The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - Solicitors > London > Listed funds

Gowling WLG's listed investment funds practice, which is led by Nick Heather, represents both listed vehicles and major intermediaries such as investment banks and brokers, often with support from the firm's tax and regulatory departments. The team has particular expertise in closed-ended listed investment funds, and is one of the busiest firms in this area in terms of deal volumes. The 'exceptional' Oliver Riley focuses on the launch, structuring and reconstruction of onshore and offshore closed-ended funds, while other recommended members of the team include Kristian Rogers, who specialises in capital raisings, John Reed and senior associate Kate Seabourne.

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP's investment funds team is 'knowledgeable, experienced, commercial and responsive'. The firm has built a reputation for developing innovative capital structures which often straddle the line between closed-ended and open-ended funds, especially with regards to regulatory and tax aspects and voting structures. IPOs, fundraisings and placing programmes are the firm's core areas of operation, supplemented by a number of regulatory mandates relating to the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFD), Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and Brexit. In a standout highlight, team head Nigel Farr, Sarah Pollock and others assisted with the fundraising of SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust, one of the first UK listed investment funds to invest exclusively in the energy efficiency sector. Nish Dissanayake is the name to note for listed fund formation and funds-related regulatory advice. Tim West is also highly recommended.

William Saunders heads up the investment funds practice at Stephenson Harwood, which is acclaimed for its 'depth of experience across the team and first-class client accessibility'. The firm boasts a constantly growing client roster of both listed funds and brokers, with instructions from a total of eleven new clients in the past year. Regulatory assistance is an area of regular workflow, with the firm supporting clients through the implementation of Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs) Regulation and MiFID II. On the IPO side, Alex Haynes and others acted for N+1 Singer in their role as financial adviser and placing agent on the IPO of Hipgnosis Songs Fund. This is the first listed investment company to deliver returns to investors through investment in songs and associated musical intellectual property rights. Senior associate Kate Longman and Alexa Whitehead both garner praise from the firm's competitors.

While Hogan Lovells International LLP represents the full spectrum of players in the funds space including sponsors, investors and activists, it has a penchant for issuer-side work. Recent expansion into representing more investment banking clients is also evident. The firm's experience in listing funds on London's equity capital markets spans the London Stock Exchange's Main Market, the Specialist Fund Market and AIM. Besides this, the group also handles primary and secondary capital raisings. The firm's Washington office often supports the London team with securities advice relevant to US-based investors. Erik Jamieson is practice head; Jeremy Pickles is recommended for his expertise in the infrastructure, reinsurance and real estate asset classes.

With a reputation for 'strong investment fund knowledge built up over many years', Norton Rose Fulbright's asset and wealth management team sits within the firm's broader corporate, M&A and securities practice. The group has a strong history advising on IPOs, with mattes including its representation of Trian Investors 1 in the client's £270m offering. 'Reliable, experienced and committed' partner Ian Fox led on this mandate. The firm is also noted for adopting and maintaining close relationships with major regulatory and trade bodies. Senior associate Margaret Simcock boasts both international experience (having spent six months at the firm's Bahrain office) and in-house experience (through a secondment at  Fenchurch Advisory Partners). Head of team Richard Sheen is a key contact.

'Niche expertise in specific areas balanced by sound commercial advice' is a unique feature of the investment funds group at Travers Smith LLP, according to one client. The team is led by Sam Kay, with core practitioners Aaron Stocks and Will Normand highlighted as being 'highly engaged and motivated partners'. Besides working for high-profile funds on the London market, the firm also represents managers with global investor bases and leading investment banks. Recent years have been marked by an increase in the number of US-based managers who choose to instruct the firm, in part due to the ancillary expertise of the firm's in-house US securities law group led by Dan McNamee. Advising Smithson Investment Trust on what was at the time the UK's largest ever investment trust launch was a major recent highlight.

'Always available, pleasant to deal with and clear at communicating' is how one client describes Charles Russell Speechlys LLP's investment funds department, which is jointly led by Jonathan Bayliss  and Keir Gordon. The group was strengthened by the addition of real estate funds expert Melville Rodrigues, who joined from CMS in April 2018. A varied client list is a key feature of the practice, which regularly assists both major institutional fund management groups and smaller boutique managers. The firm's charity-sector group works hand-in-hand with the funds practice, attracting a number of charity fund managers. Victoria Younghusband is recommended for her 'extremely responsive manner'.

At Slaughter and May, Roland Turnill and others are advising Prudential on the demerger of its UK & Europe business; this transaction will form two separate listed companies. The firm has developed a reputation for advising financial institutions on the impact of Brexit, including potential restructuring options for the asset management and investment fund arms of these entities. Cross-jurisdictional fund mandates are a core area of work, with pan-European structures being a particular favourite for the corporate team. Robert Chaplin, Paul Dickson and Jan Putnis together lead the practice and are key contacts.