Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP

David Arnold

David Arnold is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Private Equity Practice Group in London. His practice is focused on representing financial investors and corporate clients across Europe and the US on mergers and acquisitions, divestments, restructurings, capital raisings and general corporate law matters.

Simon Baskerville

Simon Baskerville is a partner in Willkie’s Restructuring Department, and a Co-Chair of the European Restructuring Group. He is based in the Firm’s London office. Simon has more than 25 years of experience representing stakeholders in stressed, distressed, and insolvency situations in the UK and internationally. He is recognized as a leading lawyer in the restructuring industry with particular experience acting for lenders, bondholders, companies and financial sponsors on complex cross-border restructurings.

Tim Baumgartner

Tim Baumgartner is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and a member of Willkie’s Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group. Tim has extensive experience advising on a wide range of corporate transactions, including international and domestic M&A (including competitive auction processes on the buy and sell side), joint ventures and long-term strategic partnerships, intra-group restructurings and general corporate advisory work. In additional to general corporate transactions, Tim has a particular focus in the insurance sector, advising on the full spectrum of corporate insurance transactions, which in addition to the above includes transactions within the Lloyd’s market, portfolio transfers and complex reinsurance transactions for both life and non-life businesses.

Boris Bronfentrinker

Boris Bronfentrinker is a partner in Willkie’s Litigation and Antitrust & Competition practices in London. Boris is a solicitor advocate practicing in complex commercial litigation, with particular experience in competition litigation. He has represented clients, both as claimants and defendants, in leading and high profile cases in both the High Court of England & Wales and the Competition Appeal Tribunal, as well as coordinating competition litigation proceedings in other jurisdictions globally. Regularly acting for both claimants and defendants gives Boris a unique perspective and insight into the conduct of competition disputes from both sides. Boris is experienced in not only litigating cases to judgment but also resolving claims through alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation. Boris also has experience of representing clients in the defence of investigations by the European Commission and national competition authorities, including sector inquiries, as well as managing internal investigations into competition law and bribery/corruption issues.

Eilidh Brown

Nicholas Bugler

Nicholas Bugler is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group in London.. He advises on a wide range of issues affecting the international insurance and reinsurance industries. He advises both insurance and reinsurance companies, insurance general agents and investors of all types. Recently, he has had a particular focus on the intersection of the reinsurance and capital markets industries.

Peter Burrell

Peter Burrell is Chair of Willkie’s Litigation, Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement, and White Collar Defence Practice Groups in London. He is the Managing Partner of the London office. Peter is recognised as one of the UK’s leading specialists in corporate crime and compliance matters. His practice includes advising on compliance issues relating to money laundering, bribery and corruption, sanctions and fraud; conducting complex internal corporate investigations; and defending companies and individuals in investigations and enforcement actions by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority, HM Revenue and Customs, and other law enforcement and regulatory agencies. He also handles complex High Court litigation and arbitration proceedings in London, with a particular focus on financial fraud, securities disputes and financial reporting issues.

Cristina Caggiano

Nicola Chesaites

Nicola Chesaites is a partner in Willkie’s Litigation and Antitrust & Competition practices in London. Nicola has extensive experience of competition damages litigation before UK courts, having represented claimants and defendants before the English High Court and the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, including applications for collective proceedings orders under the UK’s new competition class-action regime. Nicola also has significant experience in challenging and defending EU institutions in EU law matters, having represented clients in EU banking, trade, sanctions, customs, pharmaceutical, transport and competition law disputes. She has appeared before the EU General Court and Court of Justice in Luxembourg in over 25 cases, and represented the EU in many disputes. Nicola’s experience acting for both claimants and defendants, as well as her extensive experience of complex EU litigation provides her with an extremely valuable perspective for claimants and defendants involved in multi-jurisdictional claims, especially concerning matters of competition and EU law, before national courts and the EU courts in Luxembourg.

Michelle Clark

Michelle Clark is a partner in Willkie’s Antitrust & Competition and Litigation practices in London. Her areas of practice include competition litigation, UK and EU regulatory investigations and GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018 compliance and litigation. Michelle is recognised in the market as a leading competition lawyer with particular experience in competition litigation. Acting for both claimants and defendants, she regularly coordinates multi-jurisdictional litigation with a particular focus on collective actions, cartel damages and abuse of dominance claims, often involving intellectual property and FRAND issues. Her experience includes litigating in the English High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. Michelle also advises clients in relation to competition investigations, both infringement proceedings and market sector inquiries, and consequential appeals and judicial reviews following decisions of competition and regulatory authorities. Michelle's vast experience spans multiple industries, with a particular focus on the financial services, automotive, retail, sports, media, pharmaceutical and technology sectors. Michelle also provides strategic and general competition counselling advice.

Philip Coletto

Philip Coletto is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and Private Equity Group in London. His practice focuses on advising private equity sponsors and other institutional investors on a range of complex, cross-border investments, including leveraged buy outs, minority investments, carve-outs, special situation transactions and growth and venture capital. Philip has represented, amongst others, Insight Partners, Davidson Kempner, Blantyre Capital, Genstar Capital, Aquiline Capital Partners, Freshstream, IK Partners, Bluewater, Ardian and FFL Partners.

Henrietta De Salis

Henrietta de Salis is a partner in Willkie’s Asset Management and Corporate & Financial Services Departments and is based in the Firm’s London office. She heads Willkie’s Financial Services Regulatory practice in London and is also part of the Firm's Structured Finance & Derivatives, Cybersecurity & Privacy, Digital Works and Environmental, Social & Governance Practice Groups. Henrietta is a financial services lawyer providing advice and transaction support to banks, securities firms, asset and investment managers, funds and intermediaries — including broker-dealers, custodians, trading platforms, private equity firms, wealth managers and insurers — on UK and European financial services legislation and compliance matters in both the wholesale and retail markets.

Edward Downer

Edward Downer is a partner in the Business Reorganization & Restructuring Department. With extensive experience in international financial restructurings, distressed debt investment and stressed and distressed financings, Edward is a go-to adviser for clients investing or involved in financial distress situations. He has developed a broad restructuring practice in the UK, Europe, Australia and the US, representing distressed debt investors, special situations lenders, distressed companies and other finance parties including bank and non-bank trustee companies.

Joseph Ferraro

Joseph Ferraro is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Insurance - Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group in London. He has a broad range of experience advising on mergers and acquisitions transactions and corporate finance matters, including private equity investments, insurance linked securities, stock exchange listings and public offerings.

Colin Fulton

Colin Fulton is a partner in the Asset Management Department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP in London. Colin’s practice focuses on advising sponsors of private investment funds, co-investment vehicles and separately managed accounts, in connection with a broad range of matters, including fund formation and on-going operational matters, co-investments and secondary transactions. He also advises fund sponsors and managers in structuring their governance and compensation arrangements. Colin has experience representing investors seeking opportunities in private investment funds as passive investors, co-investors and anchor investors covering numerous sectors and strategies, including buyout, debt, real estate, infrastructure, venture capital, fund of funds and energy funds.

Daniel Gendron

Daniel Gendron is a partner in Willkie’s Corporate & Financial Services Department and Finance Practice in London. He has extensive experience in leveraged finance transactions, hybrid capital, special situations and financial restructurings, as well as high yield bond issuances. He acts for a variety of borrowers (focusing on financial sponsors and their portfolio companies) and lenders (focusing on private capital providers, in particular hybrid capital and credit opportunities funds). He has wide-ranging experience in both new money and stressed/distressed financings, enabling him to deliver comprehensive and commercial advice to his clients. Daniel has advised on significant matters including: Platinum Equity on: the financing of its acquisition of Sunrise Medical, a world leader in advanced assistive mobility solutions, from Nordic Capital the financing of its acquisition of Imerys’ High Temperature Solutions business, the financing aspects of its acquisition of HarbisonWalker International, and the group’s subsequent refinancing Insight Partners on the financing aspects of its sale of a majority stake in AMCS, a global leader in performance and sustainability software, to EQT Private Equity IK Partners on its acquisition of a minority stake in A-SAFE, a leading manufacturer and distributor of industrial polymer safety barrier systems Searchlight Capital Partners on its recommended final cash offer for the entire share capital of London-listed Gresham House plc, a specialist alternative asset manager Investcorp Technology Partners in the financing of its acquisition of software solutions firm NetRom

Gavin Gordon

Gavin Gordon is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department in London and Chair of the European Private Equity Practice Group. His practice is focused on representing sponsors and other investors on European buy outs, take privates and growth deals. He also represents multiple clients in relation to special situation and distressed M&A opportunities. Gavin has advised many of the leading European and U.S. sponsors on transactions in the UK and almost every European jurisdiction.

Andrew Gray

Andy Gray is a partner in the Corporate and Financial Services Department and the Private Equity Practice Group in London. He represents major financial sponsors and corporations based across Europe and North America on various corporate transactions, focusing on leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, public takeovers, restructurings and capital raisings.

David Griffiths

Giles Harvey

Giles Harvey is an associate in Willkie's Litigation and Investigations & Enforcement Practices in London. Giles has broad experience in the litigation and arbitration of commercial disputes including post-M&A SPA claims, and matters concerning civil fraud. Giles has represented a number of leading corporates in high stakes disputes, often involving concurrent proceedings and arbitrations in a number of jurisdictions. He also experience in follow-on damages litigation arising in competition law.

Jerry Healy

Jerry Healy is a partner in Willkie’s Litigation and Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement Practices in London. Jerry has broad experience in the litigation and arbitration of commercial disputes including banking and finance related matters and civil fraud. Jerry has represented a number of leading corporates and financial institutions in high-profile and high value disputes, frequently involving concurrent proceedings in a number of jurisdictions. He also acts for financial institutions and corporates involved in regulatory investigations and enforcements, both civil and criminal, and in implementing anti-corruption systems.

Melanie James

Melanie James is a partner in Corporate & Financial Services Department and a member of Willkie’s Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group. Melanie is an insurance sector leader with over 20 years' experience handling (re)insurance transactional, commercial and regulatory matters, gained both in-house and in private practice. She uniquely combines her experience across these disciplines to provide her clients with exceptional and very well-informed advice. Melanie advises on all aspects of non-contentious insurance transactions including domestic and cross-border M&A (both buy and sell side), joint ventures, reorganizations (including SE and cross-border mergers), portfolio transfers and complex reinsurance transactions, international distribution arrangements as well as structuring, formation and licensing of (re)insurance platforms and PRA, FCA and Lloyd's regulation.

Graham Lane

Graham Lane is a partner in the Business Reorganization & Restructuring Department and Co-Chair of the European Restructuring Group. He advises stakeholders in all types of restructuring and insolvency matters, with a particular focus on complex cross-border projects. Graham is frequently called upon to: (i) act for par and distressed investors in both "yield" and "loan to own" scenarios; (ii) act for large multinational debtor groups in the negotiation, documentation and implementation of complex and frequently hostile restructuring transactions; (iii) act for private equity and venture capital investors seeking to capitalise on restructuring opportunities and to protect and optimise existing investments; and (iv) provide advice and guidance for insolvency practitioners, particularly in connection with novel and ground-breaking issues arising from "COMI shifts" and pre-packaged administrations. Graham has gained extensive experience from playing key roles in some of the largest and most noteworthy market-leading restructurings of the last decade, including Intu, Lecta, Europcar, Agrokor, Premier Oil, Travelodge, Klöckner Pentaplast, MF Global and European Directories. He is also known for his broad experience in the French market having been involved in CGG, Vivarte, Latécoère, Eurotunnel and other significant French restructurings.

Kirsty Maclean

Kirsty Maclean is a partner in the London office and member of the Corporate & Financial Services Department. Kirsty advises insurance, reinsurance and other financial institution clients on a broad range of transactions and non-contentious matters. Kirsty has gained a reputation as a notable lawyer in the longevity and pension de-risking market, having advised European and US-based clients on many of the largest and highest-profile longevity transactions completed to date. Kirsty regularly advises on complex collateralised reinsurance transactions and has a particular focus on the interface between (re)insurance and the capital markets.

Claire McDaid

Claire McDaid is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Private Equity Practice Group in London. She focuses on private equity and corporate M&A transactions, advising principally financial sponsors, family offices, corporates and strategic investors on a variety of cross-border investment transactions, including leveraged buyouts, complex carve-outs, club deals, growth equity, recapitalisations and liquidity transactions. Claire has particular experience in the distressed and turnaround sphere, advising a variety of stakeholders in such transactions across Europe.

Rita Mitchell

Rita D. Mitchell is a partner in Willkie’s Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement and White Collar Defence Practices in London. Dual-qualified in the US and the UK, her practice includes advising and defending corporations in a variety of criminal and civil investigation and enforcement matters, conducting complex, worldwide internal investigations in relation to bribery, corruption, fraud, sanctions, human/business rights, and money laundering, advising on and developing and benchmarking compliance programs, conducting pre-merger and third party due diligence, and providing day-to-day counseling and training on compliance with US and English laws, including the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and UK Bribery Act 2010 (Bribery Act).

Simon Osborn-King

Simon Osborn-King is a partner in Willkie's Litigation and Investigations & Enforcement Practice Groups in London. Simon has a broad-ranging domestic and cross-border contentious practice specialising in civil, criminal and regulatory investigations and disputes involving allegations of fraud, bribery, money laundering, sanctions violations, data breaches and other misconduct. Simon has particular experience in advising on compliance and governance issues, including the design and implementation of compliance programmes. Simon also frequently handles complex contractual disputes and contentious business restructuring and reorganisation matters in London. Simon’s experience covers a wide spectrum of industry sectors, including financial services, professional services, information technology and energy resources & industrials.

Dharshini Prasad

Dharshini Prasad is Partner in the firm's International Arbitration practice group. She is triple qualified to practice in Singapore, England and Wales, and New York and has extensive experience in the resolution of complex cross-border disputes in both civil and common law jurisdictions. Dharshini has advised States, State entities and corporations on commercial, investment and public international law issues and has represented clients in ad hoc and institutional arbitrations under multiple arbitral rules in the United States, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. She has particular experience with energy, mining, private equity and pharmaceutical disputes having represented clients in several billion-dollar arbitrations in these sectors. Dharshini also has an active practice as arbitrator and regularly teaches, writes and speaks on issues of international arbitration.

Komal Raina

Komal Raina is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Finance Department in London. Komal focuses on a wide range of financing transactions acting for sponsors and alternative asset managers including on leveraged and acquisition financings, distressed lending transactions and restructurings.

Rahul Saha

Rahul Saha is a partner in Willkie's London office. Rahul advises on a wide range of EU and UK competition law issues, including EU and UK merger control, cartels, competition litigation and UK market investigations. He advises across a wide range of sectors including heavy industry, retail, consumer, e-commerce, telecom and energy. He also has experience advising on EU and UK sector-specific regulation relating to energy and telecom.

Timothy Sawyer

Tim Sawyer is counsel in Willkie’s Finance Department in London. He has extensive experience acting for leading sponsors on major acquisition financings, refinancings and related transactions opposite large bank syndicates and credit funds. He advises clients across the credit spectrum on a broad range of loan products, including on complex multi-jurisdiction transactions.

Jane Scobie

Jane Scobie is a partner in the Tax Department. She advises clients on a broad range of complex corporate and commercial tax matters with a particular focus on private equity transactions including investments, private and public company takeovers, private fund formation and restructurings as well as other private funds issues. She also assists clients on employment taxation and share incentive arrangements.

Jennifer Tait

Dual qualified in the UK and in NY, Jennifer Tait is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department. Jennifer practiced corporate and securities law in New York before moving to the London office. Her focus includes representing issuers and underwriters in capital markets transactions in the US and in Europe, in public and private offerings of debt (including high yield), equity and hybrid securities. Jennifer also has experience in liability management transactions including consent solicitations, and tender and exchange offers, corporate and securities regulatory issues, and disclosure and corporate governance matters. Jennifer also has particular experience representing (re)insurers and investment banks in connection with insurance-linked securities transactions, including catastrophe bonds and other (re)insurance structured finance products.

Andrew Tromans

Andrew Tromans is a partner in the London office and a member of the Corporate & Financial Services Department. He advises insurance and financial institution clients – including life and non-life insurance companies – Lloyd's vehicles, brokers and other intermediaries on a broad range of company law matters, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, outsourcings and start-ups. Andrew has conducted a number of significant insurance business transfers under Part VII of FSMA 2000. His practice also includes advising on policy wordings, FSA and EU regulatory matters (including the UK regulatory handbooks and the implementation of Solvency II), capital-raisings and the establishment of new insurance vehicles. He has particular experience in the life insurance market and has also advised on a number of significant transactions in relation to businesses at Lloyd's of London.

Elaine Whiteford

Elaine Whiteford is a partner in Willkie's Litigation and Antitrust & Competition practices in London. She has over 20 years' experience of contentious EU, Competition and Regulatory work, specialising in follow-on damages litigation, challenges to regulatory decisions, cartel investigations and threatened disputes. Elaine also has extensive experience in relation to regulatory investigations conducted by the European Commission and other competition regulators. Her regulatory experience also extends to investigations by the Competition and Markets Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority, Ofwat, the Swiss Competition Commission and the Singapore Competition Authority and her experience includes investigating conduct, evaluating evidence and preparing leniency applications.

Solomon Wifa

Solomon Wifa is a partner in the Asset Management Group. A well-established investment funds lawyer with experience across a diverse range of asset classes, Solomon has represented sponsors in the formation of, and institutional investors investing in, private equity, hedge, debt, mezzanine, infrastructure, real estate, energy and venture capital funds across a variety of sectors. Solomon also has extensive experience working on a wide range of secondary transactions, secondary directs, co-investment deals, management spinouts, managed accounts and joint ventures, and is involved in transactions in China, sub-Saharan Africa, India, Turkey and Central and Eastern Europe.

Ashley Young

Ashley Young is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and Co-Chair of the European Finance Department. He has approximately 20 years of experience advising clients on complex cross-border financing transactions. His practice focuses on acting for sponsors and borrowers, including private equity funds and their portfolio companies as well as credit funds at all levels of the capital structure on UK and international acquisitions, leveraged financings, restructurings and special situations transactions. In recent years Ashley has also handled multiple performing and non-performing loan acquisitions and the financings of those transactions.