Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

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Antonio Bavasso

Antonio Bavasso is a leading antitrust lawyer with extensive experience in merger reviews, government antitrust investigations, antitrust litigation, and counseling on a variety of competition issues. Antonio leads the Firm’s European antitrust and foreign investment group and is considered one of the top advisors on merger control and regulatory litigation. He has represented clients in obtaining antitrust approvals in numerous precedent-setting and challenging matters in the technology, media, and telecom sector. He also has extensive experience in antitrust litigation, having advised on complex merger control cases before the Competition Appeal Tribunal of the United Kingdom, the Court of Appeal, and the EU General Court.

Stephanie Biggs

Based in Simpson Thacher’s London office, Stephanie Biggs co-leads the Firm’s European financial services and funds regulatory team. She advises private funds, asset managers and financial institutions on European financial market regulations and transactions. Noted by clients as “very highly regarded in the funds regulatory space,” she has advised some of the world’s most prominent sponsors on the European regulatory aspects of major fundraises, including structuring and marketing issues, and has advised on the acquisitions of businesses subject to financial regulation, including change in control and regulatory capital matters.

As a member of the Firm’s European Funds Practice based in London, Sam Brooks represents sponsors of both closed-ended and open-ended alternative investment funds. Focusing on the structuring, sponsoring and operation of private investment funds, Sam advises sponsor clients on a broad range of funds issues, including marketing regulations and documents, structuring and terms, investor negotiations and service agreements. His practice incorporates upper-tier mandates such as management entities and compensation arrangements. Sam also has extensive experience advising on the retailisation of private assets, including on the launch of several ELTIF products and Luxembourg UCI Part II semi-liquid funds, as well as country-specific products in multiple European jurisdictions. He is consistently ranked by Chambers where clients describe him as “exceptional” and “very responsive, proactive and never flustered”. Legal 500 UK also recognise him as a “Next Generation Partner”.

Gareth Earl is a Partner in the Firm’s Private Funds Practice, where he is the Head of the Firm’s European Funds Practice. He advises on the establishment and operation of a wide range of private investment funds, including private equity, growth, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit funds together with bespoke managed account arrangements. His practice also includes advising on the structure and terms of executive carried interest, co-investment and similar incentive arrangements. Gareth has represented a number of leading international sponsors, including Actis, Affinity Equity Partners, Astorg, Apax, BC Partners, Bridgepoint, Charterhouse, Cinven, Coller Capital, CVC and EQT.

David Edwards is co-head of our European Disputes practice based in London and has acted in some of the world’s largest and most complex corporate and commercial disputes conducted in the English and international courts, and in international arbitration. David has advised on a vast range of high-profile strategic battles, including successfully defending several clients in respect of worldwide freezing orders (the “nuclear weapon” of the English courts). He also has advised a large number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals and ultimate beneficial owners of international business conglomerates in relation to their contentious and strategic commercial positions and has forged a practice in respect of complex international shareholder disputes. David’s experience in major international disputes spans industries including energy and natural resources, telecoms, power projects, pharmaceutical, banking and finance (including offshore), cryptocurrency, technology, commodities and trusts. He also has advised on a variety of ESG-related matters for clients.

Ed Ford, based in the Firm’s London office, is a Partner in the Funds team focusing on the structuring and negotiation of highly complex secondary market solutions. He counsels clients on complex private markets transactions, including fundraisings, GP-led continuation funds, tenders, strip sales, NAV-financings and preferred/structured equity financings, as well as LP-led secondary activity across the capital structure.

Adam Gallagher, one of the leading restructuring advisors in the London market, is Head of Simpson Thacher’s Restructuring team in London. With over two decades of experience, Adam advises clients across the stakeholder spectrum on complex cross-border stressed and distressed situations. He represents borrowers, private equity sponsors, directors, shareholders, financial institutions, credit funds and bondholders, as well as pension trustees, liquidators, receivers and administrators.

A Corporate Partner in Simpson Thacher’s London office, Clare Gaskell advises on private M&A and public takeovers as well as equity capital markets transactions and other corporate matters, including minority and preferred equity investments, consortium transactions, restructurings and management equity plans, with a focus on private equity and other financial sponsor clients. Clare has particular experience in law and regulation applicable to UK-listed companies and handles complex cross-border transactions with international counterparties.

Jason Glover focuses his practice on private fund formation, particularly private equity funds. As the former Managing Partner of our London office, Jason has been instrumental in developing the Firm’s U.K. capabilities. He is recognized as a leading private equity funds lawyer, having represented many of the most prominent European and developing market private equity firms in structuring complex global funds. His clients include Actis, Affinity, Apax, Bridgepoint, CapVest, Cinven, Coller Capital, CVC, EQT, Mid Europa, Oakley Capital, Softbank Group and Triton. His practice also includes structuring complex employee leveraged co-investment plans for leading global banks as well as advising fund managers seeking to establish ‘carried interest’ and other compensation plans. Jason has also advised a number of management teams on their spin-outs from institutions.

Paul Hibbert is a Partner in the Firm’s Banking and Credit Practice and is based in the London office. He represents private equity and infrastructure sponsors, corporates, financial institutions and other lenders on cross-border infrastructure and leveraged acquisition finance transactions across a range of debt products and structures (including syndicated loans, multi-creditor platform transactions, private placements, public-to-private transactions, capex roll-outs and holdco/midco financing arrangements). He has extensive experience advising clients on cross-border financing arrangements across the infrastructure sector, including digital, transport, energy and energy transition, as well as social infrastructure.

Shahpur Kabraji

Shahpur K. Kabraji is Partner in the Firm’s Banking and Credit Practice. He focuses on domestic and cross-border syndicated credit, acquisition finance and other leveraged finance transactions. He regularly advises leading sponsors and their portfolio companies in connection with a variety of corporate finance transactions, including acquisition financings, bank and bridge loan financings, unitranche financings and refinancings. His recent representations include advising TDR and Isquared with their take private of Applus Services, MasOrange with its combination transaction and subsequent financings and Flutter Entertainment with its financing of the acquisition of Snaitech.

Rob Lee is a Partner in the Private Funds Practice in the London office. Rob’s practice focuses on the formation and operation of private investment funds across a variety of investment strategies, as well as related aspects of the alternative investment class, including managed accounts, co-investment arrangements and the structuring of carried interest and other incentive schemes. Rob has represented various leading sponsors of private equity, infrastructure and other alternative investment funds, including EQT, Cinven, Apax Partners, CVC Capital Partners, Oakley Capital and MidEuropa.

Real estate finance Partner in Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s London office. Practice includes advising clients on an array of cross-border real estate finance transactions, with a focus on sponsor driven real estate loans. Tom’s clients include Blackstone Real Estate, KKR and Apollo.

Wheatly MacNamara

Wheatly MacNamara is Managing Partner of the Firm’s London office and a member of the Firm's Executive Committee. She is head of the London Real Estate M&A practice and co-head of the London Real Estate group. Wheatly concentrates her practice on real estate acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures, particularly for private capital sponsors. She represents such leading international fund sponsors as Blackstone, KKR, KSL, Starwood, Apollo and Sixth Street. She has notably advised Blackstone in multiple transactions, including the over 200 acquisitions that became the Mileway last-mile logistics platform, as well as its €21 billion recapitalisation. She also acted for Blackstone on its $7 billion hyperscale data center development joint venture with Digital Realty, C$6.2 billion take-private acquisition of Dream Global REIT, its €12.25 billion sale of Logicor to CIC and its €630.7 million acquisition of Hotel Investment Partners and subsequent sale to GIC of its 35% stake in the company. She has acted for a range of sponsors on joint ventures and operating partner platforms, including with operating partners such as M7, Valor and Cabot.

Based in London, Amy Mahon is Co-Head of the Firm’s Energy and Infrastructure Practice and advises a range of clients through all stages of the investment cycle within the energy and infrastructure industry. She counsels infrastructure funds and corporate clients on a wide range of complex domestic and cross border mergers and acquisitions, joint venture and consortium transactions and restructurings across the infrastructure sector.

Head of Simpson Thacher’s U.K. Tax Practice, Yash Rupal represents a broad range of U.K. and international corporate clients, financial institutions, investment funds, hedge funds, asset managers and their respective executives on complicated, often cross-border, mergers and acquisitions, investment funds structuring and tax planning matters. He also advises extensively on tax disputes, tax litigation and HMRC enquiries. Yash has more than 30 years of tax experience.

Hadrien Servais

Hadrien Servais is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Alternative Capital and Private Credit group and leads the European Private Credit team. He has extensive experience advising direct lenders, major investment banks, private capital providers and private equity sponsors on cross-border acquisitions, complex banking and credit transactions, leveraged finance, opportunistic credit financings, direct loans, syndicated credit facilities and debt financing solutions spanning all market cycles.

Seema Shah is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s private funds practice based in London. She specialises in advising sponsors of private investment funds across a range of asset classes on their fundraisings and ongoing fund-related issues. She also advises on a range of other related transactions, including the establishment of managed accounts and single investment co-investment arrangements, GP supported secondary transactions and carried interest and other incentive arrangements.

Nick Shaw is a Partner in the Firm's Corporate Department. He represents private equity sponsors and banks in capital markets and acquisition finance transactions. His private equity financing experience includes numerous representations for sponsors such as KKR, Apax and Blackstone and their portfolio companies.

Adam Signy is a Partner in the Firm’s London office. Adam focuses on mergers and acquisitions—particularly private equity transactions and public company takeovers —as well as equity capital markets. He has represented private equity firms, corporate clients and banks across a range of industries.

Ben Spiers is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s London office and a member of the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice. Ben’s practice focuses on public and private M&A, securities and corporate restructurings. He has spent many years advising clients on complex cross-border transactions around the globe. Ben has stellar experience in UK public takeovers as well as in asset management M&A.

Gil Strauss is a Partner in the Firm’s Capital Markets Practice where he focuses on U.S. securities law. Gil has extensive experience working for private equity sponsors, publicly held and privately held companies and underwriters on their high yield bond offerings, leveraged buyouts transactions, restructurings, initial public offerings and other corporate finance transactions, as well as general corporate and securities law matters. He also has extensive experience in infrastructure financing transactions, including project finance bonds.

James Watson is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Restructuring Team. James has extensive experience in domestic and cross-border restructurings and formal insolvency situations. He advises clients across the capital structure, regularly representing debtors and creditors as well as sponsors and insolvency practitioners. James also advises clients on investments in special situations involving stressed or distressed companies.

Claire Williams

Claire Williams is a Partner in the Firm’s Credit Practice, based in the London office and concentrating on infrastructure debt finance matters. She represents financial sponsors and their portfolio companies on complex cross-border financings across a wide range of infrastructure asset classes (including energy and energy transition, regulated utilities, transport and digital infrastructure). Claire has extensive experience on senior and subordinated financing structures for acquisition (including public-to-private), capex roll-out/development and refinancing transactions and regularly advises clients on multi-source and rated debt raisings.