Elisa De Carolis
McDermott Will & Emery UK LLPMcDermott Will & Emery UK LLP is sought out by both sponsors and portfolio companies for its transactional capabilities across the tech, healthcare, and life sciences sectors. Eleanor West is a highly active adviser who anchors the team’s offering in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Counsel Elisa De Carolis‘ focus ranges from VC-backed growth investors to digital health and medtech-oriented funds. Former practice head Tom Whelan departed to Reed Smith LLP in February 2024, while cross-border PE buyout specialist Fatema Orjela joined from Sidley Austin LLP in April 2024. Fatema regularly advises on major deals for leading European and US firms, with recent engagements including multijurisdictional buyouts and sell-side processes
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Elisa De Carolis is hands-on, a strong communicator, diligent, proactive, ability to handle complex transactions, able to achieve great results for their clients despite immense pressure and tight deadlines.'
- 'Fatema Orjela is deeply knowledgeable and infinitely approachable. She is good at explaining complicated matters in a simple fashion and is a pleasure to work with.'
- 'Fatema Orjela is an outstanding PE lawyer. We particularly value Fatema's ability to find creative solutions in complex situations, working with clients to find viable paths forward where one is not obvious - this really sets her apart from others in the industry. We also appreciate how dedicated she is to her clients. Fatema is always on top of both the details and the bigger picture, even at short notice. Fatema is our go-to PE lawyer.'
Key clients
- SilverTree Equity
- Ampersand Capital Partners
- Senior Management Team of Facile.it
- Atalaya Capital
- Summit Partners
- Auctus and its portfolio company, PharmaLex Group
- H.I.G Capital
- Naxicap Partners and Eqwal Group
- Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc.
- I.Q. Endoscope
- Flair Global (t/a Flair Impact)
- KHP Ventures
Work highlights
- Advised SilverTree Equity on two simultaneous co-investments with the Kantar: the acquisition of Step-Up RGM; and the acquisition of XTEL.
- Represented Ampersand Capital on an investment with KKR in the business combination of Biosynth Carbosynth and Vivitide; the sale of Genome Diagnostics to Eurobio Scientific; and the acquisition of P95 BV.
- Advised the senior management of Facile.it on the sale of their equity interest to Silver Lake.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.