations that we face in our business financing startups. They are great people overall. They genuinely know what they’re doing.’

‘I work mostly with Aaron Archer who is a Partner on the Ventures team in the UK. He’s excellent because: a) he knows the market extremely well and is in very close touch with the startup and early-stage venture ecosystem, b) he is extremely quick in providing feedback and does so in a very commercial and practical manner c) he is diligent and very thoughtful in providing advice.’

‘Ryan Naftulin – highly engaged and experienced. Leads the charge on importing US habits into the UK.’

‘Cooley is simply the ‘go to firm’ in our industry. Their knowledge, network and pricing makes them the first firm I suggest startups speak with when they need a lawyer.’

‘Aaron Archer – fun yet professional. Startups like to have him on their side of the table.’

‘The team is at the cutting edge of thinking around the tech and healthcare space, which they own in the US and are building up rapidly in London. They have great lawyers, are quick at responding to requests, and are a valuable partner around the softer aspects of our relationship.’

‘We found the team energetic, pragmatic and approachable. We particularity appreciated the speed in which they delivered their advice. They also negotiated with the other side very well.’

‘Joe Collingwood was very helpful and delivered the reports on time.’

‘Approachable, adaptable and extremely pragmatic. Ability to deliver brilliant products and great strategic advice within a limited budget.’

‘Outstanding knowledge of the market allows relevant assessment of deal value against market norms. Ability to breakdown technical advice into easily digestible proposals to allow quick business decisions and approvals from senior stakeholders. Extremely personable. Joe Collingwood is unwaveringly positive and calm – his knowledge and experience far exceeds his qualification levels. The person you want on your team to get the deal done!’

‘Joseph Altendorff – Joe has supported us on two successful capital raises. What stands out is his deep knowledge and understanding of the sensitives around term-sheet negotiation. Raising capital is a very stressful process and Joe’s calm and confident stewardship made all the difference.’

‘Joseph Collingwood – Joe was instrumental in supporting our negotiations and deal closures of our 2 latest investment rounds. Joe was able to understand the complexities and politics of each round. What made Joe unique in my mind is his ability to explain to the executives the key issues that needed clarity in order to facilitate a deal.’

‘The venture capital team at Dentons is incredibly passionate about working with young companies and supporting investors in the process. We have been working with Dentons for six months now and I’ve been very impressed with how attentive the team has been and their keenness to understand our business and integrate our systems and processes together. They clearly know the US and UK market very well, and are capable of providing great steers when working on investments. For me, their proactively and willingness to support our portfolio companies is what sets them out from the crowd.’

‘Joseph Altendorff is a dynamic individual with a solid grounding in the UK venture capital market. He is proactive, attentive and willing to get resources on a deal from the Denton’s network where appropriate.’

‘The Latham & Watkins team has depth and breadth, particularly in its London practice. I’m always looking for what gives me confidence that we’re getting the right balance between our legal position and pragmatic business realities. L&W gave me that confidence in a major and complex transaction.’

‘Team has recently grown by the addition of known names in the industry, making it a leading VC practice. Hugely experienced team.’

‘Mike Turner – vastly experienced and a “go to” lawyer in the sector.’

‘Shing Lo brings a wealth of experience to the team, expanding on the early stage advice, and rounding the team out.’

‘The team are very knowledgeable about investment and the legal process. They are efficient, always on time and carefully control their time and promised budget. They have excellent communication skills and are able to influence people using their persuasive abilities.’

‘Zickie Lim: outstanding legal expertise, provides creative solutions to any blocks in negotiations. Savvy in handling CEOs and Investors to complete a transaction.’

‘Burges Salmon have become my go to firm.’

‘Mark Shepherd has a strong grasp of both the legal and commercial aspects of transactions. He is a pleasure to deal with and he attracts and retains very strong associates who turnaround matters in a very timely manner.’

‘The partners we deal with are all exceptionally capable. Significantly, they have an ability to tune to the culture and style of our organisation and frame both their advice and their approach to match our own. That makes the relationship far more interactive and less transactional and more valuable as a consequence.’

‘Exceptional service. No drama, calm, reassuring guidance with real depth of expertise and experience.’

‘Richard Spink and Tim Roberts, are both excellent practitioners that give you great confidence as a client and get the job done without fuss. They have all the necessary skills and experience from relationship management and technical.’

‘The service is consistent, tight deadlines are always met, communication is very good. Broad spectrum of legal services. All work as one team, core team may bring in expertise from different legal areas if required but still maintain a consistent approach with one main contact.’

‘Commercially oriented, experienced, committed, loyal, diligent, rigorous, ethical, fast, excellent quality/price balance, kind.’

‘Always available and responsive; very commercial and pragmatic and highly professional and cost effective.’

‘High integrity, super professional, client friendly, excellent professional manner of working with clients and the other side.’

‘The team operates seamlessly across offices and timezones. This means we can have confidence in their ability to share knowledge – whether that’s about us as a client or about the latest market practice in the US, Canada and the UK.’

‘I would strongly recommend them. They are responsive, available, and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Luca Gori is a consummate client partner. He shows leadership and he gives excellent advice on the law, developing market practice and commercial approaches. In particular, his experience allows him to read how any deal is likely to play out and anticipate issues. He makes us look good’ 

‘Their expertise with the specificities of VC investments in UK start-ups was invaluable as they reviewed transaction documents and provided advice on acceptable /non acceptable clauses.’

‘They talk the language of a fund manager, not many advisers can do that.’

‘Over the years we as a company have had to deal with many legal firms and individuals within those firms, but what makes SM unique is that their service levels are at a much higher level than other firms. You can talk to the team and they deal with your needs efficiently and quickly and work with you to develop the right solution.’

‘Deep sector expertise and knowledge of the VCT market and growth capital investments.’

‘Kavita Patel can think through a problem quicker than any adviser i know, really impressive to deal with at all levels of a project.’

‘Strong technical capabilities and highly commercial approach.’