Firm Profile > Goodwin > London, England

Venture capital Tier 1

Venture capital Tier 1

Real estate funds Tier 1

'Responsive, thoughtful and pro-active' is how one client describes the real estate funds group at Goodwin, which is led by the 'very impressive' Samantha Lake Coghlan. The impressive breadth of the practice, which covers closed-ended, open-ended and variable-priced real estate funds, is matched by the wide range of underlying real estate asset classes it has experience in. These include office, retail, residential, senior housing and infrastructure projects. In-house expertise in the areas of tax, Luxembourg vehicles and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ensure that the team is able to tailor fund structures to the highly specific regulatory requirements of both institutional and high net-worth investors. UK and pan-European fund specialist David Evans is a valued member of the team; also noted is Michael Halford, who is a particular favourite for investor-side clients.

Commercial property: hotels and leisure Tier 2

Hailed for ‘the breadth of its experience’, Goodwin directs particular attention towards the hotels and leisure sector where it represents equity investors and other capital sources investing in hospitality assets, as well as operators of hotels and resorts. The City team, which is closely integrated with the firm’s US practice and operates on matters across the globe, handles acquisitions, disposals, financing, franchising agreements, developments, employment and regulatory matters, among others. Also noted as ‘solid on commercial property investment’, the group is recommended for inbound cross-border investment, capital raising and transactional work. The highly recommended Joe Conder has a client base of sovereign wealth funds and ultra-high-net-worth managers and is a specialist on development financing, leaseback transactions and real estate financing.

Commercial property: investment Tier 2

Hailed for ‘the breadth of its experience’, Goodwin directs particular attention towards the hotels and leisure sector where it represents equity investors and other capital sources investing in hospitality assets, as well as operators of hotels and resorts. The City team, which is closely integrated with the firm’s US practice and operates on matters across the globe, handles acquisitions, disposals, financing, franchising agreements, developments, employment and regulatory matters, among others. Also noted as ‘solid on commercial property investment’, the group is recommended for inbound cross-border investment, capital raising and transactional work. The highly recommended Joe Conder has a client base of sovereign wealth funds and ultra-high-net-worth managers and is a specialist on development financing, leaseback transactions and real estate financing.

Private equity: transactions – mid-tier – up to £250m Tier 2

Goodwin acts for more than 20 PE houses ranging in size from smaller UK-based firms to global buyout giants. The firm boasts strong sector-specific specialisms in technology and healthcare; the former is especially busy, with the firm advising on an increase in transactions involving tech-enabled or tech-disruptive businesses. Gemma Roberts led in advising GTT Communications on its $2.3bn acquisition of Interroute, a deal that originated in the UK but spanned five different jurisdictions. Financial services is another sector of deep expertise. Besides acquisitions and exits for PE houses, the team also works on PE fund secondary work and occasionally represents portfolio companies and management teams. Mark Soundy departed to establish his own management-focused practice in October 2018; the same month saw Michael Miranda made up to the partnership. Richard Lever heads the practice.

Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology Tier 3

Goodwin has a track record acting for life sciences companies and investors on corporate transactions such as M&A and IPOs as well as securities offerings and venture capital financings. It is especially expert in advising on early stage financings. Graham Defries, Andrew Harrow and Sophie McGrath are key advisors in these areas. The team has been greatly boosted with the hire of Malcolm Bates, David Mardle, Tim Worden and Adrian Rainey who joined in mid 2019 from Taylor Wessing LLP and bring a wealth of life sciences-focused corporate, commercial transactional and regulatory expertise.

Private funds Tier 3

'One could not ask for a better team of partners than Michael Halford, Shawn D’Aguiar and Patrick Deasy' at Goodwin, according to one client of the firm. The private investment funds group boasts 'decades of proven track record working with both large and emerging funds across the world', as well as Luxembourg vehicle-specific expertise. Tax, regulatory and finance capabilities are also integrated within the offering. D’Aguiar boasts a clear specialism in infrastructure, energy and emerging markets funds; he recently assisted Ambienta with the raising of Ambienta III, which is dedicated to private equity investments related to long-term environmental growth trends. 'True professional' Ajay Pathak led on the establishment of VLC Renewables Fund I for Low Carbon, which will invest in European renewable energy generation projects. Also highly recommended is associate Benjamin Yeoh, whose practice spans private equity, real estate, infrastructure, debt and venture capital funds.

Private equity: transactions – high-value deals (£250m+) Tier 4

Goodwin acts for more than 20 PE houses ranging in size from smaller UK-based firms to global buyout giants. The firm boasts strong sector-specific specialisms in technology and healthcare; the former is especially busy, with the firm advising on an increase in transactions involving tech-enabled or tech-disruptive businesses. Gemma Roberts led in advising GTT Communications on its $2.3bn acquisition of Interroute, a deal that originated in the UK but spanned five different jurisdictions. Financial services is another sector of deep expertise. Besides acquisitions and exits for PE houses, the team also works on PE fund secondary work and occasionally represents portfolio companies and management teams. Mark Soundy departed to establish his own management-focused practice in October 2018; the same month saw Michael Miranda made up to the partnership. Richard Lever heads the practice.

Corporate tax Tier 5

Goodwin's team focuses on private equity and real estate taxation. working closely with the London office's other departments to provide clients with a full service. On the funds side, a particular strength of  the  City office , the group assists clients with the formation of funds and their transactions. Following the departure of Sarah Priestley, who left to co-found PriestleySoundy in December 2018, Goodwin's tax team is led by private investment fund taxation expert Laura Charkin, who also leads on European tax, and has experience in structuring Luxembourg-based funds. Senior associate Katie Leah is noted for transactional tax matters. In June 2019, the group welcomed venture capital and real estate tax specialist Rob Young from Taylor Wessing LLP.

Property finance Tier 5

Goodwin acts for both lenders and borrowers, including major banks, insurers and institutional investors. Areas of strength include acquisition finance, development finance, financings involving portfolios of real estate companies located across Europe, refinancings and CMBS loans. Practice head Paul Lyons is noted for his expertise in leveraged finance, and counsel Colin Baker has extensive experience advising financial institutions, asset managers and private equity firms on real estate and private equity financings.