Lauded as a ‘strong, deep team with cross-border capabilities, commercial knowledge, and excellent client service’, Sidley Austin LLP handles a steady volume of sponsor-side deals, both domestic and cross-border. A flurry of lateral hiring activity saw Ramy Wahbeh join as co-head of the global PE practice, arriving from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in June 2023. Wahbeh came from the firm along with Kaisa Kuusk, noted for capabilities in pan-European transactions. Adam Runcorn‘s transactional pedigree sees him working on high-profile deals in the sports, tech, and professional services sectors. Other names to note include Paul Dunbar, whose broad focus encompasses infrastructure, transportation, and healthcare, and Robert Darwin, who specialises in life sciences work. Tony Downes – who joined the team from Proskauer Rose LLP in July 2022 – is also recommended. Fatema Orjela left the firm to join McDermott Will & Emery in April 2024.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Enjoyable team to work with. Highly engaged and committed to projects, but also good-humoured and a great interface to work with, even when facing challenges on a deal. Same breadth and depth of capabilities as other top-tier firms but with a down-to-earth team. Highly recommended.’
‘Exceptionally experienced team on mid-market private equity transactions across multiple strategies, which makes Sidley the ideal one-stop shop for the type of multi-strategy mid-market offering we provide to our investors.’
‘The long-term client-attorney relationship is key for Sidley which means that the relationship partners treat us an extremely valued client in ways that goes above and beyond what we receive from other firms in the market. Adam Runcorn is a standout partner.’
‘Strong, deep team with cross-border capabilities, commercial knowledge, and excellent client service.’
Key clients
- Clearlake Capital Group
- H.I.G. Europe Capital
- EQT Private Equity
- Arsenal Capital Partners
- Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
- Apollo
- Achieve Capital Partners
- Great Hill Partners
- One Equity Partners
- Buckthorn Partners
- Macquarie Capital Principal Finance
- Housatonic Partners
- Verdane
- TowerBrook
- Siris Capital
Work highlights
- Advised Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) in conjunction with Hg Capital on the US$5 billion merger of Norstella with Citeline.
- Advised Clearlake Capital Group in its acquisition of Chelsea Football Club and related affiliates in a consortium co-led with Todd Boehly, Chairman and CEO of Eldridge.
- Advised funds managed by Apollo affiliates on their agreement to acquire Miller Homes Group Limited (Miller Homes) from Bridgepoint Group plc.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Ramy Wahbeh