Eleanor Shanks > Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP Offices

EXCHANGE HOUSE
PRIMROSE STREET
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Eleanor Shanks

Work Department
Private Equity
Position
Head of Private Equity, International
Career
Eleanor Shanks is an experienced partner in our Financial Sponsors Group and Head of International Private Equity in London.
Eleanor advises clients on complex private equity transactions, including domestic and cross-border acquisitions and disposals and joint ventures, across sectors which include infrastructure, real estate, and life sciences transactions. In addition, she advises clients on shareholder arrangements and managed equity plans, co-investments, corporate governance and general corporate matters. Her clients include leading private equity sponsors, investors and funds (including sovereign wealth and family offices), financial institutions, corporates and management teams.
She also has extensive experience advising on regulatory matters, including securities and financial services regulatory matters, in particular in transactions with a U.S. or other cross-border dimension, as well as ongoing corporate governance, and regulatory compliance matters.
Eleanor is recognized for Private Equity in The Legal 500 UK 2023, where clients comment: “Eleanor is not only one of the best technical lawyers in the City but also the kind of lawyer you want captaining your ship in a storm. She knows exactly what she is doing, is graceful under (often) immense pressure and always delivers her deals on time and above expectations.”
Memberships
Eleanor was the youngest woman ever to join the Court of the City of London Solicitors Company, the lawyers Livery company, and served an extended term on the Court before, during and after the pandemic. She continues to serve on the City of London Solicitors Company’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £500m)
Fielding a team of ‘very commercial partners who are well connected in the market with deep knowledge of the industry’, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP‘s private capital offering covers an array of sectors and transactional types. ‘Thoughtful, calm and experienced’, practice head John Taylor advises on domestic and cross-border M&A, bolt-ons, joint ventures and equity financings. Boasting expertise in the infrastructure, tech and financial services sectors, David D’Souza is lauded as ‘a savvy professional able to go toe to toe with even the most technical practitioners in the City.’ Malcolm Lombers’ varied clientele – which include sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, hedge funds and family offices – turn to him for his strength in cross-border M&A, while Eleanor Shanks, who joined the firm from Sidley Austin LLP in October 2023, is praised as ‘technically superb.’ Joseph Dennis also comes recommended, notably for growth capital work.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Public sector > Administrative and public law
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Dispute resolution > Competition litigation
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Risk advisory > Corporate governance
- Industry focus > Emerging markets
- Employment > Employee share schemes
- Employment > Employers
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition: trade, WTO anti-dumping and customs
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: contentious
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Risk advisory > ESG
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: Project finance and development
- Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Investment fund formation and management > Listed funds
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Mining and minerals
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Oil and gas
- Real estate > Planning
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Power (including electricity and nuclear)
- Insurance > Product liability: defendant
- Dispute resolution > Public international law
- Transport > Rail
- Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Renewables
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Industry focus > TMT
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Water
Firm Rankings
- Transport > Aviation
- Finance > Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Finance > Debt capital markets
- Corporate and commercial > Equity capital markets – mid-large cap
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
- Employment > Health and safety
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: M&A and acquisition financing
- Insurance > Insurance: corporate and regulatory
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)
- Industry focus > Life sciences and healthcare
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Upper Mid-Market And Premium Deals, £750m+
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Digital content & social
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Film & TV
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- Employment > Pensions (non-contentious)
- Employment > Pensions: dispute resolution
- Insurance > Personal injury: defendant
- Dispute resolution > Professional discipline
- Insurance > Professional negligence
- Real estate > Property finance
- Real estate > Property litigation
- Finance > Securitisation
- Corporate and commercial > VAT and indirect tax
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate tax
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Finance > Derivatives and structured products
- Real estate > Environment
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Fintech: corporate and commercial
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Gaming and betting
- Insurance > Insurance and reinsurance litigation
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Advertising & marketing
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Fintech: regulatory
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £500m)
- Investment fund formation and management > Real estate funds
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Finance > Acquisition finance
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private funds
- Corporate and commercial > Venture capital