Ropes & Gray LLP is an ‘international powerhouse’, allowing clients of the private funds team to benefit from its multijurisdictional fund structuring expertise. The firm’s global resources are employed across a broad range of strategies, from private equity and credit to energy and renewables. Tom Alabaster is increasingly active in new structures, including open-ended funds, while Christopher Townsend focuses on traditional closed-ended funds and co-investment and carried interest arrangements. Eve Ellis leverages two decades of experience advising on financial services, accumulating an in-depth understanding of fund regulation.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Chris Townsend is highly skilled and spends time understanding the specific interests, issues and concerns of each client, commercial and has great availability.’
‘They are a truly international powerhouse. Working with UK and US teams on joint projects is seamless and feels like working with a single team. Similarly, they manage to leverage their broad, international expertise to guide clients to a successful international fundraise irrespective of sponsor profile/location.’
‘Chris Townsend is highly commercial and solution-oriented. Always available and working towards getting the best results for his clients.’
‘The core team stands out for its good understanding of our business and the commercial context in which we operate. This insight enables them to provide legal advice that is not only technically sound, but also highly pragmatic and aligned with our strategic goals.'
‘Tom Alabaster stands out as an exceptional lawyer and trusted business partner. Tom combines deep legal expertise with a commercial mindset, consistently offering innovative and practical solutions to complex challenges. His ability to understand our business drivers and translate them into actionable legal strategies has been invaluable.’
‘Eve Ellis - hard-working, responsive and thoughtful. She is always on top of her brief, is one of the smartest people in the room, and a joy to work with.'
- 'Tom Alabaster - has deep insights in the market, will find bespoke solutions for clients rather than just following the trend and has a clarity of thinking.’
‘Ropes & Gray have one of the leading private funds practices in the US and European markets, with some excellent practitioners. They have built out a 'full service' team that encompasses fund-raising as well as all of the core transactional, regulatory and securities advisory practices that clients require.’
'Tom Alabaster and Chris Townsend are outstanding practitioners that strive to protect clients while at the same time understanding the counterparty's position and concerns and finding a common solution.'
'Their approach is bespoke, thoughtful and prepared to think out of the box to find the right solution for their clients. Their team has a deep understanding of the market and provides top quality advice to top-drawer clients.'
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Tom Alabaster
Other key lawyers
Christopher Townsend; Eve Ellis