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Global

Investment Funds and Corporate

Matt Sanders

Matt Sanders

Matt is the Managing Partner of Walkers' Guernsey office, where he specialises in investment funds and corporate matters. He is a Group Partner* with more than a decade's experience offshore, and works as part of Walkers' Guernsey Investment Funds and Corporate teams on a wide variety of matters relating to the structuring and restructuring of investment funds and high value transactions involving Guernsey company law. He has particular expertise in respect of Guernsey Private Fund structures, and M&A deals involving regulated corporate service providers and trust companies. Matt's work includes advising on complex issues relating to funds, including having acted on the first conversion and migration of the cells of a Guernsey protected cell company to Malta. *Admitted in England & Wales and New Zealand – not admitted in Guernsey
Craig Cordle

Craig Cordle

Craig is an asset management lawyer with over 15 years’ experience in private practice. This includes all aspects of structuring, restructuring, merging, selling, establishing and operating listed and private investment funds, private equity funds, real-estate funds, single-asset vehicles and all other collective investment arrangements. He regularly advises on mergers and acquisition of private and listed companies, schemes of arrangement, and regulatory and competition issues. In addition, following his extensive experience of working on capital markets transactions in the UK, he continues to work with companies listed on stock markets in London and across Europe. He has been consistently recognised for the quality of his advice by Chambers UK, Legal 500 and IFLR 1000. Admitted in: Guernsey England & Wales
Gareth Morgan

Gareth Morgan

Gareth is a group partner in our Investment Funds & Corporate practice group where he specialises in complex fund and corporate structuring. He advises fund managers, institutional investors and local financial institutions on the establishment, restructuring and ongoing operation of investment funds across a wide range of asset classes. Gareth also has extensive experience on relocating investment structures into and out of Guernsey, helping clients manage jurisdictional shifts with minimal disruption and regulatory risk. In the private capital space, Gareth supports clients with the structuring of bespoke holding platforms, co-investment arrangements and carried interest vehicles, often involving multi-jurisdictional considerations and close coordination with onshore counsel. His work also extends to advising fintech and digital asset businesses on fund formation and regulatory positioning in a fast-moving environment. Gareth also advises on a broad range of corporate transactions, with particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions involving regulated structures and international counterparties. He acts for buyers, sellers and investors across sectors, offering strategic guidance on deal structuring, regulatory approvals and post transaction matters, especially where fund or holding vehicle considerations are central to the transaction. *not admitted in Guernsey and not a member of Walkers (Guernsey) LLP
Charlotte Gonçalves

Charlotte Gonçalves

Charlotte is a partner in Walkers' Investment Funds & Corporate Practice Group in Guernsey and has been practising in the jurisdiction since 2013, qualifying as a solicitor of England and Wales in 2016 and admitted as a Guernsey Advocate in 2022. Charlotte advises on all aspects of Guernsey corporate and regulatory law across the financial and insurance markets, most notably in the asset management and investment funds industry. In her investment funds practice Charlotte advises investment fund sponsors and other stakeholders in respect of the full range of private and public investment funds and other collective investment arrangements, including in relation to the formation (both open and closed ended), ongoing operation (including regulatory compliance, sales and acquisitions, transfers of limited partner interests, extensions), restructuring and end-of-life for funds. Her broader corporate and regulatory practice includes advisory work in relation to the range of Guernsey corporate structures, including in relation to economic substance, data protection and corporate governance/best practice. Charlotte has been recognised for the quality of her work by Legal 500, who have rated her as a Rising Star for Corporate & M&A and for Capital Markets. Admitted in: Guernsey England & Wales (not practising)
Jessica Robinson

Jessica Robinson

Jessica Robinson is a senior counsel based in Walkers' Guernsey office, specialising in advising on M&A transactions, corporate restructurings and corporate finance matters. Her experience includes M&A transactions involving regulated trust company service providers, as well as a major Middle East acquisition for Amazon.com Inc. Jessica has worked in Walkers' BVI, Guernsey and Jersey offices, and advises on BVI, Cayman and Guernsey law. Prior to moving offshore, she practised in the London office of a major international firm for five years, during which time she completed two secondments with major banking clients. Jessica also completed another secondment with a major international bank in Jersey, providing training and designing and implementing robust internal legal procedures. Jessica speaks French.
Angela Proctor

Angela Proctor

Angela is a senior associate in Walkers' Guernsey Investment Funds and Corporate Practice Group, with experience across a wide range of listed and unlisted investment funds and corporate law matters. Angela has experience working on private equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity multi-jurisdictional corporate restructuring as well as the establishment and restructuring of investment funds of a wide range of asset classes including private equity, real estate and energy. After qualifying in South Africa and gaining experience in private M&A at a top-tier law firm, Angela has worked in the offshore space at Walkers since 2019.
William Schofield

William Schofield

William Schofield is a senior associate in Walkers' Investment Funds & Corporate group in Guernsey. William advises on all areas of corporate law within the jurisdiction's financial and insurance sectors. His M&A practice has seen him advise on some of Guernsey's most notable deals of the past few years and he has frequently advised where cross-border considerations have played a significant factor. He also has experience with deals involving the local regulators; the Guernsey Financial Services Commission and GCRA. William's investment funds practice features a broad range of clients including sovereign wealth funds and large private equity houses. He has a particular interest in restructuring and end-of-life funds and downstream private equity transactions.

Deals

  • Acting for Seedcamp on the launch of a new venture capital fund in respect of the establishment and launch of their first and second Guernsey funds, Seedcamp VII LP and SC Nation II LP

  • Acting for Equitix on the acquisition of the remaining shares in Bio Capital Limited and Bio Capital 2 Limited, which own a UK-based anaerobic digestion company, which specialises in converting food waste into renewable electricity and gas

  • Advising London Stock Exchange listed closed ended investment fund, APAX Global Alpha Limited, on its Guernsey court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement and all cash acquisition of its shares by a newly formed Guernsey limited company backed by Ares Management LLC and advised by Apax Partners LLP

  • Acting for the Royal Bafokeng Nation, a traditional community in the Rustenburg Valley of South Africa, on the establishment and launch of a Guernsey registered collective investment scheme which will invest up to GBP1 billion into a diverse range of equities

  • Acting on the acquisition of a portfolio of four operational wind farms with an aggregate gross capacity of 122.5 MW via 44 turbines and the further co-investment by Tokyo Century Corporation and SMFL MIRAI Partners into Equitix Fund VII's Guernsey holding structure, including assisting with the debt and equity funding arrangements

Team Services

A trusted partner for all aspects of investment funds and corporate law, our Walkers Guernsey Investment Funds and Corporate practice group offers experienced, seasoned practitioners who have strength in knowledge of the local industry.

We regularly work with many of the world’s most prominent banks, private equity firms, investment/asset managers, international companies and fund intermediaries and are frequently instructed by international law and accountancy firms.

We provide an integrated, multijurisdictional service for all our clients’ private capital needs, including litigation and advisory matters, and capital growth.

We have extensive first-hand experience in the following areas:
- Investment Fund legal services
- Fund formation and regulation
- Restructuring and reorganisations
- Continuance (redomicilation) of funds
- Listings/REITS and IPOs
- Termination and liquidation

Corporate legal services
- Corporate re-organisations
- Corporate governance
- Digital assets, fintech & other new technologies
- Equity capital markets (incl. IPOs) & private placements
- General corporate advice
- Joint ventures & club deals
- Listing services
- Mergers, acquisitions & disposals
- Private equity & venture capital investments (incl. series financing rounds)
- Reorganisations, restructurings & redomiciliations
- Statutory arrangements (incl. schemes of arrangement)
- Takeovers & tender offers
- Take privates

Client testimonials

Confidential

The Walkers team always provide robust advice that is delivered quickly and accurately, and are able to see through complex legal analysis to arrive at the correct solution.

Confidential

The Walkers team has very strong understanding of the legislation, rules and guidance and how to operate within the frameworks with a commercial lens.

Confidential

Good depth and range of skills in the team, which is equipped with London and local experience and has access to the widest range of offices across the international financial centres.

Confidential

Walkers always deliver work on time and keep on top of correspondence even when deals are moving at a very fast pace, which means the offshore elements of deals always run quickly and smoothly.

Confidential

The individuals within the Walkers investment funds team are their key strength and are a differentiator to their competitors. From associates to partners, they make themselves available and are always happy to help or provide guidance in way that is easy to understand and deals with the specific topic under review.

Awards and Recognition

Best Offshore Law Firm | Hedge Fund Services Awards | Europe