Freshfields boosts private capital team in London
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has named Mary Lavelle as a new partner on its private capital team and global transactions practice in London.
She will also be appointed as global co-head of the law firm’s private funds and secondaries (PFS) group alongside Tim Clark in the US.
She joins from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, with experience advising investment managers and financial institutions on a broad range of investment fund formation and asset management matters, as well as private equity-driven transactions using fund structures and investor representation on fund investments and co-investments.
Read more: Finance partner Benoit Lavigne re-joins Ropes & Gray to advise on credit
She has also advised secondary buyers and sellers on a wide range of transactions, including portfolio sales and GP-led continuation fund deals, with secondaries experience in multiple asset classes including private credit.
“I am delighted to welcome Mary to our London team and global transactions practice,” said London transactions head, Andrew Hutchings. “She will work closely with Tim Clark to drive forward the growth of our private funds and secondaries team in particular in order to enhance further the delivery of excellent client service. This latest appointment forms part of the firm’s wider plan for strategic growth in the private capital space.”
Clark added: “Mary is a highly experienced secondaries and fund formation lawyer with an impressive market reputation and track record. Her secondaries and funds practice will complement our global M&A, private capital, and corporate practice. I am very pleased to welcome her to our growing team and look forward to working closely with her as PFS practice co-heads in building a leading PFS practice within the firm’s global footprint.”
A number of law firms have been expanding their private capital teams of late. Goodwin yesterday announced that it has hired credit fund expert John Anderson as a partner, joining its private investment funds practice.
And Morrison Foerster has appointed Tammy C. Davies as a partner in its finance group in New York to boost its alternative credit expertise.