Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP

Alexander Roy

Alexander Roy is an associate in Willkie's London office.

Andrew Tromans

Andrew Tromans is a partner in the London office and a member of the Corporate & Financial Services Department. He advises insurance and financial institution clients – including life and non-life insurance companies – Lloyd's vehicles, brokers and other intermediaries on a broad range of company law matters, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, outsourcings and start-ups. Andrew has conducted a number of significant insurance business transfers under Part VII of FSMA 2000. His practice also includes advising on policy wordings, FSA and EU regulatory matters (including the UK regulatory handbooks and the implementation of Solvency II), capital-raisings and the establishment of new insurance vehicles. He has particular experience in the life insurance market and has also advised on a number of significant transactions in relation to businesses at Lloyd's of London.

Andrew Gray

Andy Gray is a partner in the Corporate and Financial Services Department and the Private Equity Practice Group in London. He represents major financial sponsors and corporations based across Europe and North America on various corporate transactions, focusing on leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, public takeovers, restructurings and capital raisings.

Ashley Young

Ashley Young is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and Co-Chair of the European Finance Department. He has approximately 20 years of experience advising clients on complex cross-border financing transactions. His practice focuses on acting for sponsors and borrowers, including private equity funds and their portfolio companies as well as credit funds at all levels of the capital structure on UK and international acquisitions, leveraged financings, restructurings and special situations transactions. In recent years Ashley has also handled multiple performing and non-performing loan acquisitions and the financings of those transactions.

Boris Bronfentrinker

Boris Bronfentrinker is a partner in Willkie’s Litigation and Antitrust & Competition practices in London. Boris is a solicitor advocate practicing in complex commercial litigation, with particular experience in competition litigation. He has represented clients, both as claimants and defendants, in leading and high profile cases in both the High Court of England & Wales and the Competition Appeal Tribunal, as well as coordinating competition litigation proceedings in other jurisdictions globally. Regularly acting for both claimants and defendants gives Boris a unique perspective and insight into the conduct of competition disputes from both sides. Boris is experienced in not only litigating cases to judgment but also resolving claims through alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation.

Claire McDaid

Claire McDaid is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Private Equity Practice Group in London. She focuses on private equity and corporate M&A transactions, advising principally financial sponsors, family offices, corporates and strategic investors on a variety of cross-border investment transactions, including leveraged buyouts, complex carve-outs, club deals, growth equity, recapitalisations and liquidity transactions. Claire has particular experience in the distressed and turnaround sphere, advising a variety of stakeholders in such transactions across Europe.

Colin Fulton

Colin Fulton is a partner in the Asset Management Department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP in London. Colin’s practice focuses on advising sponsors of private investment funds, co-investment vehicles and separately managed accounts, in connection with a broad range of matters, including fund formation and on-going operational matters, co-investments and secondary transactions. He also advises fund sponsors and managers in structuring their governance and compensation arrangements. Colin has experience representing investors seeking opportunities in private investment funds as passive investors, co-investors and anchor investors covering numerous sectors and strategies, including buyout, debt, real estate, infrastructure, venture capital, fund of funds and energy funds.

Daniel Gendron

Daniel Gendron is a partner in Willkie’s Corporate & Financial Services Department and Finance Practice in London. He has extensive experience in leveraged finance transactions and financial restructurings, as well as high yield bond issuances. He acts for a variety of borrowers (focusing on financial sponsors and their portfolio companies) and lenders (focusing on private capital providers, in particular special situations and credit opportunities funds). He has wide-ranging experience in both new money financings and restructurings, enabling him to deliver comprehensive and commercial advice to his clients.

David Arnold

David Arnold is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Private Equity Practice Group in London. His practice is focused on representing financial investors and corporate clients across Europe and the US on mergers and acquisitions, divestments, restructurings, capital raisings and general corporate law matters.

David Griffiths

Associate

Dharshini Prasad

Dharshini Prasad is Counsel in the firm's International Arbitration practice group and is based in the London office. Dharshini focuses on complex multi-jurisdictional disputes and is triple qualified to practice in Singapore, England and Wales, and New York. She has advised States, State entities and corporations on commercial, investment and public international law issues and has represented clients in ad hoc and institutional arbitrations under multiple arbitral rules (including the ICC, SIAC, LCIA, Swiss and UNCITRAL rules). She has particular experience with the energy, mining, private equity and pharmaceutical sectors. Dharshini also sits as arbitrator.

Duncan Speller

Duncan Speller is a partner in the firm's Litigation Department, and Co-Chair of Willkie’s Arbitration Practice Group. Duncan is based in the London office, where he practices International Arbitration and English High Court Litigation. Duncan is an English barrister. He has significant experience in international arbitration and has successfully represented clients as an advocate on some of the most challenging, high-value and complex cases over the past decade. Duncan has represented clients in over one hundred and fifty institutional and ad hoc arbitrations, sited in both common and civil law jurisdictions, including England, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Germany. Duncan also has substantial experience of international commercial litigation in both the English Court of Appeal and in the Commercial and Chancery Divisions of the High Court. He has particular experience of arbitration and litigation concerning aviation, oil and gas, insurance and reinsurance, private equity, telecommunications, banking and competition law issues. Duncan sits as an arbitrator and has been appointed as arbitrator or emergency arbitrator by multiple arbitral institutions.

Edward Downer

Edward Downer is a partner in the Business Reorganization & Restructuring Department. With extensive experience in international financial restructurings, distressed debt investment and stressed and distressed financings, Edward is a go-to adviser for clients investing or involved in financial distress situations. He has developed a broad restructuring practice in the UK, Europe, Australia and the US, representing distressed debt investors, special situations lenders, distressed companies and other finance parties including bank and non-bank trustee companies.

Elaine Whiteford

Elaine Whiteford is a partner in Willkie's Litigation and Antitrust & Competition practices in London. She has over 20 years' experience of contentious EU, Competition and Regulatory work, specialising in follow-on damages litigation, challenges to regulatory decisions, cartel investigations and threatened disputes. Elaine also has extensive experience in relation to regulatory investigations conducted by the European Commission and other competition regulators. Her regulatory experience also extends to investigations by the Competition and Markets Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority, Ofwat, the Swiss Competition Commission and the Singapore Competition Authority and her experience includes investigating conduct, evaluating evidence and preparing leniency applications.

Gavin Gordon

Gavin Gordon is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department in London and Chair of the European Private Equity Practice Group. His practice is focused on representing sponsors and other investors on European buy outs, take privates and growth deals. He also represents multiple clients in relation to special situation and distressed M&A opportunities. Gavin has advised many of the leading European and U.S. sponsors on transactions in the UK and almost every European jurisdiction.

Giles Harvey

Graham Lane

Graham Lane is a partner in the Business Reorganization & Restructuring Department and Co-Chair of the European Restructuring Group. He advises stakeholders in all types of restructuring and insolvency matters, with a particular focus on complex cross-border projects. Graham is frequently called upon to: (i) act for par and distressed investors in both "yield" and "loan to own" scenarios; (ii) act for large multinational debtor groups in the negotiation, documentation and implementation of complex and frequently hostile restructuring transactions; (iii) act for private equity and venture capital investors seeking to capitalise on restructuring opportunities and to protect and optimise existing investments; and (iv) provide advice and guidance for insolvency practitioners, particularly in connection with novel and ground-breaking issues arising from "COMI shifts" and pre-packaged administrations. Graham has gained extensive experience from playing key roles in some of the largest and most noteworthy market-leading restructurings of the last decade, including Intu, Lecta, Europcar, Agrokor, Premier Oil, Travelodge, Klöckner Pentaplast, MF Global and European Directories. He is also known for his broad experience in the French market having been involved in CGG, Vivarte, Latécoère, Eurotunnel and other significant French restructurings.

Henrietta de Salis

Partner

Iben Madsen

Iben Madsen is our People & Development Partner, responsible for the training and development of lawyers in the London office. Prior to moving into the People & Development role, Iben was a partner in the Business Reorganization & Restructuring Department. She gained extensive experience advising all types of stakeholders (including debtors, creditors and insolvency practitioners) on restructurings, insolvency proceedings, acquisitions and disposals of stressed and distressed businesses. Iben gained particular experience in handling complex, cross-border mandates, such as Intu, Lecta, Proserv, Premier Oil, CGG, Core Media Group, Monier and Travelodge. She has also regularly been called upon to advise a range of stakeholders in the special situations sphere.

Jane Scobie

Jane Scobie is a partner in the Tax Department. She advises clients on a broad range of complex corporate and commercial tax matters with a particular focus on private equity transactions including investments, private and public company takeovers, private fund formation and restructurings as well as other private funds issues. She also assists clients on employment taxation and share incentive arrangements.

Jennifer Tait

Dual qualified in the UK and in NY, Jennifer Tait is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department. Jennifer practiced corporate and securities law in New York before moving to the London office. Her focus includes representing issuers and underwriters in capital markets transactions in the US and in Europe, in public and private offerings of debt (including high yield), equity and hybrid securities. Jennifer also has experience in liability management transactions including consent solicitations, and tender and exchange offers, corporate and securities regulatory issues, and disclosure and corporate governance matters. Jennifer also has particular experience representing (re)insurers and investment banks in connection with insurance-linked securities transactions, including catastrophe bonds and other (re)insurance structured finance products.

Jerry Healy

Jerry Healy is a partner in Willkie’s Litigation and Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement Practices in London. Jerry has broad experience in the litigation and arbitration of commercial disputes including banking and finance related matters and civil fraud. Jerry has represented a number of leading corporates and financial institutions in high-profile and high value disputes, frequently involving concurrent proceedings in a number of jurisdictions. He also acts for financial institutions and corporates involved in regulatory investigations and enforcements, both civil and criminal, and in implementing anti-corruption systems.

Joseph Ferraro

Joseph Ferraro is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Insurance - Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group in London. He has a broad range of experience advising on mergers and acquisitions transactions and corporate finance matters, including private equity investments, insurance linked securities, stock exchange listings and public offerings.

Kirsty Maclean

Kirsty Maclean is a partner in the London office and member of the Corporate & Financial Services Department. Kirsty advises insurance, reinsurance and other financial institution clients on a broad range of transactions and non-contentious matters. Kirsty has gained a reputation as a notable lawyer in the longevity and pension de-risking market, having advised European and US-based clients on many of the largest and highest-profile longevity transactions completed to date. Kirsty regularly advises on complex collateralised reinsurance transactions and has a particular focus on the interface between (re)insurance and the capital markets.

Komal Raina

Komal Raina is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Finance Department in London. Komal focuses on a wide range of financing transactions acting for sponsors and alternative asset managers including on leveraged and acquisition financings, distressed lending transactions and restructurings.

Melanie James

Partner

Michael Thorne

Michael Thorne is an associate in Willkie’s Litigation Department. His practice covers a range of criminal, regulatory and civil matters with particular focus on compliance and enforcement, internal investigations and white-collar defense.

Michelle Clark

Michelle Clark is a partner in Willkie’s Antitrust & Competition and Litigation practices in London. Her areas of practice include competition litigation, UK and EU regulatory investigations and GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018 compliance and litigation. Michelle is recognised in the market as a leading competition lawyer with particular experience in competition litigation. Acting for both claimants and defendants, she regularly coordinates multi-jurisdictional litigation with a particular focus on collective actions, cartel damages and abuse of dominance claims, often involving intellectual property and FRAND issues. Her experience includes litigating in the English High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. Michelle also advises clients in relation to competition investigations, both infringement proceedings and market sector inquiries, and consequential appeals and judicial reviews following decisions of competition and regulatory authorities. Michelle's vast experience spans multiple industries, with a particular focus on the financial services, automotive, retail, sports, media, pharmaceutical and technology sectors. Michelle also provides strategic and general competition counselling advice.

Nicholas Bugler

Nicholas Bugler is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group in London.. He advises on a wide range of issues affecting the international insurance and reinsurance industries. He advises both insurance and reinsurance companies, insurance general agents and investors of all types. Recently, he has had a particular focus on the intersection of the reinsurance and capital markets industries.

Nicola Chesaites

Nicola Chesaites is a partner in Willkie’s Litigation and Antitrust & Competition practices in London. Nicola has extensive experience of competition damages litigation before UK courts, having represented claimants and defendants before the English High Court and the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, including applications for collective proceedings orders under the UK’s new competition class-action regime. Nicola also has significant experience in challenging and defending EU institutions in EU law matters, having represented clients in EU banking, trade, sanctions, customs, pharmaceutical, transport and competition law disputes. She has appeared before the EU General Court and Court of Justice in Luxembourg in over 25 cases, and represented the EU in many disputes. Nicola’s experience acting for both claimants and defendants, as well as her extensive experience of complex EU litigation provides her with an extremely valuable perspective for claimants and defendants involved in multi-jurisdictional claims, especially concerning matters of competition and EU law, before national courts and the EU courts in Luxembourg.

Peter Burrell

Peter Burrell is Chair of Willkie’s Litigation, Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement, and White Collar Defence Practice Groups in London. He is the Managing Partner of the London office. Peter is recognised as one of the UK’s leading specialists in corporate crime and compliance matters. His practice includes advising on compliance issues relating to money laundering, bribery and corruption, sanctions and fraud; conducting complex internal corporate investigations; and defending companies and individuals in investigations and enforcement actions by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, Financial Conduct Authority, HM Revenue and Customs, and other law enforcement and regulatory agencies. He also handles complex High Court litigation and arbitration proceedings in London, with a particular focus on financial fraud, securities disputes and financial reporting issues.

Philip Coletto

Philip Coletto is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and Private Equity Group in London. His practice focuses on advising private equity sponsors and other institutional investors on a range of complex, cross-border investments, including leveraged buy outs, minority investments, carve-outs, special situation transactions and growth and venture capital. Philip has represented, amongst others, Insight Partners, Davidson Kempner, Blantyre Capital, Genstar Capital, Aquiline Capital Partners, Freshstream, IK Partners, Bluewater, Ardian and FFL Partners.

Philipp Girardet

Please see: http://www.willkie.com/professionals/g/girardet-philipp

Rahul Saha

Rahul Saha is a partner in Willkie's London office. Rahul advises on a wide range of EU and UK competition law issues, including EU and UK merger control, cartels, competition litigation and UK market investigations. He advises across a wide range of sectors including heavy industry, retail, consumer, e-commerce, telecom and energy. He also has experience advising on EU and UK sector-specific regulation relating to energy and telecom.

Rita Mitchell

Rita D. Mitchell is a partner in Willkie’s Compliance, Investigations & Enforcement and White Collar Defence Practices in London. Dual-qualified in the US and the UK, her practice includes advising and defending corporations in a variety of criminal and civil investigation and enforcement matters, conducting complex, worldwide internal investigations in relation to bribery, corruption, fraud, sanctions, human/business rights, and money laundering, advising on and developing and benchmarking compliance programs, conducting pre-merger and third party due diligence, and providing day-to-day counseling and training on compliance with US and English laws, including the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and UK Bribery Act 2010 (Bribery Act).

Solomon Wifa

Solomon Wifa is a partner in the Asset Management Group. A well-established investment funds lawyer with experience across a diverse range of asset classes, Solomon has represented sponsors in the formation of, and institutional investors investing in, private equity, hedge, debt, mezzanine, infrastructure, real estate, energy and venture capital funds across a variety of sectors. Solomon also has extensive experience working on a wide range of secondary transactions, secondary directs, co-investment deals, management spinouts, managed accounts and joint ventures, and is involved in transactions in China, sub-Saharan Africa, India, Turkey and Central and Eastern Europe.

Timothy Sawyer

Tim Sawyer is counsel in Willkie’s Finance Department in London. He has extensive experience acting for leading sponsors on major acquisition financings, refinancings and related transactions opposite large bank syndicates and credit funds. He advises clients across the credit spectrum on a broad range of loan products, including on complex multi-jurisdiction transactions.