Investment fund formation and management
Linklaters LLP continues to advise both investors and sponsors on major private equity, real estate, and credit strategies. The London investment funds practice sits within a global network, allowing top European fund managers to benefit from its full spectrum of funds structuring, fund regulation, and fund tax advice with international components. Team lead Matt Keogh is an expert in fund formation in private credit and also receives a steady stream of instructions pertaining to the retailisation of private funds. Rahul Manvatkar specialises in fund-related regulation, with a particular focus on ESG and sustainability issues. Clare Baker is well known for advising investors in their investments into private funds, as well as handling GP and LP-led secondary transactions. Rounding out the team are a number of notable associates, including Emily Simmons, Gareth Crimp, and Olof Echt.
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Work Department
Investment Funds
Career
Rahul is a Partner in Linklaters’ Investment Funds practice. He has extensive experience of transactional and advisory work in relation to a broad range of open and closed-ended investment funds, both onshore and offshore, aimed at institutional and retail clients. He also advises on broader investment management arrangements including managed account arrangements, co-investment arrangements and carried interest arrangements. His experience covers a variety of asset classes including real estate, private equity, infrastructure, credit and hedge funds.
Rahul has extensive experience of acting for both sponsors and investors. He is a driving force behind our practice advising on AIFMD, SFDR and other funds-related regulation.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is dedicated, experienced, responsive and always provides outstanding work. Communication is flawless, and each team member is approachable and easy to work with. The team headed by Clare Baker is our favourite, and we can always rely on their swift and high-quality response.’
‘Clare Baker is an all-rounded professional but also a very approachable partner. She is proactive, extremely knowledgeable and is excellent at developing and maintaining business relations. We are very happy clients.’
‘I cannot speak highly enough of the Linklaters private funds team's exceptional expertise, responsiveness, and collaborative spirit. Their deep understanding of the market, combined with their pragmatic and solutions-oriented approach, makes them an invaluable partner.'
'They consistently deliver top-tier legal advice with clarity and precision, even under tight timelines; I absolutely love working with them - they are a true extension of our team and a joy to collaborate with.’
'The Linklaters fund team has a mixed sponsor and investor practice, which we consider an asset. Not only do the team have strong fundraising experience and capabilities across asset classes, the team also has a great understanding of the sophisticated global investor landscape.’‘We value Matt Keogh's pragmatic problem-solving approach as well as deep market insights that have steered many of our recent successful fundraisers; Matt is approachable and available, which is hugely valued. Separately, we want to call out Matt’s leadership of this team – he clearly prioritises the wellbeing and development of his team.’
‘Clare Baker is great to work with - highly trusted, very experienced and able to assimilate complex concepts in a way that makes them understandable and digestible for in-house counsel and non-lawyers alike.’
‘Incredibly strong funds team with unique and broad expertise on LP-side investments into funds. Fun and user-friendly, always tailoring their advice to be more helpful on the client side and continually looking at ways to suggest improved processes and systems to strengthen the client experience.’
‘Clare Baker is a truly astounding partner who manages to be and do everything while making it look easy. Her advice is commercial and solutions-focused, and her leadership style clearly attracts strong associates who want to work with her, challenge themselves and give their best.’
'Our main contacts are Clare Baker, partner, and Olof Echt, counsel. Clare is an all rounded professional but also a very approachable partner. She is proactive, extremely knowledgeable and is excellent at developing and maintaining business relations. Olof is an outstanding counsel: always responsive, efficient, constructive in his approach and consistently delivering high quality products. We are very happy clients.'
'Very strong service overall - the fact that they represent both Managers and Investors means they see a lot of the market and can consider points from both sides when advising us as a manager. They are very responsive when needed.'
Key clients
- Ardian Barings Brookfield Cerberus DWS Macquarie Asset Management Morgan Stanley Q-Energy QIC SoftBank
Work highlights
Advising QIC as fund counsel in relation to its flagship European Infrastructure Debt Fund (“QIDF”), a closed ended infrastructure debt fund focusing on investments located in the OECD countries.
Advising on the launch of its first European direct lending strategy – an expansion of the firm’s private credit offering.
Structuring, establishing, negotiating and closing two large complex co-investments and syndication processes for Brookfield Asset Management in connection with the acquisition of two high-profile businesses in the Middle East.