Howard Watt > Fladgate LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Fladgate LLP Offices

16 GREAT QUEEN STREET
LONDON
WC2B 5DG
England
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Howard Watt

Work Department
Corporate. Venture Capital
Position
I am a corporate transactional partner with a particular focus on UK and European venture capital. My practice is built on providing commercial, pragmatic advice and efficient deal execution to all players in the European venture capital ecosystem.
I have significant experience and expertise in venture capital transactions, having spent time both in-house and in private practice. My deal experience ranges from early/seed stage investments spanning the full life cycle of Series A-D and through to M&A and IPO exits for venture backed companies. I am recognised in the latest Legal 500 and Chambers guides as a leading individual in my field.
I advise angels, founders, companies and many of the leading early stage and growth venture capital funds operating in Europe. My transaction history has covered a wide variety of sectors including fintech, gaming, medical and health tech, SaaS, ad-tech, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, consumer tech, cryptocurrency and blockchain. The investor side of my practice is particularly strong which no doubt can be traced to my 6 years as in-house counsel to a major European growth venture fund. I am often asked to act as ‘outsourced’ general counsel to many of my investor clients for transactions all over the world.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Corporate and commercial > Venture capital
(Leading partners)Advising across venture capital investments, including institutional funding rounds, follow-on growth capital, and exits by sale or IPO, Fladgate LLP is hailed for its ‘deep knowledge and experience’, specifically in the AI and software spaces. Howard Watt heads the outfit, standing out for his expertise in early-stage investments, primarily within the gaming and healthtech sectors, while Graham Spitz is an M&A-focused partner with a particular emphasis on venture capital funds. Jamie Hamilton and Yulia Leyko are also recommended.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading partners London > Corporate and commercial > Venture capital
- Venture capital London > Corporate and commercial
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Private client > Family
- Employment > Immigration: human rights
- Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Real estate > Residential property
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Industry focus > Hospitality and leisure
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Corporate and commercial > Equity capital markets – small-mid cap
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Dispute resolution > Group litigation: Claimant
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: Project finance and development
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Real estate > Property finance
- Real estate > Property litigation
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Corporate and commercial > Venture capital
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Real estate > Planning
- Employment > Employers
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Renewables